Nahki Wells got back to business as Huddersfield Town claimed a first victory at Blackburn Rovers since 1986.
After three tough games and just one point, this was a very welcome win which hoisted David Wagner’s side up three places to 16th and all but secured Championship status for next season.
Town are 11 points above the drop zone with only 12 to play for.
And wouldn’t it be nice if they could follow up Saturday’s success by inflicting a first defeat in 10 on Neil Warnock’s Rotherham United on Tuesday evening?
This was Wagner’s 10th win in 26 league matches as Town head coach, and he will also have been pleased by the seventh clean sheet of his tenure and first in 10 matches.
See the celebrations at Ewood Park
There was the odd occasion when his team had to defend tenaciously, and there were brave blocks and a smart late save by Jed Steer from Darragh Lenihan.
But by that stage, Town were pretty much in control after goals either side of the break.
Top scorer Wells notched for the first time in four games in the 35th minute to liven up what had been a tame opening to the Roses derby.
Yes, his goal was a bit of a gift after Harry Bunn’s shot was deflected off Lenihan before Blackburn centre-back Shane Duffy sold his keeper Jason Steele short with a header back.
But the striker still had to turn the ball into the net, which he did deftly, and his season’s haul of 17 is certainly not to be sniffed at.
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Wells, who wants at least 20 for the campaign, was also involved in the second nine minutes after the restart.
Town beat set-piece specialists Rovers at their own game by netting from a corner, another welcome sight.
Former Leeds United man Matt Kilgallon put through his own net as Wells, Mark Hudson and Joel Lynch all tried to get to an inswinging Bunn corner.
The second, scored in front of Town’s 1,777 travelling fans in a 15,061 crowd, sparked Blackburn’s best spell of the game.
David Wagner speaks about the win
But Town withstood their short burst of pressure, and survived a penalty appeal for handball as skipper Hudson blocked a fierce shot by on-loan Sunderland man Jordi Gomez.
Rovers manager Paul Lambert had made half-time changes, bringing on Chris Brown and Jason Lowe for Simeon Jackson and Elliott Bennett.
And he continued to tweak his tactics and formation, with Hope Akpan replacing on-loan Sunderland striker Danny Graham.
But Town, with Jason Davidson back in at left-back after loanee James Husband’s return to Middlesbrough, coped well.
And Wagner, with the Rotherham trip in the back of his mind, kept things as fresh as he could do by bringing on Karim Matmour for Joe Lolley, Kyle Dempsey for Bunn and Philip Billing for Whitehead.
