Bristol City's talented under-23 side maintained their pressure at the top of the table after a convincing 3-1 victory in Wales over Severnside rivals Cardiff.
Tommy Conway was rewarded for his persistence by opening the scoring after taking advantage of a goalkeeper error early in the first half while two second-half goals from Nahki Wells ensured the visitors made the short trip back across the Prince of Wales bridge with the points.
Goalkeeper Harvey Wiles-Richards played a big part, which will be discussed below, while the likes of Josh Owers and midfielder Dylan Kadji impressed in the middle of the park.
The victory, which leaves City two points adrift of second-place Cardiff with a game advantage, threatens to be overshadowed by an injury to Ryley Towler who was forced off at the end of the first half.
Here's the talking points from a productive afternoon in Lethwick.
Nahki Wells send a message
The Bermudan international has been biding his time and waiting patiently for his opportunity to impress manager Nigel Pearson with his last start coming in November.
In a way, he will admit himself that opportunities have rightly been few and far between in the last couple of months in particular considering the form of Andi Weimann, Antoine Semenyo and Chris Martin.
Wells admitted himself he "entertained" the decision to leave Ashton Gate in January as Cardiff failed with a loan bid with the manager not eager to let him leave temporarily.
Any other player could have sulked their way until the end of the campaign but Wells accepted the club's decision and continues to work his socks off in an attempt to prove that he can still play a big part between now and the end of the season.
Playing in a U23 match away at Cardiff on a bitterly cold afternoon may not have been at the top of Wells' to-do list as a professional footballer but he once again showed why he shouldn't be the forgotten man just yet.
He started the game brightly, running the channels and scuffed a shot into the keeper's hands very early on in the contest. The warning signs were there for Cardiff and Wells' intelligence and experience would finally come to the fore in the second half.
He took the ball into the box, showed composure by cutting across his defender before being taken down. No doubt it was a penalty and there was no doubt who was taking it. The captain stepped up and buried it confidently into the bottom corner to double City's advantage.
He wasn't done there. Just after Cardiff had pulled a goal back, a terrible defensive clearance found Conway who played in Wells. He took it round the keeper and slotted in the third - job done.
For Wells, that's his eighth goal in three U23 appearances proving that he certainly still has something to offer in the senior side. He grabbed two against Cardiff in the reverse fixture a month after and four in a game against Hull last year.
What was most impressive, was his work-rate throughout the entire 90 minutes he played in Cardiff. Even after taking a knock to the knee which left him in obvious discomfort, Wells' desire never looked in question.
Whether the 90 minutes were to build his match fitness with a eye of bringing him in for the home match with Birmingham at the weekend, considering the amount of minutes the likes of Chris Martin have played recently (nine starts in five weeks), Wells' performance should certainly have Pearson taking note.
Harvey Wiles-Richards' redemption
Just a month ago, the young keeper was arguably at fault for Cardiff's ridiculously late comeback in the reverse fixture. City conceded three in the last 20 minutes including two at the death which Wiles-Richards will know he could have done better.
It was two corners at the end that were his undoing as he failed to command his area but after today, he ensured that performance was ancient history.
Wiles-Richards, 19, pulled off an impressive penalty save in the first half after Duncan Idehen took down his man in the box. Granted, it was a weak spot-kick - lacking pace and being a comfortable height for the keeper but he ensured the rebound stayed out too.
Although take nothing away, it was a penalty save nonetheless, he still had to use his instincts to guess and dive the correct way. There were plenty of other positives to take from his performance including his calmness with the ball at his feet.
In particular, on two occasions in the first half, he was under pressure from the Cardiff strikers but he kept a cool head to find his team-mates with two impressive passes. It may not sound like much, but with Pearson's previous intention from playing out the back, as highlighted by the December introduction of Max O'Leary, it certainly bodes well for the future.
His exposure to the first-team, where he has been on the bench in the absence of O'Leary following his injury at Swansea, appears to be doing wonders to his confidence also.
In the second half, with Cardiff's industrial striker charging towards him, Wiles-Richards pulled off a Cruyff turn to leave his opponent booting fresh air in frustration.
He also pulled off a number of impressive stops, particularly one in the second period when he tipped an effort over the crossbar. He perhaps deserved a clean sheet but was finally beaten when Ryan Kavanagh's terrific cross was turned in by Jack Leahy from close range.
Barring an injury to Dan Bentley, Wiles-Richards will have to remain patient for his opportunity in the senior side but Wiles-Richards certainly has the attributes to make a name for himself.
Antoine Semenyo watches on
It's further proof that Antoine Semenyo is a gem both on and off the pitch.
The striker has received plenty of plaudits for his kindness and personality when he's not leaving defenders in a spin - we can only assume his agent Tony Finnegan gave a glowing report to Celtic scout Craig Strachan during their recent conversation.
Semenyo could have easily have made the most of his afternoon in the warmth of his own home but he made his way across the border to watch his brother, Jai, in action for Cardiff.
Jai, a promising right-back, signed for the Bluebirds midway through last year and is currently impressing for his side in the youth ranks.
You can rest assured that older brother Antoine is willing him on to make a name for himself as he braved the chilly weather to encourage him from the sidelines - while also keeping an eye on City's U23 side.
In a game against Fulham earlier in January, where Semenyo scored twice including that terrific individual effort that almost won Goal of the Month, his family were in attendance at Craven Cottage.
The 22-year-old repaid the favour and the duo enjoyed a brotherly shove across the rails as Jai headed towards the changing room.
Semenyo wasn't the only man of importance watching on with Wales Under-19 manager and former Bristol City player Rob Edwards sitting in the stands.
Tommy Conway's potential
It's easy to see why Pearson is such a big fan of the 19-year-old while he's a regular on the substitute bench waiting patiently for his opportunity.
Conway is highly-rated among the coaching staff at City and performances like this will do his hopes of making a mark in the first-team soon enough.
He made five appearances in the senior squad last season but has been limited to just three substitute appearances this time around, against Forest Green Rovers in the Carabao Cup, Fulham in the FA Cup and away at Luton in January.
Conway never stopped running, harassing defenders and chasing loose balls when he had no right to. He was rewarded for his tireless efforts in the first half when a long ball over the top appeared to be bread and butter for the Cardiff stopper.
However, Conway made his presence known and the keeper dropped it, allowing the forward to bury it into an empty net to open the scoring.
He also certainly appeared to enjoy playing alongside the experience of Wells with the duo linking up nicely between the lines. He will be disappointed that he didn't grab a couple himself with the only criticism of his performance was he left his shooting boots back in Bristol.
He spurned two great opportunities in the second half, one when he had an air shot at the back post from a couple of yards out and a second when Wells played him through on goal.
Conway attempted a dink over the goalkeeper but the stopper was wise to it, sticking out his arm to deny him when he should have just put his laces through it.
Although he failed to add to his goal tally, Conway did get himself an assist when he took advantage of another defensive clearance. The ball was booted straight at the striker who showed impressive control to bring it down, lifted one into Wells' path who did the rest.
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