IWAN ROBERTS fired Town into the Third Division play-offs - then jetted off to join the Wales squad in Austria.
The big frontman went into Town's crunch clash at Swansea knowing he was in Wales boss Terry Yorath's stand-by squad for the Vienna friendly.
By the time he came off the Vetch Field pitch, having sealed an all-important win with his 34th goal of the season, he had been called up.
That spelled double delight for the 23-year-old, who had one cap to his name when moving from Watford to Town for £275,000 in 1990.
While the Bangor-born player flew out to link up with the national squad, Town boss Ian Ross started his play-off planning.
Town's season seemed to have been going nowhere until the loan signing of midfielder Peter Butler from Southend sparked a run of wins.
The success at Swansea took Town's points tally to 19 from 21 and clinched a certain place in the top six, and therefore the play-offs.
It was Town's best run since 1984, and Roberts had bettered Craig Maskell's post-War club goal record of 33 in a season, set three years earlier.
"It's great to have broken this record, and it's just a shame I didn't do it at Leeds Road, because the fans have been a tremendous help to me all the time I have been at the club," he said.
"The fact that we are in the play-offs is a real boost and I think we have an excellent chance of going up.
"This call-up for Wales tops everything off, and the next month promises to be pretty exciting."
Ross added: "It's a great chance for Iwan, and he deserves it, because he's been brilliant all season.
"If anyone was to score such an important goal for us on Saturday, I wanted it to be Iwan.
"But he is just one of the team and all the lads deserve their share of the credit.
"They've proved that they can both play football and battle, and I'm thrilled."
Town had more than 1,000 fans in a 3,964 crowd and Ross added: "It was smashing to see so many of them down there and enjoying themselves.
"We've had a hell of a run, and now the aim is to keep it going over the last two League games and then the play-offs, whoever we end up playing."
Roberts' crucial goal arrived on the half hour, with the striker neatly back-heeling home to complete a sweeping move involving Butler and the powerful Iffy Onuora.
After that, the outcome rarely looked in doubt as Town put the shackles on Frank Burrows' side, who were marooned in mid-table.
While Town fans were celebrating, so were those of Leeds, who clinched the League title after arch-rivals Manchester United lost 2-0 at Liverpool. Howard Wilkinson's side had earlier won 3-2 at Sheffield United.
