Twelve months ago, Southern United had ended a disappointing national football league season in last place on a seven-game losing streak.
This time around it has finished fifth, with 24 points, six wins, a positive goal difference and a three-match winning streak to finish.
The club has called it much-needed progress, rather than success.
That is a great attitude, as it shows the desire to keep reaching for greater heights.
However, the improvements should not be swept under the rug.
In simple terms, this side proved far tougher to crack defensively and far more threatening on attack.
That led to it scoring eight more goals and conceding 14 fewer than last season.
It showed a belief this year, exhibited most clearly in its 2-1 win over Waitakere United in Auckland.
Down 1-0 with 93 minutes gone, it would have been forgiven for thinking the game was over.
Yet two Danny Furlong goals in added time enabled it to claim the most remarkable of wins.
Those late-game heroics became a theme throughout the season and were vital in several results.
Squad depth was also key.
Injury plagued the side early in the season, but it managed to cover for that.
Likewise Furlong's departure in February meant the side lost one of its best players, but it was able to maintain its goal-scoring ability.
That came from some quality signings from outside the region, as well as being able to get several top locals back who were not involved last season.
The likes of Tom Connor, Jared Grove and Hamish Cotter provided quality from start to finish, while Tim McLennan jumped back on board mid-season.
Alongside that, the team retained a core from last year, including Liam Little, Andrew Ridden and the majority of its Irish contingent.
That is not to say there were not disappointments.
The side's first match against Hamilton Wanderers sticks out.
After leading 2-0 five minutes in, the three points were there for the taking.
However, it was unable to complete the job and had to settle for a point.
The top four teams also proved another level, with just three points out of a possible 24 obtained.
To notch two draws against Auckland City was no mean feat, while a draw away against Team Wellington was also a big result.
However, the other matches against the top four accounted for five of Southern's six losses.
It is hard to ignore, although it is also hard to call it a failure.
Perhaps it is more a sign of how far ahead the top four - which also includes Canterbury United and Eastern Suburbs - is of the rest of the league.
How to bridge that gap is another thing, particularly given the budgets and population base of some of those teams.
Making the playoffs was not the primary goal this season though.
The top six was where Southern set its sights and it went one better.
That it lost just one match against the teams below it has to be seen as a success and offers a springboard to move forward.
