A return to the Wolverhampton Wanderers starting line-up and then a victory away to Queens Park Rangers . . . no wonder Jackie McNamara is walking tall.
The defender played the entire 90 minutes at Loftus Road on Saturday, having not played competition football since last season because of a hip injury, and he is now looking ahead with enthusiasm.
The 1-0 victory ensured that Wolves can continue to contemplate the possibility of a promotion battle.
"It was great to be involved from the start and I thought we gave a battling performance," he said. "I hope I proved a point on Saturday. All you ask for is the chance to start playing and prove that you are good enough to have the regular place.
"I hope I can go on a run of games now. I was itching to play all week and it feels good to come off the pitch actually having played. There are a lot of games over the Christmas period so I'm hoping to be involved for them too.
"The first-half was a bit of a battle but in the second-half we started passing the ball about well and we did come into our own.
"It was a big win so we're obviously delighted. The game became even more important because we slipped up against Leicester last week. We've got a hard match next weekend against Norwich, and then Derby away so we know how important this spell is.
"I hope the future is a bit better for me at Wolves now. That was the first step for me getting through 90 minutes. I feel fine now as well."
