Before the start of the year, Donegal fans were hoping that Jim McGuinness would be able to make the county competitive in Ulster once again this season.
The county had dropped to a frightening degree over the last season, so much so that provincial and All-Ireland honours seemed like lightyears away. A major overhaul was needed to in order to improve their fortunes on the pitch, with their former manager trusted with conducting that process.
It was thought that the journey to relevance could be a lengthy one. However, just a few months on, they are now Ulster champions once again.
Their victory over Armagh this afternoon came via the finest of margins, defeating Kieran McGeeney's side in a penalty shootout.
Things could have gone either way, although one subtle moment during the course of the shootout may well have made a telling difference.
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RTÉ pundits name key Donegal moment in shootout win over Armagh
With the first five penalty takers from each county converting from the spot, Donegal would go on to win the penalty shootout against Armagh in sudden death.
GAA rules state that the same five players must take penalties again once you reach that stage of the shootout. However, they are allowed to change the order in which they step up.
That's what Donegal did, with Aaron Doherty taking the first penalty having not done so on the first occasion. Armagh would then go on to miss the decisive penalty.
Speaking on RTÉ after the game, both Peter Canavan and Ciaran Whelan identifying this as a potential turning point in the shootout.
Whelan: It's cruel that they have to step up again once they've got their penalty. [Ciaran] Thompson was next, but Aaron Doherty said 'no, I'll take it', then he stuck his second one in the corner.
Canavan: That was a big call. That has to come from the players.
Whelan: That's leadership, isn't it? That's someone saying 'yeah I'll step forward'. It's a tough environment. It's such small margins, it's a cruel day for Armagh again. They will be absolutely heartbroken.
But Jimmy is back winning matches. They got over the line, held in there all throughout the game, and showed their resilience. They had more leaders to drag themselves back into the game when Armagh didn't close it out.
While this was clearly a player led decision, it does perhaps point to the way in which Jim McGuinness has empowered his panel to make such calls on the pitch.
With an Ulster title now under their belt, Donegal will fancy their chances of making a deep run in the All-Ireland series this summer.
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