The Sports Direct Men's FAI Cup quarter-finals were played out over the weekend but the standout result was undoubtedly, for multiple reasons, Kerry's stunning comeback victory over Sligo Rovers.
It was an upset staged by an SSE Airtricity First Division club that is only in its third season as a senior League of Ireland entity. Not only that but they had gone 3-0 down in Tralee on Friday night against a Sligo side that might be languishing towards the bottom reaches of the Premier Division but have been in reasonable form since the summer.
But to come back from that deficit, go on to win 4-3 after extra time and reach the semi-finals of the cup for the first time is certainly the greatest night in Kerry's young history.
On the other hand, Sligo will have to bounce back quickly and refocus on their bid to get out of the bottom two in the top flight with seven league games remaining.
Speaking on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast, Graham Gartland, who was on analysis duty with RTÉ for the other quarter-final between two of his former clubs, Drogheda United and Shamrock Rovers, on Friday night was captivated by the unexpected feat pulled off by Colin Healy's Kerry over at Mounthawk Park.
"Unbelievable result, couldn't believe it," he said.
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"From a Kerry point of view, it's an unbelievable achievement to get to a semi-final of the FAI Cup in such a short space of time from when your club came into existence.
"From a Sligo point of view, it's absolutely disastrous. It's as bad an outcome that you could have wished for.
"If you had said to me that Sligo were going to go to Kerry and lose 1-0 and be knocked out, I would have went, 'Ok, fair enough.'
"It's the manner of it. We touched on it with the Irish defeat in Armenia. It's the manner of it. It's not just the fact that they've lost, it's how they've lost from such a winning, unassailable position to go and lose 4-3, I think it's disastrous for Sligo and it's tough for them.
"They need to regroup and really make sure that they kick on because that's a real body blow. But all the credit has to go to Kerry for that resilience they showed just to stay in the game.
"It's telling that Colin Healy thinks they were the fitter team, and they're a part-time team going up against a full-time team. But when you have that momentum (in a game) that's what it feels like."
Kerry's reward for their heroics on Friday is a daunting trip to Tallaght Stadium to face runaway Premier Division leaders Shamrock Rovers in the semi-finals which will be live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player on Sunday, 5 October.
But even if the cup journey were to end then, the side from the Kingdom have made their mark, with former Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk midfielder Richie Towell lauding the on-field efforts of striker Daniel Okwute but also highlighting the influence of former Cork City manager and Republic of Ireland women's assistant, Healy, as head coach since May.
"Kerry have done absolutely incredible to get where they are. I'm not surprised either," Towell said on the podcast.
"Colin Healy is not just a good manager but he's a good man as well. He obviously had a tough time over the last couple of years.
"So to see him and his team get to where they are now, it's absolutely brilliant to see."
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