Ten weeks ago, when Glenavon were bottom of the table and 12 points adrift of Crusaders, not many would have believed that they would move out of the automatic relegation spot before the split, but manager Michael O'Connor did.
It was a challenging start to the season for the Lurgan Blues who failed to register a point in their opening 11 games.
However, since O'Connor took over at the helm in October, the side have started to improve and now do not occupy the automatic relegation position thanks to a 3-0 victory at Seaview.
Goals from Paddy Burns, Luke McGerrigan and Conor Falls secured the crucial three points in the penultimate Saturday before the split.
"I have gotten a few grey hairs since I have come in," O'Connor told BBC Sport NI.
"I always believed. People said I was mad to take the job and that they were down. I think everyone was saying that Glenavon were going down to the Championship next year.
"Listen, I had the belief that we could keep them up and I was trying to get the players to believe as well and you can see now on the pitch. If we all stick together, I think we will be OK."
'It has taken us time' – O'Connor
The Lurgan Blues are now unbeaten in four matches and haven't conceded in their last two fixtures.
Glenavon signed Gavin Gilmore and John Mountney in January with Nathaniel Ferris, Charlie Lindsay, Mikey Harkin and Conor Falls joining the club on loan.
O'Connor praised the January recruits' contribution and added that his side are a "good squad".
"We are going to look at the table tomorrow and see that we are not bottom and it is going to be good," he continued.
"It has taken us time. I think we recruited really well in January and I think you can see out on the pitch now they are a good squad.
"Listen, we are off the bottom but still loads of points to play for, it doesn't mean we are going to stay up."
O'Connor's side face Larne in their last pre-split match with the Inver Reds five points clear at the top of the Irish Premiership.
"We fancy ourselves at the minute to beat any team," he continued.
"Listen, they deserve respect because they are top of the league, but I will be setting up to go and win that game."
Conceded goals 'embarrassing' – Caddell
It was a far less enjoyable afternoon for Crusaders manager Declan Caddell, whose side continue to search for their first win since early January.
Now, as pressure mounts on the 37-year-old, his side sit bottom of the table and have failed to score in their last two games.
"I thought in the second half we took control for 15 minutes and had a one-on-one chance with Fraser [Bryden] that he has missed and that is a big, big chance," Caddell told BBC Sport NI.
"We concede straight away after that with a ball into the box, which has been the story of the season and it isn't good enough defensively."
"All three goals were embarrassing in terms of how we set up and how we defended the ball and it's probably a bit of weak mentality. We concede again within five minutes which is a mentality issue."
Despite the challenging result, Caddell was pleased that experienced midfielder Robbie Weir returned and played the majority of the match.
Weir, who has made 142 appearances for the Crues, has made just one league appearance this season.
"Positive from today is we had Robbie Weir back, who I thought was exceptional for the 60/70 minutes he was on," he continued.
"Jordan Forsythe is back in two weeks from suspension, we are looking to get those experienced players back as quickly as we can.
"Six games to go and we still have to play Glenavon again, but all we can do is look forward to Portadown."
