Campaign was rollercoaster for Town both on and off the pitch
The symbolism was striking as Halifax Town players and fans stood applauding each other.
The journey had veered between fraught, frantic and fantastic but, after players and fans had given it their all at Solihull and stood with a mixture of pride, passion and pain, no-one could quibble with the end destination.
Town's 2023-24 season is a story told from the dugout as well as on the pitch.
Town's recruitment had a more organised, thoughtout look to it than 12 months previously; all 25 or under, more on longer-term deals, all seemingly signed to fit the formation already in place.
Jack Evans scored a debut goal in the opening day win over Bromley, and Town bounced back from defeat at Boreham Wood to win 2-1 at Oldham, including a 30-yard screamer from Harker.
Three games in and Halifax had already amassed as many points as they had in 11 matches last term.
Two frustrating draws with Oxford City and Gateshead came either side of a very creditable point at Solihull and then Harker netted the winner in a very good win at Rochdale.
Luke Summerfield, the least likely player to assault a referee in the whole Halifax squad, was sent-off for allegedly doing just that in the 1-1 draw with Southend, and became a viral sensation as a result.
After a disappointing home defeat to Dorking, Town showed much more fighting spirit in their 3-2 defeat at league leaders Chesterfield three days later, agonisingly losing to a late goal.
Goalless draws with Barnet and Dagenham and Redbridge were of the one step forward then one step back variety, and then a contentious home defeat to Eastleigh made it just one win in ten.
Town's solid start was disintegrating, while disgruntlement among the more vocal of Halifax's fans towards Chris Millington was growing.
But they got back on track with a hard-fought win at Woking - scoring a last minute winner for a change - before a comparative cruise at Ebbsfleet, which made the awful performance in the subsequent FA Cup defeat at home to Marine all the more baffling and bemusing.
Consecutive 2-1 home wins over Hartlepool and Kidderminster meant four league wins on the spin for only the second time under Millington.
It would have been a famous five to round off October but for York's last-gasp equaliser, prior to the latest uninspiring visit to Maidenhead and a 1-0 loss.
Wealdstone were beaten at The Shay, also 1-0, but Halifax then almost lost when they should have won at home to Fylde before what would have been a creditable point at Aldershot slipped their grasp both due to added time goals.
If it was karma for Milli Alli's
at Altrincham in last season's FA Trophy semi-final, Town were getting more than enough ying for their yang.
After a two-and-a-half week break, Altrincham brought a heavy dose of karma with them to The Shay for the rearranged FA Trophy clash too, Town's first appearance in the competition since Wembley, ironically knocking Halifax out on penalties after surviving for over an hour with ten men.
By the time the year ended, The Shaymen were enjoying a very Merry Christmas, collecting seven points from nine against fellow promotion hopefuls Gateshead, Rochdale and Altrincham.
After a goalless draw at home to Alty, their heaviest defeat of the season, 3-0, came in a toothless display at Southend.
It got no better in a dreadful first-half at Fylde, but a rousingsecond-halffightback salvaged a draw.
It was then three consecutive defeats, away to Wealdstone and at home to Aldershot and Solihull, with boos and chants of 'We Want Milly Out' at half-time against The Moors.
But after taking two points from a possible 18, The Shaymen then collected 21 from the next 24 available, an extraordinary run that culminated in an intoxicating win over soon-to-be-champions Chesterfield.
It started with a muchneeded 3-1 win at Dorking on February 10 before backto-back 2-1 home wins over Maidenhead and Woking, with Summerfield scoring straight from a corner in the latter.
Andrew Oluwabori's stunner sealed three points at
Dagenham and Redbridge, and after a 2-0 loss at Bromley, it was three wins on the spin against Boreham Wood, Oxford City and then memorably, magnificently, Chesterfield.
Their fine form faltered at Hartlepool, thanks to former Halifax striker Mani Dieseruvwe's goal.
Home games against Solihull - twice - Altrincham, Maidenhead, Chesterfield, Oldham and Ebbsfleet - less than an hour before kick-off - had already been called off before the Bank Holiday Monday match with York had to be played 24 hours later.
Town scraped a last-gasp draw on April 2, in what turned out to be their final home game of the season at The Shay, before Max Wright's double won a poor game at Kidderminster.
The pile-up of postponements had left Town with four games in the final eight days of the season, which started with a 2-0 loss to Barnet and a frustrating 0-0 draw with Ebbsfleet.
It was then off to Chesterfield, and another terrific turnout from the Shaymen fans, for a pulsating 2-2 draw against Oldham, meaning it was win-or-potentially-bust at Eastleigh on the last day.
But Halifax cruised into seventh spot with a comfortable 3-0 win, setting up a trip to Altrinc ...... Solihull.
It proved one game too much though.
Solihull blew Town out of the water in the first-half, racing into a 3-0 lead, although that was a Rob Harker header away from being wiped out in a stirring fightback that epitomised the kind of character and spirit that had dragged the team into the top seven.