diff --git a/gossipd/gossip.c b/gossipd/gossip.c
index 4793947e4..b32de8d1e 100644
--- a/gossipd/gossip.c
+++ b/gossipd/gossip.c
@@ -726,13 +726,11 @@ static void handle_get_update(struct peer *peer, const u8 *msg)
 					      &scid));
 		update = NULL;
 	} else {
-		struct node_connection *c;
-
-		/* We want update than comes from our end. */
+		/* We want update that comes from our end. */
 		if (pubkey_eq(&chan->nodes[0]->id, &peer->daemon->id))
-			c = chan->connections[0];
+			update = chan->connections[0].channel_update;
 		else if (pubkey_eq(&chan->nodes[1]->id, &peer->daemon->id))
-			c = chan->connections[1];
+			update = chan->connections[1].channel_update;
 		else {
 			status_unusual("peer %s scid %s: not our channel?",
 				       type_to_string(trc, struct pubkey,
@@ -740,11 +738,8 @@ static void handle_get_update(struct peer *peer, const u8 *msg)
 				       type_to_string(trc,
 						      struct short_channel_id,
 						      &scid));
-			c = NULL;
+			update = NULL;
 		}
-
-		if (c)
-			update = c->channel_update;
 	}
 	status_trace("peer %s schanid %s: %s update",
 		     type_to_string(trc, struct pubkey, &peer->id),
@@ -1110,8 +1105,8 @@ static void append_half_channel(struct gossip_getchannels_entry **entries,
 static void append_channel(struct gossip_getchannels_entry **entries,
 			   const struct routing_channel *chan)
 {
-	append_half_channel(entries, chan->connections[0]);
-	append_half_channel(entries, chan->connections[1]);
+	append_half_channel(entries, &chan->connections[0]);
+	append_half_channel(entries, &chan->connections[1]);
 }
 
 static struct io_plan *getchannels_req(struct io_conn *conn, struct daemon *daemon,
@@ -1280,7 +1275,7 @@ fail:
 static void gossip_send_keepalive_update(struct routing_state *rstate,
 					 struct node_connection *nc)
 {
-	tal_t *tmpctx = tal_tmpctx(nc);
+	tal_t *tmpctx = tal_tmpctx(rstate);
 	secp256k1_ecdsa_signature sig;
 	struct bitcoin_blkid chain_hash;
 	struct short_channel_id scid;
@@ -1832,7 +1827,7 @@ static struct io_plan *handle_disable_channel(struct io_conn *conn,
 		    type_to_string(msg, struct short_channel_id, &scid));
 		goto fail;
 	}
-	nc = chan->connections[direction];
+	nc = &chan->connections[direction];
 
 	status_trace("Disabling channel %s/%d, active %d -> %d",
 		     type_to_string(msg, struct short_channel_id, &scid),
diff --git a/gossipd/routing.c b/gossipd/routing.c
index 9a2eb945c..54d6ea5b6 100644
--- a/gossipd/routing.c
+++ b/gossipd/routing.c
@@ -196,20 +196,19 @@ static void destroy_routing_channel(struct routing_channel *chan,
 		tal_free(chan->nodes[1]);
 }
 
-static struct node_connection *new_node_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
-						   struct routing_channel *chan,
-						   struct node *from,
-						   struct node *to,
-						   int idx)
+static void init_node_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
+				 struct routing_channel *chan,
+				 struct node *from,
+				 struct node *to,
+				 int idx)
 {
-	struct node_connection *c;
+	struct node_connection *c = &chan->connections[idx];
 
 	/* We are going to put this in the right way? */
 	assert(idx == pubkey_idx(&from->id, &to->id));
 	assert(from == chan->nodes[idx]);
 	assert(to == chan->nodes[!idx]);
 
-	c = tal(rstate, struct node_connection);
 	c->src = from;
 	c->dst = to;
 	c->short_channel_id = chan->scid;
@@ -220,10 +219,6 @@ static struct node_connection *new_node_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
 	/* We haven't seen channel_update: make it halfway to prune time,
 	 * which should be older than any update we'd see. */
 	c->last_timestamp = time_now().ts.tv_sec - rstate->prune_timeout/2;
-
-	/* Hook it into in/out arrays. */
-	chan->connections[idx] = c;
-	return c;
 }
 
 struct routing_channel *new_routing_channel(struct routing_state *rstate,
@@ -260,8 +255,8 @@ struct routing_channel *new_routing_channel(struct routing_state *rstate,
 	n1->channels[n] = chan;
 
 	/* Populate with (inactive) connections */
-	new_node_connection(rstate, chan, n1, n2, n1idx);
-	new_node_connection(rstate, chan, n2, n1, !n1idx);
+	init_node_connection(rstate, chan, n1, n2, n1idx);
+	init_node_connection(rstate, chan, n2, n1, !n1idx);
 
 	uintmap_add(&rstate->channels, scid->u64, chan);
 
@@ -805,7 +800,7 @@ void set_connection_values(struct routing_channel *chan,
 			   u64 timestamp,
 			   u32 htlc_minimum_msat)
 {
-	struct node_connection *c = chan->connections[idx];
+	struct node_connection *c = &chan->connections[idx];
 
 	c->delay = delay;
 	c->htlc_minimum_msat = htlc_minimum_msat;
@@ -898,7 +893,7 @@ void handle_channel_update(struct routing_state *rstate, const u8 *update)
 		}
 	}
 
