Not since Charlie Simpson-Daniel scored a brace of long-range tries with his first two touches in Red and Black has a Moseley debutant been so pleasantly surprising.
Nineteen points with the boot, an assist for Anthony Carter鈥檚 try and a fair share in a sterling defensive performance when his side were down to 14 men, made this an afternoon for the Ryan family album. Young Caolan came of age.
And to do so at just half-an-hour鈥檚 notice in Mose鈥檚 first home win of the season means the fly-half鈥檚 first Greene King IPA Championship start will live longer in the memory than Baby Sinbad鈥檚 B&I Cup cameo.
Moseley lost to London Welsh on that evening in November 2009 and the blazingly quick Simpson-Daniel drifted off the scene and out of professional rugby altogether. This was an entirely different marine fauna-filled receptacle.
It was the first time Mose have beaten Nottingham, albeit severely depleted by the loss of their Leicester contingent, in six years.
It was their second consecutive victory and after a slow start they are finally beginning to find their stride.
They travel to Bedford on Friday, where they have not won in modern times, hopeful, nay expectant, that the curious topography and Indian sign under which they have laboured for so long, can finally be mastered.
Therein lies the challenge for part-time players.
More importantly, Ryan鈥檚 huge contribution means Moseley are 11 points clear of beleaguered Ealing with a third of the season gone. The talk of 鈥榢icking on into mid-table鈥 has for once lasted longer than pre-season.
And as long as their forwards continue to operate with such intensity such notions might even extend into the New Year because while Ryan will rightly take most of the headlines for his composure and place-kicking, none of it would have been possible without some excellent performances up front.
With the scrum creaking and reasonably consistent lineout letting them down at crucial junctures, the home pack battled hard in the loose to edge the contest with the Nottingham eight.
Buster Lawrence led the way. For all Ryan鈥檚 accumulation of points, the lock鈥檚 physicality in defence and incredible work-rate around the park made him man of the match by a clear margin. When Ryan is next called upon he鈥檇 do as well to show half of that urgency.
MOSELEY : Carter; Armstrong, King, Owen, Williams M; Ryan, Brown (Brazier 78); Voisey (Warren 59), Buckley, Parkins (Evans B 59), Lawrence, Powell, Mason, Robinson, Brightwell. Replacements: Evans W, Burrows, Penn, Hunt
NOTTINGHAM : Lynn; Morris, Styles, Munro, Chapman (Williams H 72); Jarvis, Romans (Barnham 53) Bower, Walker, Holford, Keogh, Montagu, Cooper (Burton 30), Wilson, Calladine. Replacements: Brownlie, Casson, Lee-Everton, Knight
