Birkirkara fans ran through a catalogue of emotions on Sunday as they saw their team come back from three goals down to beat Hibernians 5-4 and move within touching distance of a third Premier League crown.
Birkirkara looked well on their way when skipper Michael Galea beat keeper Mario Muscat from the tightest of angles after 10 minutes. But, a sense of disbelief gripped the Stripes in the next 20 minutes or so as Paul Zammit's men suddenly lost tactical shape to concede four goals leaving them with a mammoth task to regain control in the title race.
As tempers started to fray on the stands, the Stripes surged forward in search of a lifeline and that came just before the break when Sylvano Comvalius profited from a static Hibs defence to bridge the gap to 4-2.
Now, the force was with Birkirkara. Aided by more atrocious defending by Hibernians, they scored three times in the space of 17 minutes to claim an incredible 5-4 win and restore a four-point lead over nearest rivals Valletta.
Given the number of twists and turns that developed on Sunday afternoon, the proceedings might have raised a few eyebrows among the neutral fans at Ta' Qali but Galea believes only determination was behind Birkirkara's shock comeback.
"That was an incredible match," he told The Times yesterday.
"We started on a high and could have easily been 3-0 up after 10 minutes. But, then we conceded too much space in midfield and Hibs profited fully.
"At 4-1 down things started getting tough but Comvalius's goal on the stroke of half-time was the turning point of the match. We got our confidence back and there was no looking back after that.
"We never really panicked and the attitude of the team was excellent. Others may think differently, but Birkirkara never stopped trying and in the end our determination saw us through. Now we're on the verge of the league title."
At the age of 31, Galea is one of the senior figures in the Birkirkara squad that features several young players. Having won two league championships with the Stripes in 2000 and 2006, the elegant forward accepts that his experience is vital to lead his team-mates in adverse situations, typical of the ones of Sunday afternoon.
"I'm aware that being one of the senior members in this team I have to lead my team-mates by example," Galea said.
"Most of the players in our squad have reached the prime of their career but do not have the experience to handle a title run-in. I'm always ready to handle the pressure, as happened on Sunday, but it's important that everyone in the team gives their 100 per cent.
"These last four matches have been rather tense and we expect more of the same against Tarxien. But if we show the same attitude as against Hibs I'm confident that we can do it with a match to spare."
On paper, Birkirkara look odds on favourites to clinch the three points on Friday but Galea is aware of the possible pit-fall this match could pose to his team.
"Tarxien are a very dangerous side as we have discovered already," Galea said.
"In the previous match against them, we needed two late goals to grab a 3-3 draw so we need to stay on our guard all the way. Their Brazilian forwards are very dangerous and we must be at the top of our game to complete the job. The title is within our grasp and it's up to us to make sure we don't take the title race to the final day of the season."
Galea urged the Birkirkara fans to stay close to the team in this delicate stage of the season.
"I hope that our fans will be behind us throughout the whole match against Tarxien," he said.
"Unfortunately, there was a small section who jeered the team when we trailed 4-1 on Sunday. It was only a minority but on Friday all Birkirkara followers have to be behind the team as we need their constant backing to secure the points we need to win the league."