WHEN Nicky Maynard converted Cardiff City's stoppage-time penalty to postpone Hull City's promotion celebrations, Stephen Quinn feared it was happening all over again.
The 27-year-old midfielder had become uncomfortably familiar with that sinking feeling.
Since his one and only Premier League season ended with Sheffield United controversially relegated by a West Ham side inspired by Carlos Tevez, the lows have far outweighed the highs in Quinn's career.
As well as a 1-0 loss to Burnley in the 2009 Championship play-off final, there followed defeat in the League One Wembley decider on penalties against Huddersfield 12 months ago.
Quinn has, therefore, been conditioned to expect the worst, but a summer move away from Bramall Lane has brought a change in fortune.
Even if the Tigers still dragged him through the wringer.
"Getting beaten by Burnley by the odd goal (in 2009) and before that it was getting relegated from the Premier League with all the Tevez affair when we should have stayed up," he said.
"Everything I've done seems to have gone against me when it's mattered.
"Even this game, I thought it was going to happen again when we gave the penalty away. It's not supposed to happen like that but someone was shining down on me."
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Quinn's emotions ran high as he dedicated his part in City's famous promotion to the memory of his parents Alice and John.
He added: "My mum and dad have passed away God bless them and it's one for them. I'm sure they were looking down on me. I'm really emotional, I just wish they were here for me.
"My dad would take me to training week in and week out.
"There's millions of kids trying to be footballers and you get to the Premier League, I just wish they were here to give them a hug and tell them I've done it. My dad would always tell me to enjoy my football and since he's passed that's all I've done."
Crowned City's Players' Player of the Season last month, a first promotion of his career makes this a campaign Quinn will never forget. The final day has certainly seen to that.
Once Maynard had forced the Tigers to settle for a 2-2 draw against Cardiff, City's players retreated to the tunnel where Watford's delayed clash with Leeds would decide their fate.
Although a Watford goal would have condemned City to the play-offs, it was Ross McCormack who settled matters to clinch a 2-1 win for Leeds.
"For the neutrals and every supporter across the land, that must have been unbelievable," he said.
"Talk about doing it the hard way. For us to get a penalty and miss it, and them to go up the other and put one away, you just can't write scripts like that. The supporters ran on at the end telling me that Watford and Leeds were drawing 1-1.
"Even when I came into the tunnel and I was watching it on the TV, I still thought Watford were going to go up with the point they had.
"I didn't work it out and thought Watford have got this. Someone put me right but when Leeds scored it was just ecstasy.
"It's such a fine line between success and failure in this sport. The highs and lows that come along are incredible."
Now comes Quinn's Premier League challenge.
Six years after his last top-flight appearance, the Dubliner can spend his summer with dreams of mixing it with English football's elite once more.
Nothing will come easily but Quinn believes City's character will give them a huge chance of survival.
"You look at QPR in the Premier League, did they have the heart, the desire to stay in the Premier League?" he said.
"You've got to have quality, which we have, but you've got to have character too and we've got that in abundance. We've showed that all season. It's sheer character. We have our set-backs but we always seem to come up trumps."
