As Louis Moult made the not-particularly long walk from the scene of his red card crime to the Bootham Crescent dressing rooms, the only logical debate was how big York City’s margin of victory would be.
The home side were a goal ahead and a man ahead, everything was in their favour and their increasingly-loud supporters could scent the blood in the water.
Surely a Northampton side with just one win on their travels this season would have crumbled in the face of such criteria?
In fact, the opposite happened - as an illustration of their attacking intent the team kept two players up front throughout and took the bold step of throwing second-year scholar Lewis Hornby into the very difficult fray.
It was real ‘in at the deep end’ stuff for Hornby but he not only swam, he also put in a few lengths and even got the rubber brick off the bottom of the pool in his pyjamas.
Hornby came of age in this game and it also provided the platform for Chris Hackett to exhibit his supreme dribbling skills and iron man stamina.
Between the two of them, they bound the team together and got the side a point that looked enormously unlikely at half-time.
It is a point that means the club are now just four points off the play-off places, which is either a damning indictment of the quality in league two this year or a measure of the enduring quality in the squad.
To be in such a position with four of their first-choice team still injured - and Moult now missing for three games - is entirely acceptable.
When they get the players back in January, so the cliche goes, it will be like receiving new signings.
On Tuesday night they got another player who feels like a fresh addition in Hornby. The midfielder just needs to prove it wasn’t a flash in the pan now. He will certainly get the chance.
JEFF’S RATINGS
LEE NICHOLLS
Completely exposed on the goal but made good decisions when competing for crosses ...7
DANNY EAST
Flew into a few tackles but stayed within the laws of the game - just ...6
JOHN JOHNSON
Injury limited his ability to react to Blair’s run that provided York’s goal ...5
KELVIN LANGMEAD
The usual rock-like presence and really dominated in the second half ...7
JOE WIDDOWSON
Kept to the basics and made defending a priority after the Moult dismissal ...6
BEN TOZER
Performed substantially better as a centre-back than he did in central midfield ...6
EMYR HUWS
Seems to be playing a more controlled game than during his instinctive first few outings ...6
CHRIS HACKETT
The midfielder has been very good all season but this game was his best outing so far ...8
LOUIS MOULT
Looked sharp on the left of the diamond but rightly sent off for a rash challenge ...5
ADEBAYO AKINFENWA
In the right place at the right time to score his seventh goal of the campaign ...7
CLIVE PLATT
Some good flick-ons and link-up play but needs to be more aggressive at times ...6
Substitutes:
LEWIS HORNBY (for Johnson, 46mins)
The boy became a man with this first-rate performance. Very strong on and off the ball ...8
Not used: Higgs, Charles, Demontagnac, Mukendi, Wilson, Moyo
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