IT was the strangest day ever to be a Mansfield Town fan . . . and one I would never want to repeat.
The atmosphere before, during and after the Stags final match of the season - their last in the Football League for at least a year - was simply surreal.
A thousand fans, bright sunshine and it should have been a party atmosphere before the club's biggest ever match - the sunshine in May and a long car journey brought back memories of the play-off final in Cardiff!
Instead, it was a wake . . . there is no other word to describe the feeling as hundreds of supporters milled around the tiny Dagenham ground before kick-off.
Many answered the Stags Fans For Change call to wear black, other looked stunned that it had all come to this - relegation from the Football League.
The feeling was unanimous - how could a club with such a small set up have survived, while the Stags were heading for non league football after 77 years in the Football League.
The answer was also unanimous, of course - Keith Haslam.
The Haslam Out chants created the only atmosphere until the final whistle when the fans finally made plenty of noise - 'Mansfield Til I Die'.
Upto then, the biggest cheers had been for the clowning antics of Dagenham keeper Tony Roberts - and the red card for Stags captain Jake Buxton.
Yes, it was that sort of day.
There was just nothing, absolutely nothing, on the pitch for the fans to cheer. To give them hope that next season will be one to remember for all the right reasons.
The Stags lost 2-0, played for most of the second half with 10 men and gave a couple of younger players a chance in the one-sided second half.
Keeper Jason White left the pitch in tears, blamed by many fans for relegation after his catastrophic error a week earlier.
In truth we all know that the blame lies elesewhere, with one man whose poor governance has allowed the club to slide into the Blue Square Premier.
Interestingly, some of the players even encouraged the 'Haslam Out' chants at the final whistle.
But judging by their reaction at the final whistle, most know that they will not be playing for the Stags next season.
The fans don't have that choice, of course; they are 'Mansfield Til I Die'. Jason White's tears were not the only ones at Dagenham on Saturday, 3rd May . . . a day that will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons.
Farewell Football League, I just hope that the Stags will bounce back and that the 2008-2009 season will be seen as just a one-year blip out of the 'big time'.
But judging by the reaction on the packed terrace at Dagenham on Saturday, there is not a lot of confidence that Mansfield Town will be back in the Football League next season . . . unless Keith Haslam sells the football club for a reasonable price to the right buyer very quickly.
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