Had Ian Moore waited as long for a bus as he has for his first Leeds United goal, the likeable forward would long since have decided that walking made more sense.
Nineteen months and 45 appearances stood between Moore and his last successful finish before last night's Carling Cup tie, 1,732 minutes of competitive football without a bulging net to show for his graft.
But 19 minutes after breaking that sequence last night, Moore had cause to wonder whether goals grew on trees as a second arrived in quick succession in front of the Kop. Many a commuter knows the feeling.
The acclaim will fall on Moore today, as it should after such a long wait for his reward, but the night belonged to Leeds United.
The result was always in their hands after Robbie Blake's seventh-minute strike and the club can now anticipate a more attractive and lucrative draw in the third round of the competition.
Value
But a 3-1 victory over a modest League Two side is only a fraction of the value of yesterday's game.
In one foul swoop United have freed themselves of several heavy albatrosses, temporarily at least.
Last night's victory was their first since the visit to Sheffield Wednesday on August 27 and Blake's finish ended a run of 297 goalless minutes which had followed David Healy's penalty at Hillsborough.
With Moore taking the chance to alter his personal statistics, manager Kevin Blackwell might be forced to admit that round two of the Carling Cup was the night when fate flicked a smile in the direction of Elland Road.
What will matter more to United's manager, however, is the breathing space the victory has provided.
Blackwell has fought a good fight since Leeds' defeat to Wolves 10 days ago, but his managerial resilience would have been sorely tested by defeat last night.
In truth, the criticism of his tenure may have reached an impossible level. The sceptics still existed in numbers this morning, but the win over Barnet has asked the question of whether United are reaching the end of the tunnel.
Last night's performance will be quickly passed over, for the status of the match as much as for the game itself, but Blackwell's players made professional work of Barnet on an evening when a number of bigger seeds played their way into trouble.
By the time Moore wrapped up the victory in the 74th minute, giving the hosts a 3-0 advantage, United were playing with flair and confidence, two traits which had gone missing amid the pressure of three straight league defeats.
This weekend's meeting with Birmingham City is a more relevant test of the players' character, but the benefit of a comfortable win cannot be under-estimated.
Injuries
And for a manager hampered by injuries and a thin squad, Blackwell may now be handling positive selection issues.
Moore and Blake both supplied convincing arguments for a starting place on Saturday, claims which may be aided by the withdrawal of Geoff Horsfield with a hamstring strain last night and Shaun Derry made his return from hernia surgery as a second-half substitute.
Moore had stepped off the bench himself after Blackwell took the decision to protect Horsfield's fitness two minutes before the break, but he settled into United's team with immediate effect.
After so long without a goal, Moore deserved a straightforward starter and his poacher's finish on 55 minutes could not have been simpler.
Eddie Lewis' corner was headed goalwards by Hayden Foxe and Blake's flick carried the ball towards Barnet keeper Ross Flitney, but Moore showed a striker's instinct to help the ball into the net from a yard out.
The chance was a forward's dream, but Moore's second goal with 16 minutes remaining was one of quality.
Blake was again involved, troubling Barnet's defence as he had all evening and when his run dragged the visitors' backline out of position, Moore was left in space to hammer a sweet finish beyond Flitney from the edge of the box.
Blake had initially settled any tension among his team-mates in the seventh minute after collecting Gary Kelly's through-ball and producing a low, casual finish and Barnet were comprehensively beaten by the time he set up Moore for United's third goal.
Paul Fairclough's team had offered little more than two long-range shots from Liam Hatch in the first half, but the introduction of strikers Tresor Kandol and Magno Vieira allowed them to make a more entertaining contest of the second 45 minutes.
Denied
Neil Sullivan produced a low save from Kandol shortly after the break and Leeds' keeper appeared fortunate to go unpunished after catching Vieira with his studs during a Barnet attack four minutes later.
Vieira was also denied the benefit of the doubt by referee Darren Drysdale when he had his legs taken from under him inside United's box, but Barnet's forays forward were rarely more than brief irritations.
The visitors were given their moment when Jason Puncheon's corner deflected into the net off Vieira in the 78th minute, but the comfortable situation had already allowed Blackwell to introduce youngster Jonathan Howson for his first-team debut.
The 19-year-old threatened to score with his first touch and tested Flitney with a powerful shot in injury-time, another cause for optimism on a night of measured smiles.
Blackwell can afford another smile today, although as relieved as he will have been last night, United's manager has always maintained that praise and criticism are taken by him with an equal measure of salt.
It would be going some to describe victory over Barnet as a corner turned, but it can do no harm for the players to believe that the corner is now in sight.
phil.hay@ypn.co.uk

LEEDS UNITED

Neil Sullivan: Couldn't prevent goal 7
Gary Kelly: Provided regular service 7
Matthew Kilgallon: Strolled through game 7
Hayden Foxe: Solid partner for Kilgallon 7
Stephen Crainey: straightforward night..6
Eddie Lewis: Heavily involved 7
Jonathan Douglas: tidy performance.. 7
Kevin Nicholls: More to come 6
Steve Stone: Looked lively 7
Geoff Horsfield: Limped off 6
Robbie Blake: Outstanding display 8
Substitutes:
Ian Moore (for Horsfield, 43) 8
Shaun Derry (for Nicholls, 65) 6
Jonathan Howson (for Stone, 76) 6
Not used: Ian Westlake, Seb Carole.

BARNET

Ross Flitney: Badly exposed for goals... 6
Nicky Nicolau: Under constant pressure... 5
Ismail Yakubu: Never comfortable 5
Paul Warhurst: Struggled all night 5
Joe Devera: Harried by Lewis 5
Richard Graham: little impression 5
Dean Sinclair: Lacked possession 6
Nicky Bailey: Stood out in midfield 6
Jason Puncheon: Better second half 6
Giuliano Grazioli: Largely anonymous 5
Liam Hatch: Substituted at the break 5
Substitutes:
Tresor Kandol (for Grazioli, 46) 7
Magno Vieira (for Hatch, 46) 6
Andy Hessenthaler (for Yakubu, 75) 5
Not used: Simon King, Lee Harrison.

MATCH FACTS

Shots on target
Leeds 7, Barnet 4.
Shots off target
Leeds 9, Barnet 2.
Fouls
Leeds 10, Barnet 10.
Corners
Leeds 8, Barnet 5.
Yellow Cards
Leeds 1 (Douglas), Barnet 1 (Puncheon).
Referee: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire) – Performed consistently 7
Attendance: 7,220

PHIL HAY'S TALKING POINT

Ian Moore has waited a long time to see his name on Leeds United's scoresheet, but it was easy to see the striker's confidence swell after his first goal went in last night.
His second finish was clinical and both he and Robbie Blake have given Kevin Blackwell food for thought ahead of Saturday's important league game against promotion favourites Birmingham City.