Frazier Campbell was delighted to end his injury nightmare with the goal which secured a replay for Sunderland against Middlesbrough.
The Black Cats were trailing in their FA Cup fourth round tie to Barry Robson's early strike when Campbell, making his first senior appearance since August 2010 after a long-running injury battle, slotted in the equaliser.
"Personally, I was delighted to be back out there," he told ITV1.
"We started sloppily, and let them dictate to us, but we dug deep. Cup games are like that, especially a local derby which adds that little bit more spice, but I think we deserved the draw and we move on to the next game."
Reflecting on his long spell on the sidelines, Campbell added: "You can't put it into words. It was a tough 18 months for myself, but days like this are what I've been waiting for, and hopefully now I can stay injury-free and just do what I do."