Having played in a match in which defeat would have sent Swansea City into oblivion, Alan Tate has no problem with keeping the Premier League newcomers' ominous opening fixture away to Manchester City in perspective.
Tate was a rock in defence as they became the first Welsh club to reach the Premier League via a play-off victory over Reading at Wembley in May, the climax of a remarkable eight years in the history of a club that not so long ago was sold for just £1 (Dh5.98).
But "The Swans" are relegation favourites, and the opening few weeks could reveal much about the club's readiness for top-flight football for the first time since 1983.
After City Monday night, their next two trips are to Arsenal and Chelsea, and their opening home fixture at the Liberty Stadium is against Wigan Athletic, who have Roberto Martinez, a former Swansea manager, at the helm.
None of that matters to the 28-year-old Tate, who is relishing the prospect of top-flight football and testing himself against world-class strikers.
Tate said everything pales into insignificance compared to the 4-2 victory over Hull City eight years ago that prevented Swansea tumbling out of the Football League.
"No doubt, the Hull game was the most vital game in the club's history - without that win, nothing else exists," Tate said at Swansea's training ground in the Welsh hills. "Everything was on the line that day. If we had lost there would have been no promotions, no play-off final. It's impossible to overstate the consequences of losing that day to Hull. We would never have come back from that.
"That's why for me I can enjoy going to City. For the last eight years we have gone out to win every game we play, and that will be exactly the same at City."
The Hull victory marked a turning point for the club as a new era dawned under the astute chairmanship of Huw Jenkins, who had bought the club a year earlier.
A plan was hatched to restore the club to its former glory, and it has been an upwards curve ever since, with three promotions, a move away from the endearing, but crumbling, Vetch Field stadium in 2005, and a brand of football that has the purists purring.
Tate is the sole survivor of that Swansea side in 2003, although Gary Monk, the captain, joined from Southampton the season after. Monk said Swansea can go one better than Blackpool last season and survive playing "easy on the eye" football, whoever the opposition are.
"Yeah, it's a nice easy opener isn't it?" Monk said looking ahead to the City game. "They've spent millions on world-class players, but there is no sense of trepidation. It's a bit of a step into the unknown, but if we go into playing scared football we'll be in a bit of trouble. We have to go and express ourselves, and impose ourselves on top teams."
Monk is confident the squad will stick to the footballing beliefs installed by Martinez and now given a little more steel by Brendan Rodgers, the coach.
Rodgers has strengthened his side by signing Wayne Routledge, a winger, from Newcastle United, and the strikers, Leroy Lita and Danny Graham, and Michel Vorm, the Dutch goalkeeper.
However, there is no chance chairman Jenkins will risk the club's future away spending crazy money and risk a collapse similar to the one the club experienced after their two-season stay in the old first division ended in 1983.
"We know we will have to be more tactically aware," Monk said, "but what has got us where we are is our philosophy of playing attacking football.
"We are carrying the hopes of a nation and we want to represent Wales properly. We may not have superstar names and maybe some will write us off, but we'll surprise a few people because we have a core of people at the club who know what the shirt is all about.
"If we change, it will we come up short. If we don't stick to our beliefs there is no point starting the season."
The sense of pride sweeping through the Welsh valleys is tangible.
The white Swansea shirts are again worn with pride around a town steeped in rugby history.
"Before it was just Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal shirts on the kids around here," Tate said. "Now they have a Premier League club to support and the buzz is amazing. I think we're all in for quite a ride."