Twelve months ago, the prospect of an FA Cup meeting with Liverpool would have been a tantalising one for both Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest.
In fact, it would have been the only thing keeping their seasons from petering out. Both sides were marooned in mid-to-lower table mediocrity but never really in danger of going down; Huddersfield survived relegation by six points, Forest a further three clear.
Back to the present day and Monday night's FA Cup fifth round tie gives the winners a home meeting with Jurgen Klopp's side.
But a one-off ding-dong with one of the best sides in the world would merely be the sideshow for both teams this time around.
Who will win this year's FA Cup? Let us know in the comments
Both clubs are ticking along nicely in the Championship and have serious aspirations of Premier League football next term.
Crucially, both sides have addressed key concerns from 2020-21.
Huddersfield have well surpassed their points tally from the whole of last season (49) whilst Forest's draw at Sheffield United on Friday saw them equal their 52-point haul last time out.
Carlos Corberan's first season as Terriers' boss wasn't a huge success but the team have been unrecognisable this term. A problem for them last season was conceding - they shipped a divisional high of 71.
Shutting the back door has allowed them to edge tight contests and the team are on a simply superb run right now. Friday's 3-0 win over Peterborough pushed them into the second automatic spot and stretched their unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions - going back to late November.
As for Forest, they have been utterly transformed since Steve Cooper replaced Chris Hughton in September. They finished last season as the second-lowest scorers in the division but have clearly addressed that.
They sit just three points shy of the play-offs and the exciting brand of football that Cooper has them playing is one that Forest fans are loving.
Both teams would readily admit that their bread and butter, as we approach spring, is the Championship - and promotion out of it.
But their respective rises have been aided rather than compromised by a good run in the FA Cup.
Huddersfield overcame Premier League side Burnley away in round three before seeing off Barnsley in round four.
As for Forest, their giantkillings over Arsenal and holders Leicester gave them huge impetus and once again put the club on the national stage after years in the wilderness.
And so a City Ground meeting now pits them against each other, with the prospect of a home time against a Liverpool side that is still chasing an unprecedented quadruple.
Publicly, Corberan refused to entertain talk of such a prospect - no matter how enticing it is.
“I think we need to be thinking about the opponent we are about to face, not the next one,” Corberan said in the build-up to the trip to Nottingham.
"We want to give our best performance and stay in the cup; that’s the only target for Monday.”
As for Cooper, a meeting with the Reds would be a reunion of sorts for him.
The Welshman worked at Anfield between 2008 and 2013 in the academy and his good work there ended with him landing a job in the England youth set-up - the highlight of which was him leading the Three Lions' under-17s to World Cup success in 2017 - before moving into club football.
Cooper took a slightly different tone to Corberan, acknowledging the huge carrot that is being dangled before his side and Huddersfield.
"The motivation of a cup game is to get through to the next round, of course. But knowing Liverpool is next has to be a motivation, especially with the chance of being at home,” Cooper said.
“But you’ve got to focus on what it takes to get there - and that’s playing well and winning the next game. That’s where our focus will lie."
