Bristol City goal hero Matt Smith was thankful to parent club Fulham for allowing him to play in FA Cup third round tie against Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.
The 6ft 5in centre forward headed a superb 75th minute equaliser to cancel out Luke McCullough's 50th minute opener and earn the Robins a 1-1 draw and a replay at Ashton Gate on Tuesday, January 13.
But he could easily have spent the day watching from the stands after being refused permission to feature in the second round win against AFC Telford United.
Without the services of injured strikers Aaron Wilbraham and Kieran Agard, City boss Steve Cotterill asked Fulham manager Kit Symons if he could utilise Smith in today's third round tie and was a relieved man when being given a positive answer.
Smith made the most of his opportunity, heading in a Luke Ayling cross to ensure the Robins a place in Monday's fourth round draw.
He afterwards, "I'm very grateful to Fulham and to Kit for allowing me to play in this game.
"The decision was down to them and they could easily have said no. But they said yes and I was really pleased when I knew I would be playing."
Smith's fourth goal in three games denied Doncaster the victory their performance probably warranted.
The former Leeds and Oldham man said: "It was a great cross by Luke Ayling and I just concentrated on heading back from where it had come and guiding it in.
"That was the only chance I had all game and that reflected how we played. The first half was not good enough and we are probably fortunate to still be in the competition.
"But we were a lot better in the second half, managed to get further up the pitch and showed good character to get a result. Hopefully, we can now land a big team in the next round and give ourselves the perfect incentive to win the replay."