Saturday's 2-0 win over Hull City marked the first time in 11 months that Stoke City had managed to secure back to back wins with clean sheets in what has been an otherwise miserable 2016 for manager Mark Hughes and his players.
It's perhaps even more of an achievement that it was accomplished without the considerable talents of Jack Butland and Glen Johnson; two mainstays of the Potters' back five currently out through injury.
With Butland back in training, his prospects for a swift return look promising but for Johnson, the outlook is less clear as he finds himself back in the treatment room having only just returned to the side following a seven-month absence.
News of his latest injury put a downer on the side's recent return to form but the smiles are back on the faces of fans who woke up to news from Spain that their veteran right-back was a target for Barcelona in January. Seriously.
Of course, any transfer story should be taken with a pinch of salt but sometimes they are almost too bizarre not to warrant further discussion. Having arrived on a free transfer from Liverpool in the summer of 2015, Johnson defied those questioning his ability and motivation to become a key member of Stoke's squad. Indeed, having recently returned from long-term injury, he showed his manager exactly what he had been missing with a handful of encouraging appearances behind the impressive Xherdan Shaqiri.
It was a small run of form that was followed by an unlikely recall to the national set-up with Gareth Southgate naming him in his first squad as England manager. It's been an overwhelming period for the veteran full-back and one that has now been duly capped off with the most unlikely of stories.
It's safe to say that Barcelona's requirement for a right-back is a genuine one that has been high on the list of priorities for Luis Enrique; even before the loss of Dani Alves to Juventus.
A number of players have been rotated into that slot and with Aleix Vidal failing to impress, ironically it is one-time Stoke target Sergi Roberto who is currently enjoying a run as first choice there.
The story suggests that the Johnson would likely provide valuable experience for the Champions League and as such is a low cost option who isn't already cup-tied in that competition. As much as Johnson himself will be hoping the story has some substance, back here on planet Earth it would appear to be a one worthy of little more than a passing chuckle.
Instead, his focus will be better spent on recovering from this latest injury and completing as many games as possible in advance of his contract expiring in the summer.
It's an important time in his career and at 32 he'll be more than aware of the risk of not getting an extension to his current deal which means that, at this moment in time, his future is more likely to have a Bosman transfer in it rather than one to Barcelona.