How are your nerves, Stephen Glass?
To have one’s very first match as a permanent senior manager go all the way to a penalty shootout is hardly to be broken in gently. But the broad smile on Glass’ face both during and after the Pittodrie drama was clearly that of a man relishing the experience.
That it came to a successful conclusion obviously helped elevate his mood, and in that he was the beneficiary of significant assistance from others.
As the saga of Nicky Devlin’s buccaneering run up the right wing built, the defender was entitled to briefly imagine his name in lights, but for his teammates to get caught in the moment to such an extent that five were stranded in the Dons’ box when possession was turned over was a grave error for a side protecting a 1-0 lead in the final quarter-hour.
Its punishment seconds later saw Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn add another name to the list of Aberdeen managers they’ve dug out of holes since the days of Craig Brown and there was some poetry in the identity of the Dons’ redeemers.
If Glass has arrived with the promise of a brave new era, the intervention of two totemic figures of the past decade was a reminder of the standards he will be expected to keep.
It will not be possible to evaluate any Glass effect until he has been able to achieve movement on the roster, but on this evidence it looks like movement on the pitch will be his hallmark.
The epidemic of cramp through Livi’s ranks was largely down to the Dons’ quick restarts and ball recycling giving them few chances to rest, allowing the hosts to come on increasingly strong.
His ethos might prioritise how his team finishes, but this was not the worst of starts.