A handful of Everton players are returning from injury at the perfect time. The threat of relegation has gone, the team is nine unbeaten in the Premier League and they have an opportunity to show they deserve a place in the brilliant future this club should now have.
They could barely wish for better as they look to impress David Moyes - I hope they do.
The manager saw Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti in action for the first time on Saturday, both having suffered serious injury issues they are only just returning from. I thought they did well, the late triple substitution - with Tim Iroegbunam making another positive contribution from the bench - helping to give Everton the energy and determination to find that late equaliser.
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That is a luxury that has been unavailable to Moyes since his return in January. The injuries that have hurt his squad have meant he has been unable to rest or rotate players in what is already a thin squad even when everyone is fit.
Suddenly, though, he is able to name a bench filled with senior players and that is a massive boost as he attempts to keep standards high.
To have someone on the bench like Broja or Chermiti is only going to help morale in the squad. How often have players on their last legs turned to the dugout after 70 minutes and watched the opposition refresh their side with capable top flight players, while no salvation has been available to them? It is also massive in the dressing room because it means there will be competition for places. Footballers often need pressure to drive them forward and knowing there are rivals for your spot is crucial to maintaining performances.
Everton are starting to get that and with so many players with a point to prove, Moyes and the Blues should benefit.
The likes of Broja and Chermiti will have a lot of enthusiasm as they return. Being out injured, especially for a long period of time, is soul destroying. It is even harder if there is a new manager you are desperate to show your value to - something those strikers and the likes of Dwight McNeil will want to do.
It is a bonus for them that the team is doing so well, with the unbeaten run having been extended to nine league games thanks to Jake O'Brien's late equaliser against West Ham. When the team is doing well, you want to be part of it - I missed a double and a treble through injury with Rangers and while I was happy for my teammates I was gutted not to be more heavily involved.
When the team is struggling it is much harder. You think 'I can't wait to come back and help them'. You put pressure on yourself to get back, supporters want you back as soon as possible and often the staff do too. In those circumstances there is a danger you rush back too soon, that your body is challenged too early and your return doesn't go right.
Everton are no longer in a survival fight so while the remaining games still have importance, there is less pressure on players quickly coming back and having an immediate impact. They can rejoin a side that is doing well, where the supporters are in good spirits and with big games coming up.
So after a good re-introduction on Saturday, the likes of Broja and Chermiti - and should they come back after the international break McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye and Dominic Calvert-Lewin - could not wish for a better stage to show Moyes and the world what they can do and why those around them should want them to play a role in the club's future.
