Shrewsbury Town boss Gavin Cowan said he has always been a fan of Mal Benning after the defender made his 500th career appearance.
The 32-year-old achieved the landmark when he was sent on with seven minutes left of Shrewsbury's 3-1 win over Swindon Town.
Benning has played 90 EFL games for the Shrews since joining in 2023 from Port Vale, following spells with Mansfield and Walsall, but played just three times in League Two this season under former boss Michael Appleton.
However, he has appeared in all four matches, including two starts, since Cowan arrived at the end of January.
"He was a little bit out in the cold, for whatever reason," Cowan told BBC Shropshire.
"I'd seen quite a few Shrewsbury Town games and always been a bit of a fan of his. We made a little pact on day one and he's bought into that.
"Five hundred appearances is an incredible achievement, he totally deserves it and I know he wants to push on now towards the back end of the season as well - he's not done there.
"He's very grateful for this moment today and we're all very proud of him."
'You have to win enough battles to win the war'
Cowan has picked up seven points since arriving from Brackley, with the result against high-flying Swindon making it back-to-back Shrews victories for just the second time this season.
It lifted them seven points and four places clear of the relegation zone with 15 games of the season left.
However, Cowan has warned against complacency ahead of a "massive" game on Tuesday, the first of "15 battles", as another set of promotion challengers head for Shropshire in the shape of in-form Notts County.
"We're winning battles, but ultimately you have to win enough battles to win the war, so I say we continue with this now, that's the challenge for the players," Cowan added.
"We spoke a lot in training and before the game about mentality. The conditioning is there, the ability is definitely there.
"They're professional footballers, of course, they're good players, but it's now mentality. Now they've got that belief and desire and some confidence, it's given them a real chance, but they have to be accountable now."