Adam Johnson left his family and friends not knowing whether to laugh or cry as he scored his first goal in a Manchester City shirt.
The 22-year-old winger came off the bench to snatch a point for his new club at Sunderland on Sunday afternoon and maintain their hopes of breaking into the Barclays Premier League's top four.
However, he later admitted that, while delighted to have played such a significant role in the game, he would rather have broken his City duck anywhere but at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland-born Johnson was a boyhood Black Cats fan and might very well have been playing his football on Wearside had Steve Bruce got his way when former club Middlesbrough decided to cash in one of their most successful academy graduates in January.
But City's millions gave them the edge in the race to sign him and so it was that the midfielder found himself scoring his maiden goal for the club against the men in red and white with many of his nearest and dearest sitting in the stands wishing he had chosen another day on which to do so.
Johnson said: "If there was one place I probably wouldn't have wanted to score my first goal, it would probably have been here.
"But I am just thankful I have finally got off the mark because I am a Manchester City player now.
"But that's how it goes, isn't it? That's football."
Johnson's intervention came in the nick of time as the clock ticked towards the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the game.
His curling left-foot shot from just inside the box evaded the unfortunate Craig Gordon, whose heroics up until that point had almost single-handedly kept City at bay.
In truth, the visitors were so lacklustre before the break that manager Roberto Mancini would have been delighted to get them back into the dressing room just 1-0 down.
They trailed after just nine minutes to Kenwyne Jones' ninth-minute header and rarely looked like getting themselves back into the game during the opening 45 minutes.
Indeed, the Italian withdrew left-back Wayne Bridge with just 33 minutes gone to send on striker Roque Santa Cruz and then replaced right-back Micah Richards with midfielder Patrick Vieira 19 minutes after the restart in a bid for fresh impetus.
His team were much improved after the break and had it not been for Gordon, who made a string of fine saves, former Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy alone might have claimed a hat-trick.
Johnson said: "I said that to him after the game coming off, it was going to take something special to beat him.
"Especially in the second half, he kept some great efforts from us out.
"We probably dominated the second half, we them pegged back in and we created a number of clear-cut chances. We probably could have nicked it if it wasn't for Craig."
Ultimately, it was left to Johnson to snatch a draw which leaves City two points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.
He said: "The point, especially after our first-half performance, is a good point.
"But our main aim is to be winning games and putting a good run together coming towards the end of the season.
"We still have a game in hand and we are looking in quite good shape, but we have definitely got to improve."
Asked after the game about Johnson's chances of making a late run for a place in Fabio Capello's England World Cup squad, Mancini suggested the tournament might come a little too early for him, but the man himself will keep his fingers crossed.
Johnson said: "I would love to think I have an outside chance, but I have just got to try to keep performing for Manchester City and hopefully, I get the call.
"You never know, stranger things have happened."
