Never mind Bradford City winning at Stamford Bridge from two goals down in the FA Cup, painful as it was; forget a 5-3 defeat away to hated rivals Tottenham. The worst moment of last season for Chelsea came six minutes from the end of extra-time in the Champions League last-16 tie, when Thiago Silva climbed above John Terry to head the goal that carried Paris Saint-Germain into the quarter-finals.

To have lost on away goals after playing against 10 men for almost an hour and a half following Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s red card was bad enough. Conceding both goals in the 2-2 draw from direct headers at corners must have felt like a personal insult to the captain, which is why he gives the impression of being willing to make his expected return with both legs in plaster for Wednesday’s night second leg at the same stage of this season’s competition.

The task, of course, is harder this time, Edinson Cavani’s second-half goal in Paris having given the French champions and runaway league leaders a 2-1 win on their own ground.

“We’ve come back from worse results in the past,” Terry insists. “We still have a great chance at home. Those nights at the Bridge are unbelievable. Let’s just hope it’s another big night and we can progress. It’s not about revenge at all, it’s about getting to the next stage of the competition.

“We have players who are hungry and have had a lot of disappointments in the competition that want to go on further, so it’s going to be a good game. They’re a good side as well. They showed that the first leg. But hopefully we’ll have enough to go through.”

Suddenly momentum is on Chelsea’s side too, defeat in Paris having been the only one suffered during Guus Hiddink’s second coming. There has been talk of a top-six Premier League finish, though being held to a draw at home by Stoke on Saturday did not help. Terry is less surprised by the resurgence that than many other observers, having retained faith in his team-mates, however much responsibility they must bear for Jose Mourinho’s demise in December.

Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Show all 24 1 /24 Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings CHELSEA: Thibaut Courtois - 5 out of 10 The Belgian produced a couple of fine saves to deny both Afellay and Shaqiri but should have done better for Diouf's equaliser. Getty Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta - 6 out of 10 Pushed forward at every opportunity and often threatened, but also struggled to contain the power of Arnautovic. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Branislav Ivanovic - 6 out of 10 Captained the side at centre back but his enforced partnership with Cahill needs fine tuning. Will need to improve against PSG. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Gary Cahill - 5 out of 10 A solid but not spectacular display from the defender. He was sound in the air but Stoke skipped past him too easily on more than one occasion. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Baba Rahman - 6 out of 10 The left-back was given the run around by Shaqiri. He delivered well from wide areas but, understandably, still looks short of confidence. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings John Obi Mikel - 6 out of 10 Tried to push forward with Matic paired alongside him in the middle but rarely did so well. A reliable presence nonetheless. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Nemanja Matic - 6 out of 10 Made to look immobile by Stoke's fluid attack but claimed an assist courtesy of a simple pass to Traore. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Willian - 7 out of 10 A bright spark throughout, just as he has been for most of Chelsea's season, and stung Butland's finger tips on several occasions. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Oscar - 6 out of 10 Far from his best. Booked for a needless foul on Imbula and must stamp such moments of madness out of his game. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Eden Hazard - 6 out of 10 The Belgian dazzled in possession during against Cameron on his 200th appearance but rarely got his final ball right. Withdrawn with one eye on the PSG tie. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Bertrand Traore - 7 out of 10 Handed a chance up front and repaid his manager's faith with a confident display. Almost took the net off with a powerful strike to put his side in front. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings From the bench: Loic Remy - 5 out of 10 It is instantly obvious the Frenchman's confidence is low. Unable to find the goal that would help get him out of his rut. 2015 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings STOKE CITY: Jack Butland - 7 out of 10 Nothing Stoke’s keeper could do about Chelsea’s goal. Made some good saves and had a good command of his box. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Geoff Cameron - 6 out of 10 Was beaten far too easily by Willian on a couple of occasions but a decent performance from the American. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Phillip Wollscheid - 7 out of 10 A good performance from the German who dominated in the air and helped restrict the hosts. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Marc Muniesa - 6 out of 10 If we’re being harsh, the Spaniard could have been tighter for the Traore goal. Was also very lucky not to concede a penalty for a challenge on Oscar. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Erik Pieters - 6 out of 10 Made some nice interceptions and was quick to get the ball forward to the Stoke danger men. Should have received a second yellow card on 80 minutes for a silly challenge on Oscar. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Giannelli Imbula - 9 out of 10 Stoke’s record signing was excellent, had some wonderful touches and looks like a real leader in the Potters midfield. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Glenn Whelan - 5 out of 10 Spent much of the afternoon chasing Willian and Oscar as Chelsea hit Stoke on the break. Difficult afternoon for the Stoke captain who was replaced on 76 minutes. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Xherdan Shaqiri - 8 out of 10 Looked a constant threat, forcing a couple of good saves from Courtois and creating several chances for team-mates. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Ibrahim Afellay - 6 out of 10 Put a superb cross in behind the Chelsea back four which should have been buried by Diouf. Decent performance on the whole from the Dutchman. Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Marko Arnautovic - 7 out of 10 Managed to sting the hands of Courtois with a second-half effort. Linked up very well with Shaqiri. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings Mame Biram Diouf - X out of 10 Managed to get himself into some great positions and was eventually rewarded for his efforts with his fourth goal of the season. 2016 Getty Images Chelsea vs Stoke City - player ratings From the bench: Bojan - 6 out of 10 Came on for the final 15 minutes and posed a threat playing on the shoulder of the last Chelsea man. 2015 Getty Images

“It’s great we’ve been able to turn things around,” he said. “It was always going to happen. Because the players, the personnel, were always there. We would obviously have liked it to come earlier in the season. But we knew we had the quality in the dressing-room. I knew we’d be OK in the long run.”

Speaking before receiving an award for Outstanding Contribution to London Football on Thursday, the former England captain was aware that opportunities for further contributions are running out. He insisted that at 35 he can keep on keeping on for a minimum two more years, but that he would not play for another Premier League club; which still makes Chelsea’s lack of urgency in awarding him a new contract from this summer difficult to comprehend.

For all his well-publicised faults, he is a good clubman, as exemplified in the interest he takes in the younger players desperate to follow him through the ranks into the first team:

“I watch all the games,” he said. “I watch the under-10s, the under-12s, youth teams, reserve team – and we’re doing great. The quality’s there within the academy. There’s an awful lot been invested in the academy as well. The players want to come through and the owner wants to see that as well.

“Chelsea have had criticism in the past for not bringing enough through, but the manager’s showing that he’s got faith in the younger players.

“More importantly for me, they’ve come in and done great as well. It also helps the ones below them, the younger ones, it gives them belief. Chelsea’s a world-class dressing-room, but there’s still hope and belief in the academy.”

Meanwhile his own managerial ambitions are on hold. “I’ve had so many managers and learned so much. Basically if I don’t dip my toe in at some point in my career, I think it would be wasted. But the most important thing is that while I’ve got a couple of years left, the main thing for me is to fully focus on that and give everything.”