Other than twice being sent off against the Dons shortly after entering from the bench, little had drawn Callum Hendry to the Red Army’s attention before his loan move to Pittodrie.
But, while the estimation of the striker increased substantially among Aberdeen supporters in the intervening period, the Reds’ goal tally did not.
Hendry’s unavailability against his parent club at the weekend meant that no Aberdeen player eligible for this fixture had scored for the club in the preceding 77 days.
Attempting to halt that run as his final act as interim manager, Paul Sheerin threw at it almost every attacking resource he had.
He will head back to the training pitches satisfied that the adjustments he made led directly to the Aberdeen team finally creating a league goal with a moving ball.
Both Dons involved in Saturday’s winner would probably still have been on the field had Derek McInnes remained in charge.
But Matthew Kennedy may not have been so advanced upfield as to receive Fraser Hornby’s flick and Jonny Hayes certainly would not have been the farthest man up the pitch, powering through to convert Kennedy’s pass.
Operating as wing-backs in previous games had brought the best out of neither.
And, though it may have looked good on paper, allowing more of the team’s nominal threats on to the teamsheet, they had been creators in name only.
The Hayes goal may have been the only highlight, but the new manager will have been glad to see the end of the barren run. Whether the goals continue will depend largely on whether the new boss retains this change in the wingers’ remit.