It is March 18, 2019, and Neath have been beaten 24-10 by RGC 1404 at The Gnoll which sent them plummeting from the Premiership into the Championship.
This relegation had come off the back of a period of financial turbulence which resulted in two winding up orders following the collapse of then owner Mike Cuddy's construction business.
A player exodus ensued with the future of the oldest club in Welsh rugby in serious doubt, but fast forward four years and Neath have been promoted back into the top tier of the semi-professional game in Wales.
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Much of Neath's success can be attributed to head coach Patrick Horgan who has a 28-year association with the club.
"It was the first opportunity to get promoted because of Covid, so we are delighted," Horgan told WalesOnline.
"From the position we came from there were seasons which were disruptive.
"A lot of boys stayed on board and stuck together after our relegation, while we made some astute signings from other clubs.
"There's a nice group of players there now, there's a tight club feel, and we are all pretty close which is important.
"The first season stopped in March because of Covid but we started building from there.
"It was about building the club back up really and we had to take small steps to get there. The players have been excellent and the likes of Josh Clarke, David Griggs, Tim Ryan, Lewis Evans and Steff Evans were outstanding, but it would be very hard to pick a player of the season."
Neath's promotion to the Premiership is a massive boost for both the club and the town, but Horgan refused to get carried away.
While a club like Pontypool, who also won promotion, have deep pockets due to a wealthy benefactor, Neath are not in the same position.
Times have been very tough for the Welsh All Blacks off the field in recent seasons, and any success they achieve in the Premiership won't be built on an aggressive recruitment policy but on hard work, teamwork and an us-against-the-world mentality.
"The closeness of the players was key to winning promotion," said Horgan.
"Everyone understood exactly what we were doing, and what we wanted to do on the pitch. Building a team doesn't happen overnight, and it took us about 18 months before things began to click.
"We've got that nucleus of a good side now, but whether or not it's good enough to compete in the Premiership remains to be seen.
"What's important is we keep that nucleus and team ethic going rather than trying to pull players in from everywhere.
"Having said that, we do need to pull in a few players because some of the older boys have called it a day but we won't be signing many.
"We have looked at players who are maybe on the bench for other Premiership teams or players from the Championship but unfortunately there are a lot of teams with much bigger budgets than us.
"We've just got to take boys who have got ambition to play regularly. There's no point in us even trying to poach a player who is playing regularly for a Premiership club.
"Our selling point is telling players 'look, if you come to us there's a good chance you'll be starting 15-20 games for us rather than sitting on the bench or in the stand for another Premiership club'.
"It is very difficult because our budget doesn't really match to other sides."
Upon returning to the Premiership the former Wales U20s coach would like to see a closer relationship with the Ospreys but would like the process of giving regional players game-time at semi-professional level to change.
"I'd love the Ospreys to put Neath Valley boys into Neath RFC," he said.
"I don't like the idea of a Neath boy playing for Aberavon, Bridgend or Swansea, and I don't like the idea of a boy from Aberavon or Swansea being told to go and play for Neath.
"I just feel regional rugby was set up to have a link between the clubs and the regions. I think all the regions are sending most of their players to one individual club in their region.
"In my opinion regional rugby wasn't set up for that, and they can come up with as many excuses as they want.
"The likes of Sam Warburton came through a system which allowed them to play for their traditional Premiership club so to speak, and it didn't do them any harm. I think it's disappointing it's come to that.
"As far as I'm concerned I'd like to see a youngster who is from the Neath area play for Neath full stop, with Swansea boys playing for Swansea, and Bridgend boys playing for Bridgend."
While Horgan is under no illusions as to the size of the challenge awaiting his side next season, he is confident Neath can cause a few shocks.
"I'd like to think we can," said Horgan when asked if Neath will hold their own in the Premiership.
"The boys have been together a long time so they understand our systems, our calls and what we are trying to do.
"If we can be as organised as we are, work on our conditioning, and pull in five or six players then we should do OK.
"I'm from Cwmgwrach in the Neath Valley, and this club means everything to me, and as far as I'm concerned we need to do everything we can to keep Neath in the Premiership."
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