-	c = chan->connections[direction];
+	c = &chan->connections[direction];
 
 	if (c->last_timestamp >= timestamp) {
 		SUPERVERBOSE("Ignoring outdated update.");
@@ -936,7 +931,7 @@ void handle_channel_update(struct routing_state *rstate, const u8 *update)
 			serialized);
 
 	tal_free(c->channel_update);
-	c->channel_update = tal_steal(c, serialized);
+	c->channel_update = tal_steal(chan, serialized);
 	tal_free(tmpctx);
 }
 
@@ -1278,8 +1273,8 @@ void mark_channel_unroutable(struct routing_state *rstate,
 		tal_free(tmpctx);
 		return;
 	}
-	chan->connections[0]->unroutable_until = now + 20;
-	chan->connections[1]->unroutable_until = now + 20;
+	chan->connections[0].unroutable_until = now + 20;
+	chan->connections[1].unroutable_until = now + 20;
 	tal_free(tmpctx);
 }
 
@@ -1300,14 +1295,14 @@ void route_prune(struct routing_state *rstate)
 		if (!chan->public)
 			continue;
 
-		if (chan->connections[0]->last_timestamp < highwater
-		    && chan->connections[1]->last_timestamp < highwater) {
+		if (chan->connections[0].last_timestamp < highwater
+		    && chan->connections[1].last_timestamp < highwater) {
 			status_trace(
 			    "Pruning channel %s from network view (ages %"PRIu64" and %"PRIu64"s)",
 			    type_to_string(trc, struct short_channel_id,
 					   &chan->scid),
-			    now - chan->connections[0]->last_timestamp,
-			    now - chan->connections[1]->last_timestamp);
+			    now - chan->connections[0].last_timestamp,
+			    now - chan->connections[1].last_timestamp);
 
 			/* This may perturb iteration so do outside loop. */
 			tal_steal(pruned, chan);
diff --git a/gossipd/routing.h b/gossipd/routing.h
index aa9d17908..82da1421a 100644
--- a/gossipd/routing.h
+++ b/gossipd/routing.h
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ struct routing_channel {
 	 * connections[0]->src == nodes[0] connections[0]->dst == nodes[1]
 	 * connections[1]->src == nodes[1] connections[1]->dst == nodes[0]
 	 */
-	struct node_connection *connections[2];
+	struct node_connection connections[2];
 	/* nodes[0].id < nodes[1].id */
 	struct node *nodes[2];
 
@@ -124,9 +124,9 @@ static inline struct node_connection *connection_from(const struct node *n,
 {
 	int idx = (chan->nodes[1] == n);
 
-	assert(chan->connections[idx]->src == n);
-	assert(chan->connections[!idx]->dst == n);
-	return chan->connections[idx];
+	assert(chan->connections[idx].src == n);
+	assert(chan->connections[!idx].dst == n);
+	return &chan->connections[idx];
 }
 
 static inline struct node_connection *connection_to(const struct node *n,
@@ -134,9 +134,9 @@ static inline struct node_connection *connection_to(const struct node *n,
 {
 	int idx = (chan->nodes[1] == n);
 
-	assert(chan->connections[idx]->src == n);
-	assert(chan->connections[!idx]->dst == n);
-	return chan->connections[!idx];
+	assert(chan->connections[idx].src == n);
+	assert(chan->connections[!idx].dst == n);
+	return &chan->connections[!idx];
 }
 
 struct routing_state {
diff --git a/gossipd/test/run-bench-find_route.c b/gossipd/test/run-bench-find_route.c
index fed7d756e..eb8746251 100644
--- a/gossipd/test/run-bench-find_route.c
+++ b/gossipd/test/run-bench-find_route.c
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ static struct node_connection *add_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
 	if (!chan)
 		chan = new_routing_channel(rstate, &scid, from, to);
 
-	c = chan->connections[pubkey_idx(from, to)];
+	c = &chan->connections[pubkey_idx(from, to)];
 	c->base_fee = base_fee;
 	c->proportional_fee = proportional_fee;
 	c->delay = delay;
diff --git a/gossipd/test/run-find_route-specific.c b/gossipd/test/run-find_route-specific.c
index b34c979a5..b26e4f980 100644
--- a/gossipd/test/run-find_route-specific.c
+++ b/gossipd/test/run-find_route-specific.c
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ get_or_make_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
 	if (!chan)
 		chan = new_routing_channel(rstate, &scid, from_id, to_id);
 
-	return chan->connections[pubkey_idx(from_id, to_id)];
+	return &chan->connections[pubkey_idx(from_id, to_id)];
 }
 
 int main(void)
diff --git a/gossipd/test/run-find_route.c b/gossipd/test/run-find_route.c
index 6ad29d9c5..baa342315 100644
--- a/gossipd/test/run-find_route.c
+++ b/gossipd/test/run-find_route.c
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ static struct node_connection *add_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
 	if (!chan)
 		chan = new_routing_channel(rstate, &scid, from, to);
 
-	c = chan->connections[pubkey_idx(from, to)];
+	c = &chan->connections[pubkey_idx(from, to)];
 	c->base_fee = base_fee;
 	c->proportional_fee = proportional_fee;
 	c->delay = delay;
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ static struct node_connection *get_connection(struct routing_state *rstate,
 	c = find_channel(rstate, from, to, &idx);
 	if (!c)
 		return NULL;
-	return c->connections[idx];
+	return &c->connections[idx];
 }
 
 int main(void)