I was there for that game. Great weekend. The fact we got promoted did not strike me as particularly unexpected. Very welcome, of course.Unexpected? We absolutely walked the League. It was unexpected to get promoted that day, as we needed two other results to go our way as well as for us to win. But we had about 6 games left to play, if I can remember.
Maybe that's what you meant actually.
But I was also in the North Stand when we thought we were going up to division 1, only to find that Stains and Spuds had signed non-aggression pact. So I have avoided conflating hope with expectation at the football ever since. These days I hope for everything and expect nothing. It helped me enormously during the Wilkins, Adams-2, Hyppia, er, Hughton, and Potter eras. It has kept me sanguine when all around me (and on NSC) are losing their shit, and it has made the steady progress over the last 15 years an absolute pleasure.
I was once told the the French attitude to international football (before the had won anything.....) was "France won? Great......France lost? Qui s'en fout un petit shit?". I'd contend that's me now, with The Albion.
Mind you.....I suspect everything changes after your club has won something...