Tom Naylor has had to show some patience during his fourth season with Burton Albion.
The 26-year-old began the campaign knowing that, after three seasons making a notable impression in the Brewers midfield, he would be returning to where it all began for him in senior football – at the heart of the defence.
Nigel Clough said in pre-season that he saw Naylor primarily as a centre-back option, and that shift was something the player himself was happy to take in his stride.
"I can read the game from there and I can play out as much as I can if it allows me - I really enjoy it," he said after a 2-1 friendly win at Solihull Moors in which he had done exactly that.
But centre-half was always likely to be a competitive position this season following the arrivals of Jake Buxton and, latterly, John Brayford.
Even with the deadline-day departure of John Mousinho, Naylor's inclusion in that role was limited over the opening months of the campaign.
He featured in only five of Albion's first 17 League games, with Kyle McFadzean, Buxton and Ben Turner the back three Clough favoured at the time.
A slight thigh injury kept Buxton out of the trip to Brentford on November 21, though, and presented Naylor with a return to the starting XI.
He will have known the importance of taking the chance and that, with Burton struggling to find form, there was an opportunity to earn himself a spell in the side.
Although the Brewers have earned only one point in the four subsequent games he has started, Naylor's influence is being felt again - and it is why he has kept his spot so far.
He made his 100th League appearance for the club on Saturday and many of Naylor’s most memorable moments in a Burton shirt over the years have come in front of goal.
The crucial equaliser in a promotion tussle with Wigan Athletic in April 2016, the late header in an early-season Championship draw at Blackburn last term.
That last-gasp winner against Gillingham.
But moved further back, the versatile former Derby County man is able to show some of his other attributes.
He offers a genuine composure in possession at the back, ensuring Albion do not have to hurriedly get rid of possession after winning it back in deep areas.
Instead, his recent displays have shown a willingness to venture forward with the ball and look to get his side on the front foot.
That was even more evident in Saturday's loss to Preston North End, when he was shifted into a midfield role once again, sitting alongside Luke Murphy.
Despite the eventual result, that partnership looked a promising one. Both read play well and helped break things up quickly when Preston were in possession, and both also have a quality and calm array of passing to get the Brewers moving in the right direction.
They also know when to slow things down if necessary, something Murphy does superbly when sensing spells of pressure against his team.
Naylor's good pace across the pitch has also been an important factor in him impressing since coming back into the side.
It allows him to get quickly into position or across to make a tackle, vital when Albion are stretched open by some of the quality their Championship rivals possess.
Despite those pre-season suggestions that Naylor was in his plans as a centre-back, Clough also hinted at the weekend that a sustained place in the midfield might not be out of the question again.
The 4-2-3-1 they utilised against the Lilywhites is one the Brewers boss likes and may look to continue with as his team look for consistency, and he praised Naylor’s display specifically in the system.
Burton Albion 1-2 Preston North End
Whether he stays there or is quickly returned to centre-back, though, Naylor has done all that could have been asked of him in taking his chance since coming back into the side.
The task for him and the rest of his teammates, of course, is to maintain performance levels now and help spark Albion's survival push back into life.
