Yesterday evening I was one of 17,048 people lucky enough to get a ticket to the FA Cup Third Round replay between Plymouth Argyle and Liverpool Football Club.
Ever since fan-favourite Graham Carey converted an extra-time penalty late into a grim December evening in Newport to confirm that it would be The Pilgrims who would face the five-time European champions, much of the South West has suddenly started to take notice of us once again.
As an Argyle fan since 1998, I have experienced the full range of emotions. The ecstasy of two promotions (Argyle beating Queens Park Rangers 2-0 on a sunny April afternoon in 2004 is still one of the best days of my life), to the two straight relegations down to League 2, a period spent flirting with the abyss of the non-league football and even coming within hours of not having a club at all.
Last year Argyle came within a whisker of promotion, eventually folding to AFC Wimbledon after more than 30,000 supporters travelled to London and helped paint Wembley green for the play-off final - a game set up following one of the moments that make us love football so much, a last minute-winner against one of our rivals, in this case Portsmouth.
However, to his eternal credit, manager Derek Adams has ensured both players and fans have all but gotten over the Wembley heartbreak by making a number of shrewd signings such as centre back Sonny Bradley and experienced former Premier League midfielder David Fox and once again steering Argyle to the upper reaches of the League 2.
The Greens currently sit six points into the automatic promotion places with a game in hand but it has been the FA Cup run that has really got the South West talking.
Waking up at 3:30am to make the trip to Liverpool, I simply hoped to enjoy a few beers with my friends and prayed that Argyle would be able to keep the score down to anything respectable below 4-0.
The motorway was a sea of green on the way up and there was a carnival atmosphere in and around the away end with The Green Army in fine voice even in the pubs beforehand.
More than 8,600 Argyle fans packed into Anfield's away end, a fantastic sight, and comfortably out sung the Anfield faithful from the first whistle to the last.
Naturally, Liverpool's stars (and there were a few of them present) moved the ball around at ease but lacked the penetration to really test Luke McCormick.
As the minutes ticked by and ball after ball was cleared, the chances of Argyle earning a lucrative replay became more and more real.
The scoreboard timer ticked in slow motion and despite a few scares, Argyle held firm and as referee Paul Tierney sounded his whistle the away end exploded. An incredibly proud day to be a fan of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, I couldn't stop smiling for days.
Earning a replay has earned Argyle an estimated million pounds and while this is nothing for a club like Liverpool, the figure can make all the difference for a League 2 outfit.
An online search shows that Liverpool's brilliant Brazilian Coutinho earns an estimated £100,000 a week.
Although I have no official figures to verify this, ever trusty Football Manager tells me that no Argyle player earns more than £2,000 a week.
Predictably the replay sparked a frantic scramble for tickets and I was contacted by several Liverpool fans asking if I can get them a seat for the visit of one of European Football's true giants.
Needless to say, I told them that the day was a reward for all the loyal Argyle fans who have witnessed defeats at home to teams such as Morecambe and Crawley or traipsed to towns and cities such as Hartlepool and Carlisle, often enduring eight hour journeys home with little or no footballing reward. I wasn't going to help any Liverpool fans get tickets in the home end and detract from the atmosphere.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Argyle's support can only be rivalled by Portsmouth at this level and they have the benefit of being a former Premier League side and FA Cup winners.
The Green Army regularly numbers more than 1,000 at away games, sometimes amounting to a third of the crowd on the day.
As the cameras rolled into Home Park, the media circus began and the club tried its best to reward loyal supporters, although it's fair to say there were more than a few teething problems which results in some genuine fans missing out on the game altogether.
So Wednesday eventually rolled around and every second at work felt like an hour (sorry to whichever of my bosses is reading this).
I hit the road at 4pm and from the second I stepped out my car in Plymouth I felt like the club was alive again and the city cared. Nothing irritates me more than watching a game in a Devon or Cornwall pub and being surrounded by Manchester United fans who probably have never been to the city or couldn't even point it out on a map.
Vendors around Home Park pedalled those hideous half and half scarves on every corner and the Britannia pub was one in, one out. Police officers marshalled the sell-out crowd and with the installation of temporary seating on the Mayflower Terrace, Home Park felt like a proper football ground again.
The anticipation was palpable in the build-up to kick-off and as soon as Semper Fidelis drew to a close, The Green Army started belting the way through its repertoire and how great it was to hear the noise coming from not just the Devonport End but the Mayflower and Lyndhurst too?
The Liverpool fans, despite numbering well over 2,000 were disappointingly quiet but last night wasn't about them, it was about Plymouth Argyle Football Club.
Unlike at Anfield, Argyle pushed forward when possible creating a number of opportunities but it was veteran Lucas Levia who headed Liverpool in front, heading in from a corner and finally breaking Argyle's brave resistance.
The Green Army continued to sing and loud. I especially enjoyed the song directed at the extremely irritating ex-red Steve McManaman who has given Argyle grief whilst commentating on the two ties, not realising that if we attacked at Anfield we would have been taken apart at will and probably on the wrong end of a severe hammering. How on earth he is allowed to commentate on either Liverpool or Real Madrid games when he displays such blatant bias towards his former clubs in beyond me. In my book, sports commentary should be unbiased and insightful.
Into the second half and Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge departed having had a minimal impact on proceedings and the Home Park faithful collectively held its breath when Jake Jervis came within an inch of forcing extra time when his acrobatic effort rebounded off the post.
McCormick saved a late penalty from Divock Origi but Argyle failed to fashion anymore clear opportunities and as the final whistle sounded, The Green Army stood to applaud the efforts of the players who fought gallantly and did what many Premier League sides have failed to do, restrict Liverpool to just one goal over 120 minutes.
Internationals Adam Lallana, Coutinho, Emre Can, Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and young starlet Ben Woodburn all tried and failed and it was a player who hadn't scored since 2010 who eventually proved the difference between the sides.
As I walked away from Home Park last night and proceeded to get stuck in road works on the A38, I couldn't help but reflect on how the feel-good factor is finally returning to Home Park and how the South West and the footballing world is once again taking notice.
The atmosphere last night was absolutely electric and if Argyle perform as they did over the two games against Liverpool in the remaining League 2 fixtures, we'll finally be out of that wretched league at a canter.
With all due respect we deserve better than to be playing clubs some of the clubs in League 2 who average as few as 3,000 fans for each home game.
The demand for tickets for the Liverpool games shows that if the players and manager are doing the business on the pitch, the people of Cornwall and Devon, and those exiled around the country, will soon jump back on the band wagon.
Things are definitely looking up and for the first time in years, it's exciting to be an Argyle fan and the feel-good factor is most definitely back.
The Liverpool games have created some incredible memories that will stay with me for life but it is absolutely vital that the team really kicks on and secures promotion. Any less than that and despite the Anfield heroics, the season will be seen as a failure, especially given the gap that currently exists between the automatic promotion places and play-off spots.
We have the right manager, a good squad even if a little depleted through injury at present, and people steering the club with Argyle's best interest at heart, as is evident with Simon Hallet's multi-million investment to redevelop the Mayflower Stand.
I'll be at Cheltenham on Saturday singing my heart out for The Greens. We're Plymouth Argyle and we're most certainly on our way back.
