There's no coincidence that when Daniel Ballard hobbled off in the second half of Sunderland's last game away at Southampton, the Black Cats completely caved in.
The Sunderland number five's absence was felt towards the end of the contest, especially when Joe Rothwell for Russell Martin's men scored a quickfire double to hand the Saints a 4-2 victory and dished out yet another defeat to Mike Dodds in the interim hot-seat.
The underperforming Black Cats, who have now experienced six defeats on the trot in the Championship, will pray that Ballard isn't out for a significant amount of time.
If the suspected hamstring knock does sideline the ex-Arsenal youngster for the foreseeable, Dodds could well look towards the youth available to him at the Stadium of Light to boldly add more bodies to the heart of defence.
The young talent who could replace Ballard
It's not as if Dodds is afraid to give those starlets coming through at Wearside a moment to shine, showcased in 16-year-old Chris Rigg starting the interim manager's last two games in the Championship in the middle of the park.
18-year-old centre-back Henry Fieldson could be the next to be thrust into the spotlight, with the teenage defender starring this season for the U21s.
After making a splash for the U18s by making 50 appearances, scoring two goals along the way when venturing forward from the back, Fieldson has taken to the jump up to the U21 mix swimmingly over the past few campaigns.
Fieldson has made nine appearances this season in that age bracket, with one appearance even seeing the homegrown talent slot into the XI at defensive midfield against Nottingham Forest.
Described as possessing the attributes of a "real leader" by Academy manager Robin Nicholls when putting pen to paper on a professional Sunderland contract last year, Dodds might well fancy seeing what Fieldson is made of now if he were to plunge the 18-year-old into the thick of it in the Championship.
With Luke O'Nien also out with a suspension for Sunderland's next game, and Ballard's injury yet to be revealed in its full severity, you could well see Fieldson given this opportunity sooner rather than later as this weekend's crunch clash with Queens Park Rangers comes into view.
Everything good coming out of Sunderland now, even with their predicament looking dreary in the second tier, is arguably stemming from the emergence of top young talents at the Stadium of Light.
Jobe Bellingham in particular continues to be a shining light amongst all the doom and gloom on Wearside, with the ex-Birmingham City teenager firing in a delightful effort last time out even as his side succumbed to a disappointing loss.
If Bellingham can thrive in the first-team set-up at the same age as Fieldson, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see the promising centre-back be given moments here and there to show his class away from Premier League 2 action soon.
Dodds will of course be wary about giving too many starlets too many minutes in quick succession, with the lack of wins at the Stadium of Light making for grim reading currently, but Fieldson might well burst onto the scene and give Sunderland more options regardless especially if Ballard is revealed to be a long-term casualty to the treatment room.