Stuart Parnaby could hardly have been happier after ending his 16-month exile from football and playing for Middlesbrough against Preston.
The 30-year-old defender was handed a start in the club's 3-1 Capital One Cup victory at Preston on Tuesday evening after spending last year in the wilderness when a deal to re-join former employers Birmingham fell through.
But Tony Mowbray handed him the chance to rebuild his career back on Teesside, where he first made his name, and although he has had to remain patient, the wait proved worthwhile.
Parnaby told the club's official website: "To come back after missing so long, being at Birmingham and missing a year, then to play 90 minutes, what can I say? I absolutely loved it!
"Of course there were nerves. A lot of things went through my head before the game, but luckily I'm a pretty laid-back lad.
"I settled down when I got to the stadium and remembered my routine - eventually. The lads helped me and I think we played pretty well."
