When Stephen Baxter took charge of the Crusaders for the first time in April 2005 against Cliftonville, no one could have predicted that almost 20 years of derby days lay ahead.
Especially the guy in the opposing dugout.
Cliftonville's victory that afternoon, with Peter Telford's 36th-minute header clinching a 1-0 win, came just two months after Baxter replaced Alan Dornan at Shore Road. was caused. Less than two weeks later, his team would be relegated to the second division.
Imagine then suggesting that a new manager would stay with the club for another 19 years, let alone go on to win three Irish League titles.
Baxter, currently the longest-serving manager in world football, will face the Reds one last time on Tuesday night before stepping down at the end of the season, but his tenure with the Crusaders has been long. The man who led Cliftonville to the 2005 derby ranks him among the three best managers in Irish League history.
“I remember talking to Stephen after that game and telling him to pull himself together,” said Liam Beckett, Solitude's only manager at the time.
“Steven said to me, I'll never forget it. He said to me, 'Today may have let us down.'
“Obviously, a big part of my heart is at Seaview because I played there and was part of the team that won their first league title.
“I felt terrible that day. My job was to win the Cliftonville game, but I was heartbroken. I remember thinking, 'Steven, please help me.' After all this time, he is still here and still producing products.”