Chris Basham has played Premier League football twice before and a rare goal from one of the Championship's unsung heroes has him well placed for a third stint.
For the 30-year-old was the unlikely figure that settled a tense lunchtime Yorkshire derby and thrust Sheffield United into the automatic promotion places, a point ahead of Leeds, with eight matches remaining.
Twelve months ago, the South Yorkshire club lost their legs in the Championship promotion race on the home straight but appear to have much more staying power this time.
Their manager Chris Wilder was at pains to point out earlier this week that the result at Elland Road would not be decisive in the quest to go up.
But destiny is now in their own hands after a stunning heist that saw Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla sent off for bringing down Billy Sharp outside his area in the 90th minute.
The talk of Yorkshire football this season has been of Marcelo Bielsa's revolution that has threatened to end a 15-year absence from the top flight but it could be another of the county's famous clubs that has the last word in the jostle for a top-two finish.
In the reverse fixture, Wilder's team claimed a stand-out statistic of becoming the only one in a Championship game against Leeds this season to enjoy the lion's share of possession. However, goalkeeper Dean Henderson's late error meant they coughed up all three points.
This time, though, it was a Leeds mistake preyed upon as Basham's burst forward 20 minutes from time settled a game of fine margins.
The visitors came into the contest having not conceded since early February - a stretch of 540 minutes - when Aston Villa completed a comeback from 3-0 down with a last-gasp equaliser.
Wilder stiffened his midfield with the shift of Basham from his usual place in a three man central defensive line. It had the desired effect as Leeds were restricted to off-target efforts during a first half in which the teeming rain further restricted attacking intent.
The best first-half chance also fell to the lanky Basham, who darted from his more advanced role on the stroke of half-time to latch onto David McGoldrick's precision through ball, rounded Kiko Casilla and oddly opted to square for Billy Sharp rather than attempt to beat the covering Leeds defenders with a shot.
That missed opportunity capped a period of late pressure from the visitors, including one almighty goalmouth scramble from one corner and David McGoldrick heading over from another seconds later.
Prior to that a Leeds team unchanged for the sixth consecutive match had been unable to provide a clinical conclusion to their incisions into the opposing penalty area or were blocked off by a mass of fluorescent shirts as was the case when Pablo Hernandez's elusive running down the right presented Patrick Bamford with a sight of goal in the eighth minute.
Jack Harrison volleyed too high, Bamford fired over on the run and Tyler Roberts was off target with a header in an opening half in which Henderson was not forced into a save.
And when a team defeated just once in three months was opened up by a combination of Hernandez and Luke Ayling on the half hour, Ezgjan Alioski thrashed his drive into the Leeds supporters behind the goal.
There was greater intensity to Leeds' play after the interval and although Roberts beat Henderson's dive, from Klich's cut-back on the hour, the ball cannoned back into play off the post.
And they were hit by a sucker punch in the 70th minute when the ball got stuck under Leeds captain Cooper's feet, Sharp released it and fed the onrushing Basham, who previously played for Bolton and Blackpool in the top flight.
This time, he kept his composure and steered past the advancing Casilla from the edge of the area.
