Bucket hats, Olowu pleas and dancing stewards - a night of more Doncaster Rovers celebrations

It was just after 4.30pm and thousands of Doncaster Rovers fans were either patiently lined up or looking for a parking spot as they awaited the opening of the turnstiles of the Eco-Power Stadium. They were all here to continue the party that in some cases hasn't stopped since the win over Bradford the Saturday before last.

The occasion was billed as a 'champions celebration' event and was effectively a chance for many supporters to get their first glimpse of the players and staff lifting the League Two trophy aloft. Given that only 2,000 got the opportunity to do so at Notts County at the weekend, it was a canny move by the club.

The fact that it was a hastily-convened event meant that some criticism was always inevitable. Some raged at the timing and others accepted it as a by-product of the short turnaround involved. Some wondered out loud if Bank Holiday Monday would have been a better solution. Owing to a long-time scheduled event at the stadium, the latter option simply wasn't possible and so this logistically was the only date and time that was viable.

But if there was any doubt over the appetite for such an event, then those deep queues at the turnstiles put them all to bed.

Thousands turned up, with a large portion of them families, and they were cajoled upon their entry into the West Stand by the familiar sound of recent terrace classics, prior to the arrival of the players and staff onto the pitch.

Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark? Check.

ABBA's Voulez-Vous? Check.

Everyone was getting in the spirit - there was even a merry jig being danced by one of the stewards down near pitchside.

Rovers' matchday announcer Jonathan Heath introduced firstly the staff members before each and every first team player. All were given loud and respectful adulations but there were obviously those whose names were met with louder cheers than most. Billy Sharp was an obvious one, so too wildly popular loanee Rob Street and award-hogger Luke Molyneux.

There was also a request to Joseph Olowu - or rather the club's hierarchy - upon his short walk to the trophy stage: "Sign him up!" they chanted, with a plea for there to be a positive conclusion to his ongoing contract saga.

Joe Sbarra was another who got plenty of cheers. Sporting a bucket hat and a customised beer-themed t-shirt, the midfielder has become something of a cult hero among the fanbase thanks to his social media posts and celebration antics over the last ten days.

"This doesn't come around every season," he told the Free Press at last night's event. "I'm just a fan myself. Luckily I've got a career as a footballer.

"But I'm just a normal lad who enjoys a beer and it's good to be able to celebrate together. You have to enjoy the highs and make sure you make the most of it, and I'm sure we will!"

It was a relaxed atmosphere wherever you looked. On the pitch local media were conducting interviews whilst players' families mingled and young children took penalties and had kickabouts. At the front of the west stand hundreds of fans were seeing autograph or selfie requests willingly obliged by players happy to stroll over and give up their time.

No doubt all those who attended will have seen it as a poignant way to put the full stop on the most memorable of seasons for Rovers, after some well-documented rough years.

By the time the last of those die-hard fans had made their way to the exits, the sun was still shining strong in this corner of South Yorkshire.

And there was still plenty of time before last orders for Sbarra and co.