We saw the best of Will Vaulks on Saturday. The Cardiff City midfielder started the day by heading up to the stands at Reading to meet and greet the Disabled Supporters Association and finished it by hammering home a late winner to sent them into euphoria.
It was an afternoon which showcased the very best of him both on and off the pitch. He deserves it, too, because it's not been such an easy ride for him over the last few months.
Manager Steve Morison admitted after the match that the player had been "unhappy" with his situation at Cardiff, presumably owing to him being forced out of the starting XI and having to bide his time patiently, settling largely for substitute appearances. Any Championship player worth his salt would be unhappy with that scenario, of course.
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But, to his credit, Vaulks has stepped up and fronted up every time he has been called upon. When there have been injuries in midfield, he is the man Morison ropes in and he rarely lets you down. He may come in for stick sometimes because he doesn't always showcase the technical ability of a Tommy Doyle, the pace of a Ryan Wintle or the busy, go-forward nature of Ralls' play, but he brings other qualities.
He's full-blooded, passionate, tenacious and the unquantifiable ability to just 'get it'. He also has the spectacular in his locker, too, which is a prized asset at this level; he can strike the ball from 25 yards as well as anyone in the division.
He has forced his way back into the Wales reckoning recently, too, a year after there was uproar that he missed a national team camp when he was playing the best football of his Cardiff career. It was heartening to see him given a start in the friendly against the Czech Republic, a reward for his toil in recent seasons.
Some would argue that if Cardiff are looking to change their style of football they need more forward-looking players than Vaulks, but if Saturday's evidence is anything to go by, he showed he has the capability to adapt to a new system, something the player himself has spoken about and yearned for. The winner against Reading was just about as pleasing a goal as Cardiff have produced this season and it was started and finished by the Wales international.
Vaulks picked the ball up just inside the Reading half, hit a half-blind pass firmly around the corner into Isaak Davies' feet. Davies popped it off to Tommy Doyle while Vaulks set about getting on his bike and sprinting into the box. Doyle slid through an inch-perfect pass, which was met by Vaulks on the edge of the box before he took a solid touch and banged it into the Reading net.
In a new formation, one which was designed to encourage more possession and coax the midfielders to make those sorts of runs, Vaulks was the one who came up trumps.
Cardiff's established midfield trio now is Wintle, Ralls and Doyle and there are few who would disagree with that combination. They have gelled well in the last six weeks or so and have given Morison no reason whatsoever to drop them, but it's also comforting to turn to your bench and see someone as dependable as Vaulks sitting there. Equally, should injury befall Wintle or Ralls, there are no qualms about Vaulks filling the void.
Given Marlon Pack and Leandro Bacuna are set to exit stage left this summer, can Cardiff really afford to let Vaulks go, too? Especially with Doyle heading back to Manchester City and Ralls yet to put pen to paper on a new deal. There are a lot of spots to fill there and while Cardiff's January window was terrific, finding adequate replacements for so many midfield players in a very crowded marketplace will be hugely challenging. Sometimes it's better the devil you know, so to speak.
Morison has also spoken about finding a better blend of ages in this upcoming transfer window. Vaulks is now 28; very few players sit between that middle age bracket but he certainly does. Vincent Tan also likes the idea of having a core of Welsh players, which puts another big green tick in Vaulks' box.
Whether Vaulks would be happy to play the sort of role he has been, settling for substitute appearances or stretches in the side when others are unavailable, is unknown, quite frankly, but Cardiff could do a lot worse than keep hold of him if a deal could be struck.
And let's not overlook how valuable his role off the pitch is, too. Some will say there is no room for sentimentality and these sorts of decisions should be based solely on footballing criteria, but they will likely be the same people voicing their disgruntlement over the lack of connection between the club and its fans.
Well, Vaulks is the closest person Cardiff currently have as a tangible bridge between the club and its supporters and that is important. Sol Bamba was that sort of player, too, a person who interacted and engaged with fans. Joe Bennett and Callum Paterson to a lesser degree as well. The club is worse off from an engagement perspective with those sorts of players no longer in the building.
Vaulks is the Disabled Supporters Association's player ambassador and he, along with Morison, did a Q&A with fans last week which was very well received. He is the Cardiff City Foundation ambassador, too. Last year he was named the EFL's Championship PFA Player in the Community after devoting an enormous amount of time to community projects in the area.
During lockdown, he created videos of football challenges that children could engage in as part of the Foundation’s Soccer Schools. He also sat in on video calls with children and shared advice in hope of boosting confidence and promoting wellbeing from those suffering in confined, locked-down conditions.
He notably joined the Feed the NHS initiative during the first lockdown, too, taking food and water to healthcare workers across south Wales right at the start of the pandemic. Recently he has been vocal in his support of stamping out online abuse in hope of making social media a more palatable place. His work off the pitch never seems to rest.
That alone, of course, is not enough to earn yourself a new footballing contract, but it should certainly help to tip the scales a little more in his favour. Especially, from the outside looking in, because his future is arguably the trickiest one to decide of all.
There is a general acceptance, really, that all of Isaac Vassell, Ciaron Brown, Marlon Pack, Leandro Bacuna and Josh Murphy will leave the club. While there is hope Joe Ralls signs a new deal and even talk of Sean Morrison being offered some sort of package. Alex Smithies' wages may prove prohibitive and therefore, with Dillon Phillips a more than capable No. 2, there would be no surprise if he left. Plus he was left out of the squad all together for the Reading game at the weekend, which might hint to where his future is at.
Aden Flint and Will Vaulks are likely the two most contentious calls, the players whose futures you can't quite figure out yet and it is a situation which will likely trundle on until the retained list is put out. But Vaulks has shown that he is an asset to Cardiff firstly on the pitch and most certainly off it and it is why he has so many ardent backers in the Welsh capital.
You could see from his fiery, backflipping celebrations in Berkshire on Saturday that, until he is out the door, he will keep pouring his heart out for the club and attempt to convince the powers-that-be that he is worthy of a longer stay.
