A rasping, left-footed shot drilled into the corner of Aston Villa's goal past the helpless Filip Marschall was a timely, but all-too-rare, reminder of Ollie Tanner's talents this year.
Cardiff City were thrilled when they had snatched his signature amid stiff competition from a host of Championship clubs, and even one or two peering eyes from the Premier League, after the young winger had stood out in non-league football with Lewes FC.
Tanner, now 21, had gone on trial at Tottenham Hotspur in the January and had turned down an opportunity to sign for them, but the news story had grabbed the attention of many a scout up and down the country.
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Given he had made the step up from the seventh tier of English football, though, it was perhaps fanciful to think he was going to come in and make a meaningful impact on the first team. Some fitness and conditioning was required, so, too, was some time in the under-21s, despite him being named on the bench for the opening-day win against Norwich City.
The plan then altered for him to go out and get some loan experience at a higher level than at which he had been playing and Mark Hudson's contact at York City, in the National League, was keen to take him. Suffice to say, it did not go according to plan.
He played just six games, starting only three, and was jettisoned from the squad after February, which coincided with David Webb leaving the Minstermen as their manager. Hardly what Tanner himself, nor Cardiff City, had in mind.
It's clear there is talent there. Perhaps with the hype surrounding his arrival following the Spurs saga, there was an element of trying too hard or sometimes forcing things to happen during his time playing for Darren Purse's under-21s. But against a good Aston Villa outfit in November, which included him coming up against Premier League winner Ashley Young at right-back, he acquitted himself well and offered glimpses of what might come if his talent is harnessed.
The disappointment of his subsequent loan is clearly frustrating for him and for the club, but it's what happens next which will define him as a Cardiff player.
For Purse, who spent as much time as anyone at the club with him over the last year, he is under no illusion that the talent is there. But he urged young Tanner to use this setback to re-ignite the spark during pre-season and into next year.
"His ability is outstanding," said under-21s boss Purse. "He has got a great left foot and can pick a pass when he needs to.
"People say about failed loans and loans that don't work, stuff like that, for me, I don't think there is any such thing as a failed loan, because sometimes players need a reality check.
"Players can be cocooned in that under-21s environment, thinking 'This is great, full-time football' and all that, but sometimes you need that reality check to say - 'I'm not quite where I need to be at this moment in time'.
"That doesn't mean to say that in two, three, four years' time you're not going to be there. For Ollie Tanner, he has obviously got to go and understand why the loan didn't work and why he didn't play as much as he should have, because his ability is unquestionable."
Purse sees it a lot with players in youth football. Indeed, Wales youth international Taylor Jones' loan spell at Weston-super-Mare didn't go according to plan, but he sucked it up and made the required changes upon his return.
Purse thinks Tanner could learn a thing or two from the centre-back, who has however subsequently been released, after his own struggles at York.
"Hopefully that clicks with him," Purse said of Tanner. "We had it with Taylor Jones a little bit this year, when he went to Weston-super-Mare, he didn't play as much as he would have hoped, came back and was a different character. He came back, hit the gym really hard and really understood what he needed to do to go and play in the men's game.
"Ollie Tanner has maybe got to do that, look in the mirror and say 'What do I need to do?', not, 'Oh the manager didn't like me, I didn't play, they didn't play the way I wanted to play.'
"He has got to ask what he needs to do to get himself in the first team or another loan at a club and it goes well."
The straight-talking from Purse will do Tanner the world of good, especially considering new first-team boss Erol Bulut is unlikely to carry any passengers this season as he looks to make an impression.
For followers of Tanner's social media, however, you will have seen the fitness work he is putting in during the off-season ahead of his second year with the Bluebirds. A season he no doubt hopes will be far more fruitful than his first.
Because he certainly has the ability to make his move to Cardiff a real success. A full year in a professional environment, complete with some frustrations and challenges, will have done him no harm at all in the long run.
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