Ryan France's shift in the centre of midfield for Hull City in the Carling Cup exit at Swansea was, for him as an individual, possibly his most important game yet in his distinguished Tigers career.
For too long France has, rightly or wrongly, been a forgotten man for City. Purchased and cosseted by Peter Taylor, he has struggled with injury but particularly with his own image since his mentor left the club in 2006. An unglamorous, uncomplaining character, his demeanour has been his biggest enemy in the Parkinson and Brown eras.
A dreadful knee injury midway through 06/07 rendered him free of the radar for almost a year, but even so there is a nagging disappointment about the way France has not been able - yet - to emulate the achievements of Ian Ashbee, Boaz Myhill and Andy Dawson as players who have worn the Tigers' colours in all four divisions.
It's early days of course, and after his stoic and endeavour-laden performance within a team of flinchers at the Liberty Stadium, it shouldn't be a surprise if his manager, who has always publicly backed him and praised him, finds room for France among the seven reserves for the visit of Wigan Athletic on Saturday. It's not something to lay odds on, but if he reason for picking an XI of reserves was to acquire evidence of who fancies the Premier League task most, then only France - of the outfield - gained a grade A with an asterisk attached.
France's background is one of those footballing rags-to-riches tales, albeit one which has involved numerous seasons of honesty and patience, rather than the DJ Campbell-esque climb to Birmingham City and the top flight which involved one FA Cup tie for Yeading on the telly and then a brace for Brentford against a Sunderland defence leakier than a colander stall. France was the talented undergraduate playing for Alfreton Town who was scouted for City by Taylor's haggard assistant Colin Murphy and given his chance in the bottom division after completing his studies.
There followed two seasons of being reliable, useful and - the double-edged compliment - versatile. Taylor would select France for the right side of midfield, where he was a willing runner and capable crosser while also being able to squeeze into a more defensive mode when pressure was upped. However, in City's free-scoring era (Elliott, Allsopp, Burgess) it was France who often had to be sacrificed when Jason Price or somesuch more glamorous wideman was injected into the game. If he started the game at all, France would be either hauled off or told to drop in at right back.
This versatility has done him more harm than good, as ultimately the specialists will always win when a manager selects his team, rather than the chap who is more of a Swiss army knife performer. Such multi-skilling has maintained France's career with the Tigers through the divisions, even though once we rose from League One to the Championship he ceased to be anything more than a tactical choice or one included by dint of being fit. Taylor selected him at right back a lot but would have prefered to have had others available, and when it came to the right side of midfield France only featured fleetingly, as his manager preferred the extremely left-footed Kevin Ellison even after selling Price to Doncaster.
Phil Parkinson seemed totally unsure as to what France could do when he took over from Taylor. The current manager likes and admires France. He has made that plain. But he won't pick him unless it's a rest day (Swansea) or enforced by injury troubles within the squad. France was deployed in midfield a couple of times as City staved off relegation in 2007, but a cruciate injury midway through the same season set back any progress he needed to make as Brown began to plan the Tigers' assault on the Championship for the next year.
It took until January for France to return, given an unusual central midfield role as Brown, true to form, rested the top names for the deeply unappetising FA Cup third round tie at Plymouth. City played poorly in the first half but France skipped around the middle like a new player, helping inspire the Tigers almost to an unlikely (and, in all truth, unwelcome) replay, with the home side clinging on to a 3-2 win. Just as Brown made final decisions about Stuart Elliott and Sam Collins that day - both were farmed out elsewhere the same month, never to return - he presumably made a decision of a more positive nature about France. For all that, it was a rare sight to see the scampering midfielder in a Tigers shirt thereafter as City aimed successfully for the top flight, even though he was in the Wembley squad and had a medal hung round his neck.
So now, with a year left on his deal, it appears France is proving himself to his manager all over again. Ultimately, he isn't going to start on the right hand side of midfield due to the presences collectively of Richard Garcia and Craig Fagan. His efforts against Swansea will not drag him beyond Ian Ashbee, George Boateng or Dean Marney for the central roles, and with Sam Ricketts being City's best right back ever, as simple a fact about one of our players as it is possible to declare, France won't be going there either. Yet his performance, albeit one easier to notice because its quality wasn't replicated elsewhere in the team, confirmed his acute usefulness and professionalism, keeping him somehow vital to City's cause. Others who didn't accept the challenge - and there were more than not - may not be seen in a Tigers shirt again for some time. France's doggedness at the Liberty Stadium may keep him part of the club's Premier League adventure for that bit longer.
Not even for sentimental reasons do I hope he stays - I even hope he may be rewarded for his attitude with an extra year, though I wouldn't be surprised if Brown allowed him to leave eventually with the thanks and good wishes of us all ringing in his ears. I certainly want to add France's name to the list of 'immortalised' figures at the side of this blog before he goes though, and he's one single Premier League cameo away from me doing so.
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