When Andy Campbell sent the Bluebirds soaring in Cardiff play-off final - 20 years on
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Cardiff City were either promoted or relegated in four of the five seasons between 1998 and 2003
Celebrating victory in a play-off final is something not every manager, player and fan gets to enjoy, but even fewer have done so in the club's own city.
Since 1990, the play-off finals have been held at Wembley Stadium, but for six years the showpiece events were held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
And it was 20 years ago - on 25 May, 2003 - that Cardiff City had the chance to win promotion to the Championship in the south Wales sun.
In their way stood Ian Holloway's Queens Park Rangers, who had beaten the Bluebirds at Ninian Park less than two months before.
Almost 70,000 fans watched on as each side failed to break the deadlock over 90 minutes, ushering in a nerve-wracking period of extra time.
With six minutes remaining of that extra period and with a penalty shootout looming, Cardiff substitute Andy Campbell got in behind the QPR defence.
One left-footed lob changed everything, and for 19 seasons since then Cardiff City have operated in the top two flights of English football.
Ultimately it was a season where records were smashed, expectations were raised and the disappointment of the previous campaign was well and truly put to bed.
Rising expectations in the Welsh capital
After being relegated to the fourth tier at the end of the 1999-2000 season, Cardiff City found itself under new ownership as Lebanese businessman Sam Hammam purchased control of the club.
Hammam brought with him big ambitions and controversial ideas which included a proposed renaming of the club to Cardiff Celts.
Cardiff City owner Sam Hammam celebrates with fans on the pitch after a famous FA Cup win over Leeds United in January 2002
The Bluebirds returned to Division Two the following season and, after the marquee signings of Neil Alexander, Graham Kavanagh, Spencer Prior, Peter Thorne and Campbell, much was expected of the team.
"I think as soon as Sam Hammam came in the expectation levels rose," said former Cardiff and Wales defender Andy Legg.
"When you bring the likes of Kavanagh, Thorne and other players like that expectations do rise, suddenly we were the big fish.
"Everybody wanted to beat us because Hamman was a character, everybody knew about him, everybody knew what his ambitions were at the club."
Former Cardiff and Wales striker Robert Earnshaw added: "The aim was to go to the Premier League.
"Of course when those things are mentioned, the club, the fans, even the players, realise it is a big project and very different to everything else."
First season 'heartbreak' for Lennie's Bluebirds
In May 2002, after their first season back in Division Two, Cardiff City went into the play-offs with all the momentum behind them.
After the appointment of Lennie Lawrence as manager in February 2002, the Bluebirds won 10 of their last 13 league games, drawing the other three.
That run was good enough for a fourth-place finish and a first shot at the Division Two play-offs.
Deon Burton scored Stoke City's goal in the first leg of the Division Two play-off against Cardiff City
"That was the most successful spell of my managerial career," Lawrence said.
"Two more games and I honestly believe we'd have gone up automatically, and yet we lost the play-off semi-final.
"We went 2-0 up away from home in the first leg before they [Stoke] scored with about 15 minutes to go.
"And then by a bizarre combination of circumstances, miss-kicks, own goals, this, that and the other we go out, I really couldn't believe it."
Earnshaw added: "I think the club felt we were supposed to go up in that previous year when we lost to Stoke.
"I think when you have moments like that you can either drop off completely or it can give you the experience where you're like, 'Okay, that's the level, that's the disappointment, we don't want to feel that again'.
"We were all heartbroken."
Earnshaw breaks records before Thorne dispatches rivals
As well as promotion, the 2002-03 season saw long-standing goal-scoring records broken by Earnshaw.
The former Wales international's 35 goals in all competitions broke Hughie Ferguson's record of 32 set back in 1927 - the year Cardiff City won the FA Cup.
And Earnshaw's strike on the final day of the season took him onto 31 league goals, one more than Stan Richards' tally from 1947.
Robert Earnshaw celebrates Cardiff's 2002-03 season semi-final first-leg win over Bristol City at Ninian Park
"I just felt that in that period I was invincible," said Earnshaw.
"After the first couple of games I went into this kind of zone, like Neo in The Matrix, when he finds out he's the one and he starts moving as if everything was in slow motion!
"I call it that because it felt like I was in slow motion and everything I touched was just going to go in."
Earnshaw's goal helped Cardiff secure a place in the Division Two play-offs for a second successive season, but it was fellow striker Peter Thorne who made the telling contribution in the semi-final.
The Bluebirds had to face Severnside rivals Bristol City for a place in the final, and Thorne's header at Ninian Park proved crucial as their 1-0 home win was followed up by a goalless draw at Ashton Gate.
