Well, they did it.
From somewhere, somehow, Cheltenham Town produced one final, super-human effort to edge past promotion-hopefuls Doncaster Rovers and secure their League One status for another season.
On an incredible afternoon of drama at Whaddon Road, Paul Connor dug out a late goal in the face of the second half Rovers' onslaught to claim safety.
Cheltenham were terrfic in the first half, Steven Gillespie giving his side a narrow lead at half time, but they were hanging on for dear life after the break but Shane Higgs produced an immense display of goalkeeping to secure the win, condemning Doncaster to the lottery of the play-offs.
Robins' boss Keith Downing was boosted by the news that Steven Gillespie, Alan Wright and Alex Russell were fit to play while Scott Brown returned to the starting XI at the expense of Craig Armstrong, who dropped to the bench alongside Andy Lindegaard. The Liverpudlian and Ashley Vincent flanked Russell and David Bird, who was crowned Supporters' Player of the Year ahead of the game.
Doncaster, needing the three points themselves to secure automatic promotion to the Championship, shaped up in their tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation.
Gillepsie got the first chance of the afternoon away when he cottoned onto a long ball forward by Bird in the second minute but his first-time chip travelled into the large travelling Rovers contingent, who added a lick of colour to Whaddon Road on a tense afternoon.
It was a cagey opening, with both sides struggling to settle but Doncaster created their first chance of the afternoon when Paul Green headed Brian Stock's corner from the left wide in the 13th minute.
Stock thumped one over five minutes later, while Gillespie failed to connect properly with a volley a moment later, but Cheltenham, sporting their new red strip, put together the first decent move of the contest just shy of the 20-minute mark when Brown played in the effervescent Vincent on the right, who picked out Connor six yards out but the striker's header drifted over.
Veteran goalkeeper Neil Sullivan made his first save of the afternoon to deny Gillespie from 18 yards a moment afterwards.
But on the balance of play, Cheltenham had made the better start and were rewarded in the 24th minute with a priceless goal.
Russell sent a searching ball upfield from inside his own half which Connor won ahead of centre half Sam Hird and laid off to Gillespie on the left of the penalty area. The frontman had it all to to do, but he managed to create a yard of space and release an effort from a tight angle inside the far post to claim his 16th of the season.
It took the roof off Whaddon Road, and it could have been two a couple of minutes later when Jerry Gill whipped in a dangerous ball from the right which forced Matthew Mills to head clear from under his crossbar ahead of Gillespie.
At the other end, Mills called Higgs into his first save of the afternoon when he steered Stock's 33rd minute corner on target with a clever half-volley, while Gillespie had to clear Hird's side footer off his own line from the resulting corner.
Mark McCammon was a whisker away from poking the ball under Higgs three minutes from the interval, but the Cheltenham number one was sharp off his line to make a decisive contact. Then Stock blasted over from 18 yards and Gareth Taylor's looping header dropped inches over the crossbar as Doncaster finished the half strongly.
Rovers pushed a left back Gareth Roberts into midfield after the re-start, leaving the three at the back and Cheltenham almost took advantage a minute into the second half when Vincent met Gillespie's delivery from the left.
But Doncaster started brightly and Higgs pulled off a pair of fantastic saves to keep his side in it, first keeping out Roberts' thunderbolt at his near post before flying to push away Stock's header a moment later.
Richie Wellens smacked one over from the angle, and Green drew a regulation stop from Higgs as Rovers asked plenty of questions of the Cheltenham rearguard.
Manager Downing made the first move of the afternoon, replacing Brown with Lindegaard on the hour, while Doncaster introduced Jason Price at the expense of Taylor in attack a minute later.
Rovers enjoyed the lionshare of possession, Cheltenham working hard to close their opponents down but there was nothing they could do about the Rovers' equaliser 15 mintues from time.
Armstrong had replaced Russell, while Doncaster boss Brian O'Driscoll had sent on Lewis Guy and Paul Heffernan and seconds later, Roberts centred from the left and Green latched onto substitute Price's knock down to thump it home.
Higgs produced an incredible stop to keep out Green's 79th minute close-range effort with his legs, and then substitute Price rolled one against the left upright before it was cleared to set up an unbearable final ten minutes.
But in the 85th minute, after 35 minutes of solid pressure, Vincent won a free-kick which Lindegaard sent in from the left.
Connor won it, however O'Connor cleared but only as far as Duff, who drilled it in on the angle and Connor was on hand from two yards to put the ball over the line.
Higgs saved his best for last, denying Heffernan with an outstanding stop and Green with an even better one in injury time.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Higgs; Gill (c), Duff, Keogh, Wright; S Brown (Lindegaard 60), Bird, Russell (Armstrong 73) , Vincent; Connor, Gillespie. Subs not used: SP Brown (Gk), Connolly, Armstrong, D'Agostino.
DONCASTER ROVERS (4-3-3): Sullivan; O'Connor, Hird, Mills, Roberts; Green, Stock, Wellens; Coppinger (Guy 75), Taylor (Price 61), McCammon (Heffernan 75). Subs not used: Lee, Hayter, Price.
REFEREE: LS Mason (Lancashire)