The final hours of the transfer window were expected to be among the busiest at Scunthorpe United in the club's history.
As dusk fell in North Lincolnshire, Martyn Woolford and Jonathan Forte were expected to leave the club with one player joining.
Activity at Glanford Park started early, with the club using Facebook and Twitter to tell supporters a forward was about to be signed.
That player turned out to be Joe Garner, who joined on loan from Nottingham Forest until the end of the season.
Iron fans hoped there might be a second signing, but things changed when Bristol City announced they had agreed a fee for Woolford as well as personal terms with the player.
This came despite the former York winger training with the Iron's first team. A move to Ashton Gate will only be sanctioned by Scunthorpe if they have signed a replacement: Chris Taylor at Oldham Athletic is their first-choice.
Then Ian Baraclough, the Iron manager, made the surprise announcement that Jonathan Forte was discussing personal terms with the League One side Southampton.
Forte has struggled for goals this season, and a move to St Mary's would reunite him with his former boss Nigel Adkins.
Things got even stranger around 6pm, when Sky Sports claimed Sheffield United had made an approach for the Iron defender Rob Jones.