Alan Cole grew up idolising the premiership winning Bombers of the 1960s. John Birt, Ken Fraser, Neil Clarke, ‘Bluey’ Shelton … the names rolled off his tongue. Each anecdote brought a smile to his face.

Along with 400 other Essendon fans Cole had just spent 11 hours on an overnight bus trip from Melbourne to Sydney. He hadn’t slept but a bounce in his step remained as he strode to the SCG.

The Bombers were back in the finals.

Cole, his fellow travellers and other Essendon fans congregated at a pub in the heart of Sydney. It felt more like Napier Street such was the saturation of red and black throughout the establishment’s multiple levels.

Essendon Legend Kevin Sheedy was among the throng. He coached the Club to its last four premierships and the deeds of decades ago have not been forgotten by the Bombers faithful. He recounted his battles with the AFL, likened a Swan to a duck with a stretched neck and hailed some of the Club’s past and present heroes. Then he led the faithful to meet their final’s fate.

The Bomber army had been mobilised.

For years they had craved a return to football’s grandest stage and the return to the finals was now just a short walk away.

The scene of Essendon fans walking en masse has become a common sight in recent years. They did so ahead of the round one win over Hawthorn and they did so on the way to the first home game against Melbourne in 2016, when a win seemed so far away.

“Although it was really challenging and there were points in time where you thought how are we going to get through this … I think the alignment of the group, the supporter base being behind us in such a significant way, you always knew you were going to get through it, it was just a matter of how long it was going to take us,” Chief Executive Xavier Campbell said.

The Bombers won that match against the Demons in round two and closed the season with two wins in their last three games. Along the way they secured the commitment of ten returning players and unearthed a wave of fresh talent that is set to propel the Club forward in the coming years.

“We’ve had to re-focus ourselves several times over the last two years,” Essendon Coach John Worsfold said. “From the start where it was just about assisting the players, the Club and the suspended players around moving on with life – things are going to keep moving forward and we have to re-focus and say 'what are we here for … what are we trying to achieve in the next period'.

“There is a lot of exciting stuff that everyone has been a part of but it is only another step forward for where we want to get to which is winning our 17^th premiership.”

Worsfold has been in a key AFL leadership position for nearly all of his adult life. He sought no sympathy when he lost some of his best players for a season, nor did he express pity as his players reflected on last week’s 65-point Elimination Final loss to Sydney.

“Don’t just sit there and feel sorry for yourself, make sure you learn,” Worsfold said.

The lesson was brutal as Sydney showed why it’s one of the leading contenders for a premiership. In the rooms after the game family consoled players and friends provided comfort too. That support network has been pivotal in recent years.

There were tributes for retiring greats Jobe Watson and James Kelly. The Geelong premiership player boarded a flight just hours after the game to be with his family and newborn child.

Alan Cole got back on the bus with his fellow Essendon fans. The mood was sombre, but he will back for round one next year.

In his final message to his players, Worsfold said their 2018 destiny was in their hands.

“This year was the start of Our Comeback Story,” he said. “That’s chapter one done, now what chapter do you want to write?”