After briefly flirting with disaster, Cardiff City's season now feels ready to end on a genuine high under Steve Morison.
Saturday's win at play-off contenders QPR once again demonstrated that the gap between the Bluebirds and the top six perhaps isn't as insurmountable as many may have previously believed, presenting a welcome glimmer of hope ahead of the next campaign.
Academy graduates Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies were at the heart of City's success in west London, of course, and many will already feel the pair's progress, supplemented by the likes of Joel Bagan and Mark Harris, points to a bright future for the club.
Loanees Cody Drameh, Tommy Doyle, Jordan Hugill, Alfie Doughty and Uche Ikpeazu have also all played some sort of role in Cardiff's recent upturn in fortunes, but it remains to be seen how many, if any, will be here next season.
Morison will certainly be keen to finish the current campaign on a high, but he clearly understands the importance of laying down the groundwork for next season, and plans are surely likely to be stepped up in light of his recent contract extension.
But one of those who could be knocking on the door for contention next season, isn't currently plying his trade in a blue shirt.
Gavin Whyte, for one reason or another, just hasn't managed to make his mark in the capital so far.
After spending six months on loan at Hull City last season, he's now back at former club Oxford United in League One.
And it's fair to say that he's now playing some of the best football of his career.
The 26-year-old has clocked up an impressive tally of 10 assists so far this season, and netted his first goal in stunning style at the weekend, hammering home a superb 35th-minute piledriver in 4-1 win over Burton Albion.
Morison has already admitted that he and his staff are keeping a close eye on the progress of the players out on loan this season, and it's surely now becoming impossible to ignore the Northern Irishman's form of late.
Previous City boss Neil Harris believed Whyte had the talent to be a long-term success in south Wales.
"Gavin is a super young player," he said when quizzed on the winger back in 2020. "Do I see his long-term future with us? Yes, of course I do.
"I’ve made it very clear what I want to see from him and he wants to do it. He’s got some real potential. Gavin has got huge energy and a big heart."
Harris then loaned Whyte out to Hull, a move that divided many fans, adding that there were aspects of his game that needed to be improved.
Successor Mick McCarthy then claimed last summer that Whyte hadn't done enough to force his way up the pecking order, but similarly appeared to hint that he could still feasibly have a future at Cardiff City Stadium.
"For his good he needs to go out and play and if he can go and have another good season, then maybe he can come back here and play," McCarthy said at the time.
With those verdicts in mind, from two different managers, it's perhaps easy to see why Whyte remains such a divisive figure with many Bluebirds fans.
This isn't a raw, talented teenager we're talking about, after all.
At his age, and with only one year left on his current deal, patience may well be starting to wear thin for some.
Perhaps one of the big criticisms is Whyte's perceived lack of end product, but his form for The U's has surely gone some way to responding to that.
Yes, it's a lower league, and the gap between the Championship and League One is arguably larger than it's ever been, but those sort of numbers at least deserve a second look, such has been his progress as a player.
Whyte's advocates would perhaps argue that he has all the attributes needed to take on the mantle of wingback, but his most promising showings in recent weeks have arrived on the back of a run in a number 10 role.
That level of versatility has perhaps given him a dimension that he as maybe missing when on board at Cardiff, and could potentially be a big plus for Morison as he considers his options ahead of next season.
His future may well be one of several big decisions this summer, although the player himself isn't looking beyond the current campaign.
"I haven’t really thought about it too much, I’m just taking it in the moment," he said when questioned on whether he could stay with Oxford beyond the current campaign.
“I can’t really look too far ahead, I love being here and I just want to play as many games as I can until the end of the season.
“The reason I came here is because I loved it so much when I was first here.
“It’s a great club, great people, great fans and I felt at home when I first came here.”
Whether he can find a home in the capital remains to be seen.
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