"Peter Thorne was one hell of a player," said Legg.
"It was a great atmosphere that night [at Ninian Park] but we knew we still had plenty of work to do.
"Obviously we still had one more game to go then but the Bristol game for me was the key."
Millennium Stadium 'different class' to Wembley
With the new Wembley stadium still under construction, the play-off finals were held in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium between 2001 and 2006.
The Millennium Stadium, now called the Principality Stadium, is located in the heart of Cardiff's city centre and just 1.3 miles away from where Ninian Park stood.
The Millennium Stadium also hosted the FA Cup final between 2001 and 2006 - three of which were won by Arsenal
"The finals there, not only ones I was involved in, were a different class," said Lawrence.
"To be honest, I prefer it to Wembley."
The Cardiff team bus followed the route from Ninian Park to the Millennium Stadium and was accompanied by fans for the final part of the journey.
"As soon as we got towards Cardiff there was just a sea of blue," said Legg.
"They were just incredible scenes, and I think it really hit home then, we're under pressure now because we are home in our own city, and that'll never happen again."
'One of the bravest decisions as a manager ever'
Cardiff did not get off to the start they wanted in the final, and it was QPR who dominated possession and had the best chances of the game.
The Bluebirds needed a goal, and with 11 minutes remaining Lawrence made the decision to bring off the record-breaking Earnshaw for Campbell.
"Many people have said to me it's one of the bravest they've seen because if it had gone wrong the wrath of the nation would have descended on me," said Lawrence.
"But if you're the manager, you have to make those decisions and you live or die by them."
Andy Campbell had not scored a league goal since 29 November, 2002 - also against QPR - before scoring in the play-off final
The substitution proved to be the right one, though Earnshaw jokingly suggested he still disagrees with the decision.
"I was so angry with Lennie, it was a final and I didn't think that was the time to take me off," said Earnshaw.
"But he was the bravest man in the stadium, he made the bravest decision to bring me off and then of course Campbell goes on to score the winner. It was a moment of genius.
"I still think it was the wrong decision but it was brilliant management from Lennie."
Campbell creates Cardiff City craze
The final was still goalless after 90 minutes, although QPR substitute Andy Thomson was gifted a chance to win it in the last minute but put his header wide.
As the game moved into extra time, Cardiff defender Spencer Prior almost gave the Bluebirds the lead but was denied by Chris Day.
But, with the match just six minutes away from a penalty shootout, there was nothing Day could do as Campbell broke free of the QPR defence.
Andy Campbell scored six goals in his first four Cardiff City games while on loan in the 2001-02 season
"Gareth Whalley put the ball over the top, it was a cultured ball, and it just landed nicely for a half-volley," said Campbell.
"It was on my left foot, not my strongest foot, but when I hit it I just knew it was going in and then the noise and the euphoria when that ball went in was just electric."
Lawrence said: "Their centre-back [Danny Shittu] had a split-second to decide whether to smash Campbell to the ground and get sent off or not, and he didn't.
"It was a goalscorer's goal, it was his day, but that's why I put him on, and it was vindicated."
Cardiff hardly touched the ball again, but they saw out the final six minutes of the match to secure promotion to the Championship.
"For importance, there's been no more important goal," added Campbell.
"For me, Cardiff City and the football club needed that moment, they needed to get over the line and luckily enough for me I was the person to get that goal, but everyone played their part.
"That goal, for me, it doesn't get any bigger than that."
'A beautiful end to the story'
Cardiff City have not dropped into the third tier since winning promotion in 2003 and spent two years in the Premier League
Like the semi-final games against Bristol City the final was far from a classic, but it was job done for Lawrence's Cardiff City, who celebrated the win in style.
"After the game I walked from the Millennium Stadium to the hotel," said Lawrence.
"There were thousands and thousands of fans in the street and in the pubs, that was one of the most emotional walks in my life, unbelievable."
The match would be Legg's last for Cardiff, after a new contract could not be agreed, but the defender said he enjoyed an "unbelievable five years" with the club.
"Coming out of the Millennium Stadium there were still thousands of Cardiff City fans outside - that scene is one that will always live with me.
"Then we went into somewhere just across the road for a few drinks and then we ended up in a nightclub.
"I think I got home about four o'clock the following afternoon, so it was pretty good celebrations!"
Earnshaw added: "We wanted to take it all in, and it was special, very very special.
"We could celebrate in the capital city too which made it more special because it was unique. It was a beautiful ending to the story."