With a shock defeat to Forfar, Dunfermline blew not only the chance of slipping into a position for Premier Sports Cup progress, but also to make a strong early impression on their own fans.
Instead of showing promise, the Pars left the field after their first competitive home game of the season to a chorus of boos and disgruntlement from the stands.
The players were then locked in the dressing room for around 45 minutes as manager James McPake delivered some home truths.
It was a concerning performance, he admitted once he emerged, and few would surely argue.
It is still very early in the new campaign, but a big reaction is required away to newly-relegated Championship rivals Livingston on Saturday.
Courier Sport picks out some of the burning issues after a poor night for the Fifers.
Threadbare squad
Dunfermline made a promising start to their summer recruitment when they turned Chris Kane’s loan from St Johnstone into a permanent move.
But the striker has featured for just 45 minutes in six matches, both friendly and competitive, since the squad returned last month.
First load management and then a minor ankle complaint have kept the 29-year-old sidelined.
The Pars were also missing Craig Wighton, Rhys Breen and Matty Todd for the visit of Forfar because of complaints of varying seriousness.
It left McPake with a bench of just two experienced squad members and five – albeit highly-rated – youngsters.
With some players still searching for match fitness and others clearly having poor games, the ability to change is vital.
David Wotherspoon has been another impressive signing this summer, but injuries have already exposed serious weaknesses in areas of the Pars’ squad.
How to get the best out of Pars attack
Breen’s absence again meant a midfielder – on this occasion Ewan Otoo and, on Saturday, Chris Hamilton – stepping back into defence.
McPake reacted in the first-half by abandoning his favoured three-man rearguard to push Otoo further forward.
He at least injected some life into Dunfermline but the attack remained blunt.
There were enough forward-thinking players on the pitch, with Lewis McCann and youngster Taylor Sutherland initially starting as a front pairing.
Kane Ritchie-Hosler and Wotherspoon were given licence to roam and Aaron Comrie and Kieran Ngwenya supported on the flanks.
But it appeared that, in their desperation to find a way back into the game, team-mates too often looked for Wotherspoon to create the spark.
When the St Johnstone legend failed to produce the killer ball, or Forfar defended stoutly, as they did all game, the Pars struggled to come up with a solution.
Whether it is a back three or four, or one up front or two, the players still need to play well and click. Worryingly, neither was the case against Forfar.
He’s a keeper
Dunfermline again took a gamble by going into their second successive cup tie with no back-up goalkeeper.
They again got through the 90 minutes without having to turn to an outfield player. But they are currently only an injury or a sending off away from that scenario playing out.
It appears a ridiculous situation for a club to find itself in just over a fortnight away from the Championship season kicking off.
But, besides the riskiness of it, having no back-up for Deniz Mehmet appears to be doing the 31-year-old no good, either.
The former Dundee United player has looked short of his best so far and was at fault for Forfar’s second goal with a misplaced pass.
He also looked suspect at the first when he flapped at a cross and then failed to deal well with a low shot from Mitchell Taylor.
Mehmet set new club records two seasons ago in League One and will be hopeful of rediscovering that form.
But the Pars desperately need a new arrival, to fill the bench and put pressure on Mehmet.
It’s good to talk
Whilst McPake has voiced his frustrations at a lack of recruitment this summer, supporters have been short of explanations from those further up the chain of command.
First, there was budgetary constraints being blamed by the management for Paul Allan being surprisingly released.
Then, there was McPake admitting he was unable to compete with big-spending Championship rivals for signing targets.
The club could rightly point to a £1 million loss in their latest set of accounts and to the investment in the training ground.
But they rarely put their heads above the parapet.
Chairman and chief executive David Cook has twice addressed fans through official club channels this summer and has admitted communication should be better.
But the club’s Germany-based owners are the ones making the ultimate decisions and have not felt the need to explain themselves publicly.
Sporting director Thomas Meggle did speak at recent meetings with supporters but the wider fanbase then has to rely on word of mouth for what has been said.
With apparent tensions between management and decision-makers, and fan disgruntlement at performances and a lack of signings, perhaps it is time for that better communication to come from on high.
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