Michael O'Neill lost his footing as he celebrated, lost in the raw emotion of a last- minute winner against local rivals Preston North End.
"Messy" was the way he described his leap for joy. That was once a word that could have been attributed to this Blackburn team he has inherited. Not now.
Prior to this game - O'Neill's first home game in charge - Blackburn had lost half of their 16 home league games.
Relegation felt a distinct possibility before his arrival, but Blackburn already appear to have found their footing under this new leadership after two wins out of two.
Blackburn's fans had craved a goal like Yuki Ohashi's extraordinary last-minute winner with the stakes so high. It was vindication for sticking by their team in times of trouble amid some joyless games this season.
The celebrations that followed his header underlined what it meant - scenes not seen at Ewood Park for some time. When the goalkeeper sprints the full length of the pitch to celebrate, you know it is a seismic moment.
One fan said to me afterwards that it had felt like "the Ewood of days gone by".
Rovers had grafted and persevered against a Preston team having their best season for several years. They had looked organised, standing up to the challenge with and without the ball.
As O'Neill put it, they had had to "dig in". In winning so late, you could say they had shown the character and attitude required in a relegation fight. They may be well clear of that fight soon if they continue to show such desire and quality.
Two wins from two is a perfect start for O'Neill, but it will feel like more than that to Rovers' fans. He has so far put some sparkle into the club at a time when they so desperately needed it.
The Northern Ireland manager - in his much-talked-about dual role - will hope the good feeling continues on Tuesday at home to Bristol City.
"I know what a fantastic home crowd this can be," said O'Neill, whose wife and daughter were also in attendance on Friday night.
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