Just two Fife derbies lie between Dunfermline and games against Rangers, Hearts and maybe even Hibs next season.
The Pars will secure a place in the already eagerly-anticipated Championship if they can get past near neighbours Cowdenbeath in the play-off final on first Wednesday and then Sunday.
That would be something to savour for a club that has had to fight for its very survival, with supporters and staff having endured some very dark days indeed.
Dunfermline got past Stranraer at East End Park after extra-time on Saturday, performing well enough to allow manager Jim Jefferies to be able to tell his players at half-time that “it was the best we had played this year”.
It was still goal-less at that point and Stranraer would have been happy to be still holding their 2-1 first-leg advantage at the interval.
However, once man-of-the-match Andy Geggan fired home from close range on 59 minutes you sensed the Pars would do it.
They needed an additional half-an-hour, though, with the outstanding Geggan making it 2-0 on the day with a powerful header seven minutes into the first extra period.
Faissal El Bakhtaoui wrapped things up five minutes later when he collected a long ball, dinked it past Blues keeper David Mitchell then found the net.
Geggan was the star for the home team, with his two goals the extra sparkle on an overall outstanding display.
Manager Jim Jefferies, while acknowledging his skipper’s wonder show just days after suffering damage to his kidneys, was reluctant to pick out any one player for praise.
“To think that Andy was in the hospital on Wednesday night with a bang on his kidney…” Jefferies said. “We took him up there as a precaution but fortunately there was no bleeding or any damage. They said he might recover and that was great news.
“He was groggy, he didn’t do anything Thursday, he didn’t do anything on Friday but he was always going to be on the team sheet if he was fit. To go through what he did on Wednesday and come back and play like that was excellent. I wouldn’t single out anybody, though. They were all excellent.
“If you wished, you could single out quite a few individual performances but for me the whole team were excellent.
“I said to the players at half-time that it was the best we had played this year.
“We just needed to do the same in the second half and we did. We got our just rewards and thoroughly deserved to get through.”
Next up for the Pars is a trip to Central Park and they will be backed by thousands of fans eager to see them head back up Scottish football’s pecking order.
Jefferies recognises there is still a huge amount of work to be done before they can begin to think about the Championship.
Even if they don’t make it, he argued, the club has still taken forward strides this season.
“This result has only just taken us to the next stage, though, which is the play-off final,” he added.
“They will be two cracking games two Fife derbies. We will go there on Wednesday and then I imagine this place will be packed if it’s a close game. We are delighted to be there and the boys are giving it their best shot.
“The bigger picture is to say that Dunfermline’s future is bright. You just have to consider where we were a year ago to where we are now.
“If we can keep all these boys together it will be great. I am sure they will want to stay if we get promoted but even if we don’t then I’m sure they will see things are moving here.”
The Pars have been allocated an initial 2,000 tickets for Central Park.
Sales start this morning at 11am to season ticket holders only and purchases are limited to one per person, with a general sale from 10am on Tuesday.