It may have taken time, but Dave Mooney has finally rediscovered his sharpness in front of goal with a loan spell at Charlton Athletic providing the spark he needed.
When he arrived in England last year, big things were expected of Mooney. After all, he had topped the scoring charts in the League of Ireland with Longford Town before continuing his impressive goals ratio at Cork City with 15 in just 22 games.
Reading won the race for his signature, but their plan to unearth the next Kevin Doyle didn't quite go according to plan as the 25-year-old was afforded few opportunities to shine.
Two games in the Carling Cup is not exactly what Mooney had in mind either when he turned down the approaches of several clubs in order to link up with the Royals.
Even more frustrating for the Dubliner was the fact that he bagged a brace in the win over Burton Albion, yet was still relegated back down to the reserves.
It became clear that the only way he was going to get game time was by heading out on loan. While his first venture with Stockport County was cut short by injury, he did impress at Norwich City last season, scoring three times.
Now Mooney is out on his third loan spell, where he has scored twice in four starts for Charlton - enough for manager Phil Parkinson to extend the loan agreement by another month - and Mooney is determined to make the most of his time at The Valley.
'Things have gone well at Charlton so far. I'm very grateful for them taking me in and I want to repay them, because this is a big club and shouldn't be long before they are back in the Championship,' Mooney told Sportsmail.
'It has been very disappointing with how things have gone at Reading. You turn up to training each day and work hard, but know that it won't make a difference once the weekend comes around as you won't be playing.
'To be honest, it wasn't for footballing reasons that I was being left out. So it is great that a club like Charlton have taken me in and given me a chance.
'I've scored a couple of goals so far, but if I can keep playing well then I reckon I will score a few more and that might help get things back on track.'
For Mooney, securing a permanent deal with the Addicks would be ideal as he recently bought a house in London, feels settled in the city with his girlfriend and young daughter and is also eager to reignite his career.
While he still harbours a sense of unfinished business with Reading, he knows that he has to continue moving forward before he gets left behind. Whether that will be with Charlton or not, he will have to wait and see.
'I could turn things around for myself at Reading and I'd like to because they are the club that I originally signed for, but it is all about getting the chance to do that,' he said.
'So it is now time for me to look out for what is best for my career. Staying in London would be the ideal situation as I'm settled here now. Let's hope something happens in January.
'If something were to happen with regard to a long-term deal, then that would be excellent.
'I feel comfortable at Charlton, the fans have been great, the players have been great and the coaching staff have been great.
'Right now I'm looking for something more secure. I'm tired of being a loan ranger. I want to get settled with a club, put my head down and score goals for my team.'
Charlton take on Southend today and will be aiming to close the gap on League One pace-setters and fellow sleeping giants, Leeds United.
With a determined Mooney spearheading their attack, they have every chance as he is back in the kind of form that first alerted clubs to his talent last year.