It has been three whole months since Dundee played a match at their home ground, Dens Park.
A major pitch revamp over the summer has seen the old stadium disused since the end of last season.
Diggers were waiting outside as the final whistle blew in the May clash with Kilmarnock, ready to come in and search out the problems that had caused so much grief.
Twelve weeks later and Dundee’s home will be abuzz with fans once again, eager to cheer their team on to a victory over Hearts.
There may be some nervousness behind the scenes at Dens Park with the evening fixture live on Premier Sports, along with a new e-ticketing system being rolled out for the first time.
Will all be well with the surface? Will fans get in without a hitch?
Both those issues have been given dress rehearsals, however.
An open training session on Tuesday saw the players take to the Dens Park pitch in front of watching fans, testing the e-ticket system in the process.
It’s not the only time Tony Docherty’s side have been at Dens – they also trained there ahead of the very short trip to Dundee United last Sunday.
And, of course, the players also arrived at the ground before walking down the road to Tannadice.
‘Waxing lyrical’
Ahead of the home clash with Hearts, Docherty has been determined to ensure the return to home turf brings with it no feelings of unfamiliarity after so long away.
“We’re looking forward getting back home at Dens,” Docherty said.
“Full credit to John [Nelms], Tim [Keyes] and the board because the pitch is looking fantastic.
“We were on it for the open training session and were on it Friday before the derby and it’s been great.
“The players are relishing training on it so they can’t wait to get out and play on it.
“It’s been good to get them down to train at Dens so they can acclimatise themselves again after so long away.
“They’ve trained at Dens and got changed in the dressing-room to get them used to the environment again.
“So they will be used to the place by the time Saturday comes.
“They’ve also used the pitch and players are the first to complain if something isn’t right.
“If they had seen any problems, they’d let you know about it. But the players have been waxing lyrical about it.
“It’s in fantastic condition.”
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