When John Terry was taken off on 69 minutes of this perennial pre-season friendly the applause from some 3,310 Aston Villa supporters was unanimous.
These long-suffering fans are always eager to get behind a figurehead but there was genuine appreciation at a performance that hints at what life might be like for Villa with Terry at the back.
The debate about whether Terry can meet the physical demands of the Championship at 36 will not be solved in July but at the Banks’s Stadium against a hard-working, well-drilled Walsall side the former Chelsea captain’s class was plain to see.