Up fifth spot

during the course of the second half, with both sides unhappy about a fixture backlog caused by numerous match postponements – although one of the replacements, Adam Wrightson, was especially lively.

After 71 minutes, the diminutive striker looked to have brought his side level with Blyth’s first attempt on target, but Ben Hinchliffe brilliantly parried the shot past the right post with what Gannon would later describe as “a match-winning save”.

Over the final 15 minutes of normal time, County’s defence stood firm to repel three freekicks by home captain Robbie Dale, together with the same number of corners.

And in five minutes’ added time that became more than eight, following a late injury to Nathan Buddle, Michael Liddle – who had scored one of his side’s late, late goals to win at EP more than six months earlier – let rip with a shot from distance that Hinchliffe was on his toes to catch, denying the hosts what would have been only their second draw of the entire campaign.

The final whistle sounded, and County had sealed a somewhat remarkable 25th point from a possible thirty to propel into the play-off hunt – a feat which even Gannon admitted looked “unlikely” after back-to-back home defeats in March seemed set to condemn The Hatters to a sixth season in the sixth tier.

Instead, County now look forward to an extended season for the first time in ten years – when the mercurial Gannon led his side to a 3-2 League Two Play-Off Final win over neighbours Rochdale at Wembley.