There have been some deflating moments in Burton Albion's bid for Championship survival - and plenty have come at the Pirelli Stadium.
But this felt like the cruelest of the lot, as the Brewers saw a first home victory since September slip through their grasp in the 90th minute against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough.
A win had been in Albion's grasp from the sixth minute, when Marvin Sordell calmly put the Brewers in front after great work by Lloyd Dyer.
The hosts defended bravely and looked to have withstood Boro's attempts to salvage something.
As the 90th minute ticked around, though, Jack Harrison's effort came back off the crossbar and dropped for Britt Assombalonga, who had the power to deflate the mood of 3000 Albion fans with one header of the ball.
If Albion's desperation to end their 15-match wait for a home win was not strong enough, positive results for the majority of their relegation rivals on Friday and Saturday had added to the importance of their return to the Pirelli Stadium.
Perhaps that emotion was what shot them out of the blocks and into a home lead for the first time since Boxing Day.
Sordell's opener came via good work down the left flank, where Damien McCrory replaced Tom Flanagan - out of the matchday 18 - in one of three changes from the defeat at Cardiff City.
The other two switches came at the heart of the Burton midfield, with Hope Akpan and Jacob Davenport in for Luke Murphy and Jamie Allen, who both dropped to the bench.
It was one of the Brewers' most consistent starters, though, who sparked the early breakthrough.
Dyer received possession out wide, stood up marker Martin Cranie and burst past him before squaring the ball into the centre of the Boro box, where Sordell was waiting to coolly convert with a first-time finish.
That was the ex-Coventry City man's third goal of the campaign - his other two came in wins over Birmingham City and Millwall.
A good omen, perhaps - and Albion looked to kick on, with Darren Bent twisting past a tackle and seeing a low effort deflected behind for a corner.
The threat of Boro's play in attack was always bubbling under the surface. Nigel Clough had discussed as much ahead of the game, highlighting the talents of Adama Traore and Patrick Bamford.
It was Bamford who got in behind the Burton defence to latch onto Muhamed Besic's pass, seemingly to go clear on goal.
The irrepressible Tom Naylor, though, was somehow able to scamper back and make a vital challenge from behind when any hint of a foul would have seen the visitors win a penalty.
Davenport produced a similarly important tackle moments later when the fleet-footed Traore skipped clear on the counter, a part of the game Albion would have to marshal to a perfect standard.
That much was made clear when a Burton free-kick was cleared out and into the path of Traore.
There is a sense of anticipation every time he gets the ball, and his run was too much for Naylor and John Brayford, both of whom were left in his wake, only for Jonny Howson to drill a shot wide of the far post when set free in the box.
Burton's own wide threats remained, though. Sordell showed some tidy touches and Dyer kept Cranie honest, delivering one low cross that Ben Gibson cleared just before Boyce could pounce.
When Boro showed more patience in the build-up, Albion were quite happy to sit and stifle.
That forced a tactical response from Tony Pulis, who replaced central midfielder Howson with striker Britt Assombalonga inside 40 minutes.
Bywater had been largely untested in the first half, but he was at the heart of a nervy moment for the home supporters just after the break.
McCrory looked to shepherd an overhit pass out for a goal-kick, but with Assombalonga chasing it down, Bywater slid in to claim it.
On a slick surface, his momentum carried him out of the area - with the ball still in his grasp.
Referee David Coote wandered over to brandish a yellow card, and that was the fair punishment.
But with Clough having not named Harry Campbell on the bench and no other goalkeeping option available to the Brewers on the day, it added a little disciplinary pressure to Bywater for the remaining 40 minutes.
A tame, long-range effort apiece did not trouble the scoresheet, with Bamford's shot gathered by Bywater and Boyce, bursting into some clean space, dragging his off target.
The second half became a cagier affair, with Boro penning Albion deeper and deeper into their own territory.
Free-kicks were lobbed in, penalty-box pinball went Albion's way, blocks were made.
Traore became an ever-growing presence, and Dyer was tasked to double-up with McCrory to limit the wide man's influence.
But there was still the odd flicker of life from the Brewers on the counter, Davenport just missing Bent in the box after Dyer raced away.
With time ticking down, a Burton chance then almost led to Boro's equaliser.
The ball dropped for Bent in the visitors' box, but his shot for glory was blocked and was worked to Traore.
Boro's best player set off, and blatant attempts from Naylor and Davenport to stop him did not work.
He passed to Assombalonga, whose dummy sent three Brewers to the ground and allowed him space to fire on goal from about eight yards.
Mercifully for Clough's side, the ex-Nottingham Forest man - with four goals in two previous games to his name against Albion - lent back and lifted it over.
Assombalonga's mercy was ultimately to be in short supply though.
On the verge of that elusive home victory and a massive result in their season, Burton were to see the substitute forward have the final say.
Inevitably, Traore sparked the equaliser, lifting possession in for Jack Harrison to lob against the crossbar. Who was waiting to nod home the rebound? Assombalonga.
In the blink of an eye, two points had disappeared.
There was one final sniff on the counter for Bent, but under pressure, his scuffed attempt did not trouble Randolph.
With Plymouth Argyle's League One fixture at Scunthorpe United postponed, there were some Argyle fans in at the Pirelli Stadium to watch this clash.
Burton's supporters will still hope it is second-tier and not third-tier football that they are watching in 2018-19, and this draw is at least something to take into vital clashes with relegation rivals in the coming weeks.
But it is hard not to feel that Assombalonga's last-gasp strike sums up the way things are going for the Brewers. It was the cruelest of cruel blows after a performance full of character and resolve from the Albion rearguard.
