Ethan Horvath's late return from international duty led to Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper's decision to change goalkeepers at Blackpool.
Horvath had cemented his place between the posts prior to the two-week break from league action, having taken his chance to impress while Brice Samba was suspended. But he found himself on the bench at Bloomfield Road as the Reds recorded an emphatic 4-1 win at Blackpool.
The American had been part of the USA squad which secured qualification for this year's World Cup. And it meant he was one of the last player to link back up with his teammates ahead of the lunchtime clash - just like full-back Richie Laryea, who had not returned to the UK until Friday night and was not involved against the Seasiders.
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Horvath was among the substitutes as a result, with Samba brought back into the XI. Only a late consolation effort from Callum Connolly denied the visitors a clean-sheet, leaving Cooper with an "interesting" dilemma in his team's last nine league games.
"It was 100 percent due to Ethan's late return. We're fortunate that - we've got three goalkeepers, really - but maybe two goalkeepers who can play in goal for us," said the Forest head coach, whose side triumphed thanks to a Brennan Johnson brace and goals from Philip Zinckernagel and Sam Surridge.
"It was an eight-hour flight for Ethan and a massive time difference. As prepared as he would have been, I still think it would have been a little bit naive to play him when we've got Brice available as well, in terms of what's right for the team.
"I spoke to Ethan about it yesterday. We would never ask for a player to come back early. And he's qualified for a World Cup, so he's had all the emotion of that. That's really important as well.
"It was a grown-up decision with him. I spoke to Ethan about it, and he fully understood. It will be interesting now, going forward."
