THE grand finale of our FA Cup win over Peterborough United was one of the great moments on the home stage.

When referee Mr Harrington pointed to the penalty spot after 88 minutes for a foul on Michael Bostwick by Sanchez Watt we knew, or we thought we knew, that the day would end in hurt and disappointment.

Then the miracle happened, and the credit goes to goalkeeper Sam Walker. He got in half a step in before the penalty was struck, diving to his right to make a sensational save.

Sam’s half step proved yet again that top line goalkeeping is largely about footwork. The save produced a massive positive emotional reaction and an adrenaline surge, and I struggle to find a parallel. It was like the emotion we all felt when we first saw ET coming back to life when all hope was gone!

The atmosphere and balance of power changed at that precise moment. On the pitch and all around the ground we suddenly all knew that Peterborough really were beatable.

We had taken their very best shot from eight yards, and in the few remaining minutes we knew we could strike back. Around the ground you could feel it and hear it. Everyone sensed it. Maybe it even transmitted to the massed live TV audience. It was unstoppable.

George Moncur deservedly applied the killer blow. He told me: “I knew I had to come inside because there were a few bodies in the way. I knew if I bent it round two of them it had a chance of going in. It was nice to see it go in the bottom corner”. That is a description that cannot be bettered.

The full significance of George’s goal won’t be known for a while. It’s all about ‘if’s’, but if we can get past Cardiff City in Round Three, the goal might yet prove to be one of the most important in our recent history.

So, let’s consider the 64,000 dollar question; the most important puzzle of all. Why does a team go and play like world beaters one week, having played like carpet beaters the previous week? (I greatly exaggerate, but it makes the point, and the performance was ten times better than that at Milton Keynes).

On the face of it, the preparation for both games will have been much the same. Just two players changed, but the whole mentality of the side was different and within five minutes of kick off it was clear we were up for the battle. Part of they answer lies with the opposition.

MK Dons got at us from the first whistle and frightened the life out of us, Peterborough were less technical, and structured their game to methodically wear us down, and work a narrow win. They lacked real star quality, with a side built to be durable, lacking real finessse. Their’s is a side built to last the pace in League One, constructed by a manager who knows the terrain.

Maybe home advantage played a part. Maybe it was the TV cameras – within the first 10 minutes I thought I noticed a couple of players putting in an extra yard for the cameras. Or maybe it was a reaction to MKD.

But what what really decided the game was the mentality of the U’s players. It came from the most important six inches in football. That’s right, the space between the ears, usually occupied by the brain.

Ultimately what has put us in Round Three was the same thing that can shoot us up the league, the combination of self-belief, desire to win, unselfishness and determination.

Sunday proved a point to everyone, not least the players themselves. Let’s hope it marks a line in the sand.