Just over two years ago Jim Goodwin’s first game as St Mirren boss ended in a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home to Dunfermline.
Having only just replaced Oran Kearney in the Saints dugout, Goodwin found himself thrust in at the deep end working with a squad desperately short of numbers and lacking cohesion.
And it showed. Stevie Crawford’s Pars side were 3-0 up at half-time and, even though it was only a League Cup group stage match, it was still far from an ideal start to Goodwin’s tenure.
Fast forward two years and once again St Mirren’s first competitive game of the season, a 3-0 forfeit win over Dumbarton aside, came against Dunfermline.
This time around, instead of scrambling for shirts the Buddies boss had the luxury of introducing five new summer recruits into his starting XI.
And what made it even more enjoyable for the 500 lucky Saints fans who returned to the SMiSA Stadium for the first time in more than a year was the fact that every single new recruit looked like a strong addition to the side.
Goodwin has spoken openly about his desire to get his transfer business done early in each window, perhaps burnt by that opening scramble back in 2019 after taking the hotseat.
That came to the fore again this summer, with Charles Dunne, Curtis Main, Scott Tanser, Alan Power and Greg Kiltie all signing up very early on in the window, the majority after becoming free agents.
As well as their own respective qualities, one key element every single debutant on Tuesday night has on their CV is experience.
Following in the same vein as last summer when Goodwin recruited in the main players with several Scottish Premiership campaigns under their belt, like Jak Alnwick, Joe Shaughnessy and Richard Tait, these potentially fantastic five signings all have the nous and knowledge to thrive in Scotland’s top flight.
Tanser and Kiltie in particular looked very comfortable in possession against the Pars, with the pair unfortunate not to bag a debut assist and goal respectively.
Former Killie enforcer Power was dominant in the middle of the park, while Main opened his account with a superb header.
While question marks remain on whether the former Aberdeen man can prove himself to be a reliable goalscorer as well as a strong link-up player, he’ll hopefully be full of confidence now after netting on his competitive debut for his new side.
A special mention has to go to Main’s former Motherwell teammate Dunne, who did tremendously well to come through his first 90 minutes of football in almost two entire years.
Yes, there were a few wobbles and nervous moments for the 28-year-old, but that is absolutely to be expected from a centre back so lacking in match practice.
More positively there were some excellent moments of assuredness with dealing with dangerous Dunfermline attacks, as well as some pinpoint passing and clever turns to get his side out of trouble at the back.
If Goodwin can keep the former Wycombe Wanderers and Blackpool man fit, he could be a superb addition to the Buddies backline heading into the Scottish Premiership campaign which kicks off in just over two weeks.
The Saints manager is still on the hunt for another one or two players, with pace still a key asset he’s looking to add to his squad ahead of their opening day league clash away at Dundee.
Nevertheless, Goodwin appears to have added plenty of quality already to a side that reached two major cup semi-finals and narrowly missed out on the top six last season.
If he can hang on to prized asset Jamie McGrath, St Mirren will undoubtedly start the 2021/22 Premiership season in a stronger position than they entered the last.
That should give every Buddie hope for an exciting campaign to come.
