During a season in which goals have been so hard to come by, Sory Kaba's record of three in eight games for Cardiff City is not to be sniffed at.
Against West Brom on Wednesday night, his introduction changed the game, as manager Sabri Lamouchi highlighted after the 1-1 draw with the Baggies.
It was a bit of a head-scratcher that he didn't start the match, with the manager instead opting for Kion Etete and a second start of the season for Isaak Davies. Etete struggled to make a meaningful impact, while the Davies experiment just did not work.
READ MORE: Sabri Lamouchi identifies turning point for Cardiff City against West Brom
Etete has grown to become something of a favourite under Lamouchi, starting five of the last six matches, while Kaba has tended to be the rotation option. But with one league goal in 22 games for Etete this season, perhaps it is time for those roles to be reversed moving forward.
Kaba is not the prettiest to watch. He is awkward and ungainly. It looks like a major chore for him when he has to lead the press on opposition defenders. And on the ball, well, he can be downright frustrating at times. He can overhit a pass by a clear 20 yards or can occasionally be on a different wavelength when trying to link-up play.
But there is just something about him, a presence that makes it feel like Cardiff are in the game more often when he is on the pitch. He takes up space in the defenders' minds, certainly more than Etete does, and appears to be a different beast in the air in the box than he is outside of it.
In fact, sometimes when he challenges a defender for a ball in the air when it has been pumped forward, he will jump three or four yards in front of where he should be and the ball will sail well over his head. But in the box, he comes alive.
That is two headed goals in two weeks now. The bullet-header against Bristol City was a stormer, while the one against the Baggies on Wednesday night was low and hard, goalkeeper Josh Griffiths unable to keep it at bay.
The Guinea international bears great resemblance to Uche Ikpeazu, who was on loan at Cardiff last year, in many regards. Technically there are faults and deficiencies, but fans love his enthusiasm, endeavour, strength, personality and, crucially, eye for goal.
Ryan Wintle has notably benefited from Kaba being in the team, notching two assists in as many weeks thanks to the big striker heading home a couple of goals. And, like the majority of Bluebirds fans, it seems, Wintle is enjoying having him around.
"We always joke that him and Kion are spits of each other, but Kaba seems to head a lot more in for me, and I hope it continues!" Wintle said after the match.
“He’s a great bloke. He’s come into the changing room, he’s settled in really well and he’s come from a different country as well. If he’s happy and scoring goals, then so are we.”
Cardiff's inability to open up defences has belied their generally solid performances this term. When Steve Morison compiled this squad in the summer, he did so with the mindset that they wouldn't need target men because the likes of Max Watters and Callum Robinson would be latching on to balls in behind or racing through on goal to score after some intricate build-up play.
But it never worked out like that. Cardiff have struggled massively to unlock defences and the signing of Kaba in January was tantamount to an admission that the plan had failed.
It was evident against West Brom. In the first half, Cardiff worked the ball up the pitch well, but inevitably had to go wide before crossing in towards Etete, who was marked out of the game, or 5ft 7in Isaak Davies. Lamouchi realised the game plan was failing and Kaba was brought on to bulk up the aerial options in the second half.
Cardiff fans know Kaba has limitations, but judging by the response to his goal on Wednesday, they can't help themselves from loving him and, crucially, his output.
The 27-year-old, on loan from Midtjylland, recently said that he was grateful to Cardiff for allowing him to achieve his "dream" of playing football in this country.
With Kion Etete still very green-gilled, and needing to add more of a killer instinct to his game, would attempting to get Kaba in permanently in the summer be of interest to Lamouchi?
"Honestly, let me focus on this season. Then after we will see," Lamouchi said with the straightest of bats.
"But he is right to dream and he is doing everything right for the dream to come true for him. But he is doing well. He scored an important goal for us. He is doing his job."
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