Premiership play-off final: The 20 minutes that changed Ross County & Partick Thistle's seasons
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Watch the best of County's stunning win over Thistle
It is 20 minutes of bedlam that will be talked about for years to come.
The final game of the Scottish season served up a suitably bonkers denouement doused in VAR drama to leave Ross County still standing in the Premiership and Partick Thistle stuck in the Championship.
How did it come to this? As the clocked ticked into the 71st minute in the play-off final, County were as good as down and Thistle fans were dancing in the sun-kissed Dingwall stands having the time of their lives.
Who could blame the Jags' jaunty travelling support as they belted out "We are back"?
Their team were three goals to the good and sauntering towards the Premiership promised land after a five-year absence. County fans were fighting the urge to head for the exits.
Then, an innocuous ball lobbed into the Thistle box lit the fuse. Video assistant referee Greg Aitken spotted a Brian Graham handball and invited Nick Walsh to check for himself. He concurred, and Yan Dhanda put away the penalty. A glimmer of hope.
Within seconds that glimmer was becoming a blinding beacon as Simon Murray had County's second nestling in the net.
The twists kept coming. County captain Keith Watson was sent packing for cleaning out Scott Tiffoney to halt a Thistle counter. Cue another VAR review going in the hosts' favour as Walsh realised he'd been too harsh, and rescinded the red.
County made the most of the reprieve. As the board went up for nine minutes of added time, only one was required as George Harmon leapt to level the tie at 3-3. Another VAR check prolonged the tension before the goal was given the OK.
Goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw celebrates Ross County's Premiership survival with fans
The Premiership side could, and perhaps should, then have won it without the need for extra time or penalties as Josh Sims struck an upright and Simon Murray ballooned a sitter with the last kick.
Chances came and went at both ends in extra time, but a game this dramatic was perhaps always destined for penalties. Each side missed a couple, then Watson blazed his into the Dingwall sky when finding the net would have won it.
With the very next kick, though, Ross Laidlaw leapt to make a fine save from Ross Docherty, and it was left to Sims to thump home the winner and trigger a pitch invasion.
"The game had everything, very similar to the World Cup final," exclaimed former Thistle striker Simon Donnelly.
"Wow, just wow," said fellow Sportsound pundit Michael Stewart. "The emotions for both teams have been up and down, huge peaks and dramatic troughs."
'Huge' achievement for 'tiny' club
Once the dust had settled, County boss Malky Mackay insisted he always knew his team would complete their mission implausible.
Mackay seems to revel in his side being written off. His take was that "everyone" wanted Thistle in the Premiership at County's expense, and he delighted in proving them wrong.
"I actually had the Carling Cup final with Cardiff against Liverpool that went to penalties, and that was a mental game. But this was something else," said Mackay.
"Honestly, I never thought we wouldn't win. Even at half-time I thought we could score three goals. If we got a goal, I thought they would step back and creak, and we would get the momentum, and that's what happened.
"As a manager it's a huge achievement, because we're a tiny club in the Premiership."
Opposite number Kris Doolan was understandably devastated. His side had bulldozed their way through the play-offs with five wins, 18 goals scored and four straight clean sheets until the wheels come off in spectacular style.
A few months into his first job, Doolan is now well aware just how cruel management can be.
"I'm gutted for everyone to be honest because we put so much into the games," said the 36-year-old former striker.
"Half the country was probably behind us, not just Partick Thistle fans. Football is cruel and I know it's cruel but to go out on penalty-kicks is worse because you feel as if you were so close."
All three VAR reviews in the second leg went against Thistle and Doolan was peeved at Walsh's decision not to award a penalty after having another look at Nohan Kenneh's challenge on Docherty.
"I couldn't understand why it wasn't given," he said. "From where we were it was blatant penalty.
"I don't want to make excuses just on VAR, I feel like you would always be picking on VAR when we lost control of the game at times, five to 10 minutes when they score really quickly. We could have done better."
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