If Romford are to make it to Wembley for the FA Vase final then they are going to have done it the hard way - after an incredible collective effort in the first leg of the semi-final.
All game plans went out of the window after just four minutes against Lincoln United when Kris Newby was given a straight red card for a foul on Tobias Liversidge, a moment that was compounded further when Matthew Cotton scored a penalty six minutes later.
But Boro dug deep and after bringing on Ash Siddik before half-time to address the imbalance in midfield, they started to sense salvation.
Finlay Dorrell volleyed them level 12 minutes into the second half and even when Elliott Dye had seemingly broke their hearts with a second Lincoln goal, scored in stoppage time, Romford equalised through the substitute, a clearance bouncing off his chest and in.
It leaves the tie poised at 2-2 with the second leg at Ashby Avenue on Saturday.
And whatever happens, nothing will change manager Dan Spinks' feelings towards his team.
He said: "The boys don't let me down, every time their backs are against the wall, they roll their sleeves up. It was excellent and we deserved the draw.
"There’s still another game and although we wanted to get a little advantage [from being at home], to stay in the tie, we're over the moon
"I’m immensely proud of what they achieved [but then] I was immensely proud before we started the game to be honest with you.
"To be where we are now, that shows the team spirit we’ve got. We lose together and we win together, and we’re not losing many games at the moment."
The fact they performed so well for so long with a numerical disadvantage has helped build their confidence of getting a result in Lincolnshire.
Spinks said: "We're not going to go there overconfident but we've just played them for 90 minutes with 10 men, and we held our own.
"It can be hard to play against 10 men because we're going to get a little extra five or 10 per cent out of our players to make up for the lost one. You can be hard to break down.
"But we're confident and we're still in the tie. It’s a one-off game now.
"I hope it doesn't come to penalties because it will feel harsh on whoever loses in that situation.
"But that's football and it has to be decided one way.
"We've got to go there and win the game in 90 minutes, that's the plan.
"This was a good day for the fans and for the chairman and secretary, they deserve it. There has been a good buzz around the place all season and this just topped it off.
"But Wembley will top it off even more, it will be the icing on the cake if we can do it."
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