ANOTHER childhood ambition realised, Jake Livermore returned to the Tynecastle Stadium changing room a content man.
Taking his seat beside Tom Huddlestone, the then 21-year-old continued to celebrate his first senior goal for Tottenham Hotspur as his ultimate dream of becoming a regular Premier League player inched closer.
It's almost three years to the day since Livermore made his mark in Spurs' Europa League qualifier at Hearts.
In the intervening years the landscape has undergone a seismic shift.
In the week Spurs all-but secured their participation in the group stage of the Europa League, Hull City were looking for a way of bouncing back from a 4-1 defeat at Leeds and being overturned 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace in the Championship.
In 2011 Europe was a means to an end for Livermore, a chance to impress to force his way into the league squad at the weekend.
Now the tables have turned, with the Premier League player one of the star names rested for Europe.
Admitting he'll speak to boss Steve Bruce about putting himself forward to play tonight as City bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Lokeren, Livermore reflected on how far the Tigers have come in such a short space of time.
"I don't think any club in the country has progressed more over the last two years than Hull.
"I can't think of anyone," explained Livermore, with no hint of exaggeration.
"Where we have come from, to where we are now, it's been fantastic for everyone at the club.
"Stoke City get a lot of credit for the way they got promoted and became established quite quickly in the Premier League to become a biggish club, but if we keep going in the right direction at the speed we are, we will overtake them."
It's City's progress which convinced Livermore to make a season-long loan move from Spurs a permanent switch in the summer.
The Tigers have spent money, but this has been no quick fix or gamble, rather a calculated progression.
"Progression is the perfect word," adds Livemore.
"Since the day the club set foot in the Premier League, the manager, the chairman and the players have always been trying to improve.
"I don't think anyone expected it to be quite this quick, though."
Progression tonight to the group stage would mean the world to Livermore.
A player who has already walked out at the San Siro and played against the likes of Barcelona, the midfielder is desperate to see his City side mingle in such company.
For that to happen the Tigers will have to navigate their way through a tricky fixture against Belgian Cup winners Lokeren, who took full advantage of Allan McGregor's mistake in the first leg to lead the tie heading to the KC Stadium.
The onus is on the Tigers to take the game to their visitors, while the pressure to progress is equally high, according to Livermore.
"We've got hungry players who want to play as many games as we can and we want to express ourselves as much as we can," he added.
"To get to the group stages would be fantastic and it would be an absolute disaster, to be frank with you, if we missed out.
"I'm going to have a quiet word with the manager about playing.
"In all seriousness, we're all striving to move forward together and he will pick the team that he thinks can get the job done against Lokeren, but he'll also have one eye on the weekend and Aston Villa away.
"We're really looking forward to it so I'm sure he'll pick the right side."
Bruce is expected to again make changes as he juggles the task of playing Thursday and Sunday.
It's a task that has pressed the need for further recruits, with Livermore's old team-mate Michael Dawson becoming the latest to make the switch from White Hart Lane to the KC.
Dawson was there that night in Edinburgh to watch Livermore's first Spurs goal and the Tottenham captain and England international was quick to call his old team-mate as a move to Hull edged nearer.
The addition of Dawson is seen by Livermore as another significant step forward for Hull.
With the squad to now cope with two games a week, the midfielder is eager to make sure City don't stumble.
The chance to write another chapter in a rich recent history is not one to be turned down and Livermore is acutely aware of the importance of victory tonight.
"Hull's like a big village, everyone is in it together, which is nice," he says.
"You are politely reminded all the time what a big achievement this is for the club and the city.
"Equally, it's right they know it's a massive step for the players as well.
"The whole club is going through it. It's a massive thing for the club to be involved in because it isn't something the club has experienced before.
"It's completely different for the club, this isn't something Hull are used to.
"It's great to be part of, though, that's for sure."
