Derby County academy graduates Eiran Cashin and Louie Sibley faced off on opposite teams for the first time in their careers.
The duo both made their way through the Moor Farm ranks to become key players for the Rams over the past few years.
Very few would’ve predicted their career trajectory, with the pair helping Derby earn promotion back to the Championship last season.
Cashin was a regular at centre-back, while Sibley’s role had changed from a number ten to a left-back for most of the term.
While one defender signed a new deal to keep him at Pride Park, the other left in search of a new challenge with Oxford United.
It led to the bizarre situation where both Cashin and Sibley faced off against one another for a short spell on Tuesday night.
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Eiran Cashin responds to Louie Sibley challenge
One moment in the draw at the Kassam Stadium saw Cashin take out his old teammate Sibley with a challenge in a dangerous position.
It saw the referee give a foul and a booking to the defender, with Cashin now one game away from a one-match suspension.
Despite that suspension tightrope, it appears as though the Republic of Ireland representative was more than happy to take the hit.
Taking to Instagram, Sibley posted an image of the tackle with a waving hand emoji and eyes, seemingly teasing his old friend.
Cashin hit back by posting the image with the caption: “Best yellow I’ve ever gotten. 15 years in the making.”
It shows the friendly, yet competitive nature of the pair, who are set to face off again in the reverse fixture at Pride Park in February 2025.
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A new challenge for Louie Sibley could realise his potential
During his time in the Derby Academy, Sibley was one of the players with one of the highest potentials out there.
Plenty was expected from the youngster, who played as a playmaker, often creating or scoring in abundance at youth level.
After bagging a goal in his first start against Blackburn before scoring a hat-trick the next game away at Millwall, there was plenty of excitement.
It was difficult to fit Sibley into the team after that though, with the likes of Tom Lawrence and Ravel Morrison battling for that number ten role.
On the wing, the left-footed maestro couldn’t quite work his magic and at left-back, he was merely filling in for injuries.
A new adventure may help unlock that extra something he never quite hit regularly at Derby, evidenced by the fact that he played on the left of the midfield during his short cameo against the Rams on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen whether that will be his position moving forward at Oxford, but there will be some interested onlookers in the East Midlands to see how his career pans out.