Burton Albion have one final chance to put an end to their Pirelli Stadium woes before the arrival of 2018.
The visit of Norwich City on Saturday will be the Brewers' 25th and final home game in a year which began with a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End on January 2.
In that time, Nigel Clough's side have won six, drawn three and lost 15 of their Championship fixtures in East Staffordshire, a set of numbers obviously skewed by their ongoing run of eight consecutive home defeats.
The eighth of those losses came on Boxing Day, with Leeds United recovering from Tom Naylor's first-half strike to secure a 2-1 victory.
There was a familiar sense of desperation in the dying stages as the Brewers threw themselves forward in search of a last-gasp reprieve.
The disappointment at the final whistle has also been felt all too often in recent months as well.
But there was a difference, too.
Where Clough had previously spoken about his team taking one step forward and two back, narrowly losing out to promotion-chasing United after successive away wins at Bolton Wanderers and Reading did not feel like a regression.
As Lucas Akins said, "on the back of the couple of results we've got, confidence isn't an issue at all."
That confidence was noticeable for the majority of the Boxing Day defeat - and perhaps that was what seemed different.
Because Clough himself has highlighted a lack of that particular characteristic at times in his players during this run.
That is inevitable when games continually get away from you in late and agonising circumstances.
During a time when they were being opened up too regularly, that will not have helped.
But against Leeds, in a 5-4-1 system, they were more solid out of possession, despite facing a set of players who had thrashed them 5-0 only three months earlier.
For the opening 59 minutes, the organisation that has served them so well on their travels proved the key to stifling Thomas Christiansen's attacking outfit.
With the ball at their feet, Albion then showed an intent which was also in evidence in those wins at Bolton and Reading, and a clinical eye to find the net when a chance opened up.
Having not led at half-time for any of their first 21 games of the season, Burton have now been in front for the break of their last three.
They did not capitalise this time, but it is an important step nonetheless.
There is also no sense of this Burton team shutting up shop once they hit the front, even if their primary target then is to hold on to what they have.
At Reading on Saturday, they could – and should – have killed the game off long before Reading got momentarily level.
Will Miller, Akins and Marvin Sordell all saw good chances go begging.
It was a similar story on Tuesday - but they were made to pay by a more ruthless opponent this time.
Jamie Allen was caught in two minds when he raced clear on the counter and fired wide, Sordell bent a good opening just off target and Jake Buxton then headed a wicked free-kick straight at Felix Wiedwald.
Still, after wrestling back control with two classy finishes, it took a frantic goalmouth scramble in the 95th to secure all three points for Leeds.
The Brewers did not wilt after surrendering their advantage, and they might have nicked that late point.
After some of the other recent home defeats, there was a flatness and perhaps even a little relief when the fixture list showed the next game to be on the road.
But with another Pirelli clash on the horizon so soon after Boxing Day, Akins and Clough spoke about relishing the chance to get back out there and finally put the run to bed.
There is a renewed belief and determination after those successive victories, and even thanks to the performance against Leeds.
Albion are determined to build on that platform and return that long-missing winning feeling to the Pirelli Stadium faithful before they all begin on their New Year’s resolutions.
