When the full-time whistle blew at Rugby Park back in May, it signalled the end of a trying season for Heart of Midlothian.
But it also signalled the beginning of a new era.
The following day, Derek McInnes was announced and unveiled as the club's new head coach.
Then, over the course of the summer, with the club's partnership with Jamestown Analytics, 10 new players arrived at Tynecastle Park as the squad evolved to meet the expectations at the club and the increased long-term ambition as laid out by Tony Bloom.
A number of those have already made a telling impact and become important figures in McInnes' starting XI. As is expected, those players have garnered plenty of attention, both amongst the club's fans and within the media and amongst pundits, notably Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis.
Alexander Schwolow, Stuart Findlay and Oisin McEntee are first-team mainstays with some eye-catching cameos or contributions from others, whether it be Tomas Magnusson, Landry Kabore or Sabah Kerjota.
They have all brought a freshness and excitement to the team and the support. At the same time, as McInnes has pointed out on a couple of occasions, the existing squad members have played an equally central role.
The majority of the starting line-ups have featured six or more of last season's squad.
The graph below highlights the breakdown of minutes of each Hearts player in the Premiership so far. As you can see, there has been plenty of game time for those who have carried over from last season (pink) compared to new arrivals (blue).
When McInnes took over, he knew he had a core he could build around and supplement. That has shown to be the case.
Craig Halkett has been a reliable presence in the backline. Harry Milne has shone and been valued in two different positions. Stephen Kingsley has been an under-the-radar assured presence. Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime, as previously outlined, have evolved to become a key partnership. And then Lawrence Shankland is the team and league's top scorer.
"There was obviously a lot of excitement about new signings for everybody, because obviously that's what every supporter wants, they want to look at new signings, who's coming in, who's going to help make a difference," McInnes told Hearts Standard.
"But I was actually just as excited with the ones that we had. When a team has had a difficult campaign then players, for whatever reason, might not be their best or are maybe not feeling great about themselves.
"When I spoke to the players all individually at the start of the closed season, one by one, when you go through it and you think there's real strength here.
"I was excited at the fact that we had good players and I think the fact that the majority of the starting XI, the nucleus, a big percentage of that starting team that we've picked this season, have been players that have been here before."
The head coach added: "I get why people focus on new guys and particularly Braga and Kyziridis. They are two that bring that dynamic and that excitement. All the supporters like something a bit different and I think both of them provide that.
"Just in terms of how exciting, how they play the game, their efforts, their end product. That's been a brilliant contribution.
"But you have to say that the steadying influence of so many others has been exactly what you wanted as well. I couldn't be more pleased with what we're getting and not surprised at the level of player that I've managed to inherit."
One of the best examples of that was the sale of James Penrice.
There was perhaps an expectation that McInnes would want a left-back in to replace the club's player of the year. That wasn't the case. Straight away, he knew he "had natural successors" in Harry Milne and Stephen Kingsley.
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Some areas needed more TLC than others. There was a need for more pace and width. There was a need for specific player profiles in different areas.
But at the same time, conversations with those players in the building after taking over strengthened the view that there wasn't a drastic need for a complete overhaul of the squad.
After all, a number of these players played their part as Hearts qualified for Europe in three consecutive seasons for the first time in the club's history.
"I think it was important we took a breath and looked at everybody within the squad. Although it was a disappointing campaign last season, when you go into a club, there's normally a reason why you're getting the job," McInnes said.
"I was actually a bit encouraged, even from the early conversations I had with the players individually, I felt that it was a determination that I'm not here to mess about. I said that to the players, we're not here to mess about.
"There must be a feeling from all of you that when we all sign for a club like Hearts, we sign up for loads of reasons, but part of that is to be successful. I felt that from the players with the conversations we had. That's what they all wanted as well.
"From varying degrees of experience and types, from Halkett, Kingsley, Kent and McCart, good experienced ones, to Devlin and Baningime, two players I'd always admired. A good core, all these guys, all good players, who deservedly earned that right to play at Hearts.
"We just needed to try and move the whole thing on. I do think the additions specifically helps the team get better results. If the team's winning, it normally does wonders for confidence in bringing that out of them."
One player from last season's squad was pivotal for McInnes. Something he has not tried to play down.
Keeping Lawrence Shankland at the club was and still is viewed as the best bit of business.
"For me, the best signing that we got was Lawrence, in terms of everything he brings. The leadership, the goals, the stature and overall performance," said McInnes.
"That was one that I felt when we managed to secure Lawrence; everything else after that seemed a bit more straightforward because it's really difficult to replace that type."
