In the end it was just three points.
Let's be frank. Swansea City's season was anything but plain sailing, but looking at the table you'd be forgiven for forgetting some of the turbulence at the club over the over the last few months.
He might well still have some critics, and his reign hasn't always been flawless, but Russell Martin will feel he's done more than enough to prove he's the man to take the club forward.
READ MORE: Russell Martin says Swansea City ownership group have expressed interest in extending his deal
As soon as the final whistle was blown on their 3-2 win over West Brom on Monday, attention turned to the coming months, with the club poised for a yet another pivotal summer.
Changes are afoot already, at least in terms of the club's hierarchy, and that in turn has cast a cloud of uncertainty over those on the ground.
Martin is operating on the assumption the new-look regime are keen on keeping him beyond his current deal, which expires at the end of next season, and will now sit down with new chairman Andy Coleman to discuss the best way forward.
Unsurprisingly, the situation has perhaps given oxygen to rumours linking him to a move elsewhere, with Premier League strugglers Leicester City the latest to be touted as potential admirers.
Those links won't be welcomed by a majority of the Jack Army, many of whom can see the potential of Martin's project. But links elsewhere are nevertheless a testament to the work he's doing.
To emerge from such a catastrophically poor January transfer window and guide Swansea to the brink of the play-offs arguably leaves Martin with plenty of credit in the bank. Credit that might well leave him better placed to help shape the club's ambition at boardroom level in his favour a little more, if only slightly.
Assurances over the next transfer window will certainly be one of several key talking points in any discussions over the future.
“I think everyone wants clarity on what the situation is,” Martin admitted after the win over the Baggies.
“What we can do in terms of recruitment, if no-one is leaving, if someone leaves, how much of that do we get back to then help the squad?
“I think it is just clarity, really. I think the players are waiting on clarity on our situation, so they can then make a decision.
“I think it’s certainty on what we’re able to do and how quickly we’re able to do it. And, hopefully, Andy being in the building will help us with that.”
Elsewhere, the respective futures of out-of-contract trio Ryan Manning, Joel Latibeaudiere and Kyle Naughton remain up in the air.
Martin clearly hasn't given up hope of keeping them on board, and may well feel the intensity of any efforts to make that happen will likely give him a few answers to any questions about the club's direction.
The way the club handles any possible exit for Joel Piroe, who ends the season as the first Swans player since Jason Scotland to net 20 goals for the club two seasons in a row, could be just as telling.
Like Martin, the Dutchman has just one year left on his current deal, and his goalscoring exploits mean there will surely be some interest in his signature over the coming months. Should the club decide to sell, it's imperative they do so with a plan for replacing him in mind, preferably involving a hefty lump of cash to reinvest in the team.
"I would love to keep him. I don’t think he’s in a rush to leave. I really don’t," Martin said recently.
"I think he understands and respects his development and the process that he’s been working with and how much the style of the team really suits him here. I think he has a real awareness of that.
"Will there be interest? One hundred percent. But if Joel leaves, it has to be for an amount of money that really makes a difference to the club, I think. And I think everyone will agree on that.
"And it means that we can maybe try and find someone else to replace him. In the first two seasons of the Championship, to score the amount of goals he has, is incredible. It’s not just that, it’s what he brings the team and how he behaves on and off the pitch."
Piroe isn't the only potentially valuable asset, mind.
Nathan Wood has been a breath of fresh air at the heart of the Swans defence this season. He too is out of contract at the end of next season.
Those who have seen him play are almost in universal agreement that the former Middlesbrough man is destined for the Premier League - with or without Swansea.
The club do have the option to trigger another 12 months on his current deal, but a decision over what comes next is at least on the horizon, and Swansea's recent record for foreseeing and resolving these sorts of issues is a little, well, sketchy.
In terms of the immediate future, Martin has seemingly already made his case for next season, insisting the club are only 'two or three pieces' away from competing at the top end of the Championship table.
He will feel like he's not asking the earth.
Whether those above him are in agreement remains to be seen.
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