There has been a theory, which has also been repeated in these pages, that Han-Noah Massengo still wasn't capable of running a game from midfield without the experienced heads of either Matty James or Andy King alongside him.
The last 180 minutes of Championship action should have ended that particular thought-process and in the absence of the Robins' two veterans and leaders, Massengo took centre stage in tandem with 18-year-old Alex Scott.
Building on their performance against Luton Town, Massengo and Scott combined energy off the ball with elegance in possession and a bravery to drive at the Preston midfield with the only regret being that the Robins didn't emerge with more than just a point.
That was due to Emil Riis' spectacular volley to seal a 2-2 draw which saw Deepdale erupt but, as a measure of Massengo's performance, even in the wake of that finish, a huge number of Preston fans took to Twitter to sing the praises of the young Frenchmen.
One Lilywhites supporter even referenced Raheem Sterling's display for Manchester City in the Carabao Cup fourth round at Deepdale during the 2019/20 campaign.
Massengo enjoyed 61 touches, was successful with 33 of his 44 passes, three of which created shooting opportunities for a teammate, while defensively he made five successful tackles, two interceptions and blocked two shots - it was a mighty shift from the 20-year-old.
What stood out was his body strength and tenacity in the tackle as he was constantly breaking up play, fending off the opposition before releasing a teammate into space.
His champagne moment was, of course, the glorious stepover to glide past Alan Browne before a perfectly weighted slide pass into Antoine Semenyo saw the forward put the Robins 2-1 up. But alas Preston were to have the final say.
City have offered Massengo a new contract with hope the Frenchman agrees to new terms, as his present deal expires next summer with his progression this season considerable.
Watford failed with an approach for the former Monaco midfielder last season while Bundesliga club Freiburg were reportedly ready to spend up to £6m on him earlier in the window but no bids have been received from the Robins.
The fact Massengo is capturing the imagination of opposing fans is one thing but he's also enabling the loss of James and King not to be so keenly felt, as was the case earlier in the campaign.
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