Bristol Rovers pulled off the impossible as they came back from the dead twice away at Rochdale. Pandemonium ensued at the final whistle as an unbelievable win sank in.
That was absolutely bonkers. There's simply no other way to describe it. Sitting at my laptop two mornings after and it still doesn't feel real. Coming back from 2-0 and 3-1 down, with a minute of normal time left and our play-off place on the line, is nothing short of incredible.
There must have been close to 3,000 Gasheads there, making up well over half of the attendance. What a day that was for everyone of us there and watching at home. The support was amazing, with Rovers responding to each goal conceded with rousing renditions of "Goodnight Irene." Barton said after they couldn't have done it without the fans and it's special to have played our part in that.
It was far from plain sailing though. In true old-style Rovers fashion, we did it the hard way. Rochdale barely had to break into a sweat to find themselves two goals up. All over the pitch, the Rovers XI seemed to be stuck in second gear.
There was talk in advance of Rochdale's strong home form making this a tough test for Rovers, but their first-half dominance was more to do with Rovers being poor than the hosts being good.
Tactically it couldn't have been much easier for them to score the first two. When winning the ball back, Dale quickly got the ball through the lines to a man who had acres of space to run at Paul Coutts, Connor Taylor and James Connolly. Luke Charman managed a brace without lifting a finger and Rovers managed to leave themselves all to do.
Luke Thomas should take plaudits for lifting Rovers in that first half. He was a livewire in attack, taking up aggressive positions, running fearlessly at the opposition and being involved in our best moments. He was the best player against Forest Green when he came on and he was the best player at the end of that first half too.
Early in the second period, Rovers stuck at a game plan to get the ball out wide. 10 minutes in, it became clear we needed to try something different. No sooner than that thought popped into my head, Sam Finley tries plan B and weaved the ball through the centre of the Dale defence to score. He deserves credit for dragging Rovers' play up the pitch and doing something inventive when we needed it most.
Rovers would fall further behind soon after though and for many teams, that would have been that. Others would have entered the damage limitation phase, but this team do not do normal.
Another Antony Evans assist, a James Collins finish and the belief amongst the team grew. I don't think that belief ever left the players, even at 3-1 down. This team is capable of the spectacular and with the individual and collective qualities we have, there was always a chance we would pull it off.
And pull it off we did. In the 89th minute, Rovers were behind and out of the play-offs. That a loss could have put us eighth in the league didn't cross my mind at the time, largely because I always believed we would have chances to take something from the game. But it shows the almost immeasurable significance of three points from a losing position.
When Collins' shot was palmed away by Jake Eastwood, in that very moment you wondered if we'd have to settle for a point. But a split second later, Elliot Anderson's header was diverted home by Collins for the hat-trick and the away stand turned into absolute carnage. The whole team wheeled away towards the travelling support, who had in turn made it on to the pitch to celebrate with the players. The scenes were just incredible and everyone there will remember that for some time to come.
There was still time for Coutts to get sent off in what could be a huge blow for the rest of our season. He is integral to the way we play and his experience is vital in our team's composure. I saw no lashing out from either side, just some pushing and shoving, but the referee must have been given a decision to make as Barton suggested after.
The incident was not captured on the main camera so Rovers' hopes of overturning the red card rest solely on our own club cameras picking up clear evidence of the incident. Having our captain unavailable for the entirety of the play-offs would be a huge blow - let's hope we don't need the play-offs to go up.
The scenes at the final whistle were ecstatic. The noise and the limbs were like nothing I've seen for a long time. Rovers fans were back on the pitch, chants of promotion were ringing out round the place and The Gas were sat in fourth. That's quite some difference from the penultimate minute of normal time, when we occupied eighth spot.
You have to hand it to Joey Barton too. Firstly, in admitting a mistake in throwing Josh Grant back into the action too soon. But mainly for being bold in his substitutions. He could have opted for a like-for-like replacement for Grant in Nick Anderton, but bravely brought Thomas into the fold.
Then, with Rovers needing something from nowhere, Barton took off two defenders and introduced two forwards in their place, leaving just one recognised defender on the pitch. The guts that takes deserves some praise.
Some of the finest moments of this remarkable season have been characterised through words. "Spence has done it again!" felt like Rovers' own "Aguero!" moment at the time. Then came my personal favourite after Ryan Loft's 94th minute clincher at Port Vale - "The Vale players are on their knees, and the Rovers players are in the stands." This time, Richard Hoskins of BBC Radio Bristol was heard chaotically shouting "Goal!!" on repeat after Collins' 95th-minute winner.
But it was actions rather than words that characterised how ridiculous that comeback was. Evans, having just played a key role in the preceding madness, stood facing his fans with his hands on his head in disbelief. Even Rovers' own magician couldn't quite believe what had just happened.
In winning, Rovers had piled the pressure on Port Vale and Mansfield, who wouldn't play until Bank Holiday Monday. Both had tough tasks, with Vale at home to Newport and the Stags away at Salford, who had play-off hopes of their own. That pressure took its toll, with an off-colour Mansfield managing a draw and Port Vale losing a third game in a row for the first time since January.
The significance of those results cannot be lost on us. Prior to Monday's games, I thought it unlikely that both would fail to win. Now, Rovers don't have to rely on Exeter to beat Port Vale and Forest Green to do a job on Mansfield. That is huge for the Gas and with already relegated Scunthorpe our opponents on the final day, the pressure is firmly on Northampton.
The Cobblers have a long and tough trip to Barrow, who are no mugs under Phil Brown. Rovers found it hard against them in both fixtures this season, and they have recently trounced promoted Forest Green 4-0 along with beating Sutton at home too.
Of course, there is another way to do it. Win by five clear goals, equal Northampton on goal difference and we'd be promoted on goals scored. That might seem a fantasy to some, but with just how wild this season has been you cannot rule it out. Going up that way would surely be one of the most incredible promotions ever achieved, given where we stood in the table before the turn of the year.
There is still a job to be done on Saturday. Rovers know how tough it is facing an already relegated side on the final day. It looked as though the woodwork and an inspired Dagenham & Redbridge keeper would hold Rovers in 2016, until that infamous Lee Brown injury time winner sent The Mem wild and Rovers to League One. Scunthorpe will want to play for professional pride and will play without pressure. Barton will not underestimate that.
Whatever happens on Saturday, we can be proud of an incredible Rovers team. That should not be lost on us all, given the hurt we all suffered with relegation to League Two last season. There can be no doubting that Barton and his staff have built a really special team, capable of the impossible having looked down and out just a handful of months ago.
Whether we go up automatically or go into the play-offs, I'm proud of this team and what they've achieved. As Barton said recently, I wouldn't change my horse for anybody else's in this race.
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