Twelve months down the road since their relegation to the first division Waterford FC have played 32 league games, 4 Cup games and 2 games in the playoffs.
All that work has brought them to the First Division Play-Off Final and a date with Galway at Markets Field.
The Blues finished their league campaign second in the table having battled Galway for the runner-up spot all year.
The playoff games with Treaty began in the calmest of fashions with Danny Searle's side coming away from Limerick with a 4-1 advantage ahead of the second leg. The first half of the second leg however saw the wheels come off the cart - trailing 3-1 at the break the home side came out of the changing rooms with a renewed sense of ambition.
Defender Alex Baptiste had said midweek that the job was only half done and looking back at the first half offering it was almost "half over" rather than "half done."
By the end of the 90 minutes, Phoenix Patterson and Wassim Aouachria had found the back of the net to make it a 7-4 aggregate win but not without scaring the life out of the Blues fans in the stands.
Galway meanwhile had a slightly more routine passage to the final. Drawing 2-all with Longford in the first leg, they returned home for round two and comfortably won 3-0 to take the tie 5-2 overall.
The two sides will now make the trip to neutral ground in Limerick for the playoff final on Friday night knowing that a win will put them within 90 minutes of playing Premier Division football in 2023.
UCD will stand opposite whoever wins on Friday night. If that is to be Waterford, it would make for a tale of "revenge is a dish best served cold" type situation.
The students relegated Waterford last year amid turmoil off the field at the RSC. March Bircham had been sacked mid-week following a dispute with then-owner Richard Forrest and it was a product of Waterford FC Colm Whelan who did the damage on the night.
With the club on a more even footing now thanks to the Andy Pilley takeover the Blues are well-placed to make amends for what happened last year.
Two games still stand in their way, but with a bit of luck along the way they can get out of the first division at the first time of asking.
WLR will be bringing you Friday's game live thanks to McConnells Toyota Waterford, with Ray Scott and John Frost in the commentary box. Coverage is underway from 7.30 at Markets Field.
