James Tomkins was thrilled to return to the starting lineup and have such a positive impact in the 3-1 weekend win against Wigan Athletic.
The 21-year-old has had to be patient for his chance of late, having initially seen Manuel da Costa and then Danny Gabbidon strike up solid partnerships with captain Matthew Upson. Tomkins has kept working hard, though, and justified his manager's faith with his showing on Saturday.
Along with the rest of the back four, Tomkins had been working closely with new coach Wally Downes at Chadwell Heath and paid tribute to the new arrival. "He has good experience and worked well with the back four. He took us together and worked with us as defending as a unit and brought the passion in."
Downes was an animated figure on the touchline, and Tomkins took heart from his encouragement. "You can see him on the sideline. He just wants us to do well. He has come in, done well for us and hopefully we can carry on the defensive focus like this.
"It livens you up when you see passion like that. It is good for us. That is what he brings. We are going to need that.
"He told us how we can play for each other, how we can cover each other. And, if it has to go in the stand, it has to go in the stand. That is important instead of taking any risks. Deal with things if you have to."
The late Wigan consolation for Tom Cleverley was the one negative for Tomkins but he felt the team had coped well with the late pressure and stressed "it was the result we needed and we got it".
He will hope to retain his place for the visit of Manchester United on Tuesday and emphasised that the players were already excited about the task in front of them.
"It is important for us. The game is massive for the fans. It doesn't get much bigger than the cup quarter-final. The mood is good in the dressing room. It is nice to get the win, to see the lads buzzing. After a game when you win there is no better feeling and hopefully we can just carry this on against United."