SAINTS captain Jack Stephens demanded a reaction from himself and his teammates to rescue their season this month.
They looked destined to finish outside the top two before none of their three promotion rivals managed a positive result in two attempts.
It was the unlikeliest of reprieves after supporters had given up all hope and resigned themselves to a lottery to come.
It left the door slightly ajar and Saints barged right in, their knocking getting louder and louder with each of three home wins.
In just two weeks, that same door will be slammed shut on the toes of two from four of the best Championship teams in history.
"I think I said it after Blackburn, we probably needed to win seven out of seven," Stephens told the Daily Echo.
"We probably need to win all the games to have a chance of the top two. We can do that if we're at our best and we will give it everything.
"If we come up short from the top two, we're in the playoffs and we've got a second chance of going up."
He added: "But we needed to react because we weren't happy with the Blackburn performance and the energy we brought.
"We needed to show that we're still fighting for the top two and if that doesn't happen, that we're ready for the play-offs.
"If you look over the previous years, if you miss out, it's about going into the playoffs with real momentum. The teams that do tend to do well."
Although interest has been piqued again, it remains a tall order for Saints. They have won four in a row twice this season, but not more.
Can they go seven in a row? But in just one week, Saints took a big leap to uniting the fanbase again when they needed it most.
Tuesday's 3-0 win over Preston became a precession within half an hour. St Mary's stood almost uniformly when called upon by chants.
Martin gave the Northam an understated wave when requested. Fans reiterated their belief that "we are going up," again.
"I completely understood all the frustrations previously. Most of the time it's completely reasonable," Stephens insisted.
"After Blackburn, they probably had every right to be frustrated because we were frustrated ourselves.
"The dressing room was a spiky place after that game because it wasn't good enough. It was probably one of our worst performances.
"It was good to get the clean sheet but the energy was so low. Without being disrespectful to Blackburn, I think they were waiting to get beat.
"I understand that they are frustrated that we're not in the top two. We all are as well because that was the aim."
Stephens found himself out of the lineup for the first time since February against Preston and that might keep him out.
Jan Bednarek and Taylor Harwood-Bellis played ahead of the 30 year old out earlier in the season, while there are three full-backs also available.
It had felt as though Stephens had become undroppable in the eyes of Martin, who made the former Plymouth man his captain last summer.
Martin insisted "This team needs Jack in it," when he was quizzed on his selections after the home defeat to Millwall.
Stephens pondered: 'I think when we've had difficult moments, I think we'd lose two in a row, two out of three.
"I think that's when we really need to stick together and maybe he felt that when I'm on the pitch, I can get us together and keep us strong.
"But listen, I've played games this year, I've been on the bench and I've been injured. My job is more than just leading on the pitch, it's off it too.
"I've tried my best and when the manager wants me to, I'll play. If it's my time to sit out then so be it. I'll still do my best to help the boys."
Before this season, the only observation you might have made about both Stephens and John Stones would be regarding their initials.
Martin, however, openly referenced the management of the best such as Pep Guardiola at Man City in defence of his own tactics.
It saw Stephens stepping into midfield in possession to give the backline another option to break the press and advance the ball.
Stephens showed to be much more than your average big lad at the back, whatever you think of the decision's impact on the team.
"When the manager asked if I was happy playing that role, I obviously said yes," Stephens said.
"We spoke a lot about how he wanted me to play, when he wanted me to go in and when he wanted me to play deeper.
"Sometimes it's worked really well and other times it's not been perfect. But, in my opinion, it's not down to the position I've been playing.
"It's down to us the speed that we move the ball, the movement off the ball. We're at our best when the movement off the ball is high-energy.
"We've got 4 massive games coming up"
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"And I think you can't just change people's positions every time, but sometimes you can tweak it. I've always been versatile for this club.
"We've got probably got two good options in every position, and I think if you ask any manager at any level they're delighted with that.
"It's ridiculous really because we have quality players that would be playing in a lot of other teams in this league."
For Saints, even after three wins back-to-back, nothing has changed - their task has been for weeks to win every game they play.
If they do that, they will finish above Leeds United and need only one of Ipswich or Leicester to drop a result or two.
They will go to Leicester next week hoping to make a statement but must take care of more pressing business first.
A first league double over Cardiff City, who have little left to play for, since 1966 will keep it alive ahead of the visit to King Power.
Saints have conceded three goals in four of their last six away fixtures and Stephens, if he is called back in, will be itching to make up for that.
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