The game-changing moment of the first St Johnstone-Dunfermline match of the season centred on a Pars goalkeeper, and the same was true of the second.
Paul Gallacher stole the show with a penalty save at McDiarmid Park which inspired 10-man Dunfermline to victory in August.
There was no Gallacher at East End Park on Saturday because of a shoulder injury, and it was his deputy Chris Smith who was the man in the spotlight this time.
Unfortunately for him, his comeback performance will be remembered for different reasons.
With the match evenly balanced, Smith punched a Liam Craig corner into his own net on 36 minutes and from that moment the fragile confidence of the home team was exposed and Saints never looked like relinquishing the initiative.
Fran Sandaza rattled the bar just before half-time and Smith was again at fault shortly after the restart, when he parried a Marcus Haber shot into the path of the Spaniard, who this time buried his effort.
Jason Thomson was robbed of possession by Sandaza on 59 minutes and Smith had no chance when the former Dundee United man unselfishly teed up Craig for a simple finish.
Gallacher won’t be fit any time soon so Smith will have to bounce back from his Christmas Eve trauma, and that’s exactly what team-mate Alex Keddie has backed him to do.
He said: ”Chris is a fantastic goalkeeper. Games are won and lost on mistakes and obviously Chris was one who made a mistake against St Johnstone.
”But he’s a great goalkeeper to play in front of. He comes for things, is a top shot-stopper and a brilliant kicker of the ball.
”Obviously he was upset afterwards. No-one likes to be in the position where we’ve cost our side goals.
”Everyone’s been there throughout their career and we’ve all been there throughout this season.”
He added: ”Galls was doing great this season. Chris has been waiting for his chance and it came against St Johnstone.
”Unfortunately at the first goal he didn’t do too well but the rest of the game I thought he was magnificent.”
With the Pars still winless at East End in the SPL, Keddie did not criticise fans who let their disappointment be known at the weekend.
He is hoping, though, that the all-for-one and one-for-all spirit which drove them to promotion last year will inspire them again.
He said: ”This is their club. They pay their money to watch the game and if they’re not happy that’s how they’re going to react.
”When we’re doing well they’re going to react the opposite way but we need their help as much as anything else.”
He added: ”We’re all in it together and there’s only one way out of it and that’s by helping each other. They’ve been magnificent all season but maybe it got a bit too much against St Johnstone. But we do need them.”
There were certainly no complaints from the visiting support.
With Jody Morris and Sandaza back in the side normal service was resumed after three defeats.
Sandaza said: ”I’m so pleased with the result, that we are still in fourth and I’m happy with my goal in my first game back.
”It has been so frustrating watching from the stand. I have been out for four games for practically nothing my thigh and my hamstrings were just tight.
”But I am fit now and hope to get a run of games and hopefully keep scoring.”
He added: ”This was an important result because if we hadn’t won it would have been four games without winning, so this is good for motivating the team and keep us believing that we can finish third in the league.
”I want to be third. I want us to be playing for a target like that rather than settling for fifth or sixth.”
Perth boss Steve Lomas was not too critical of his team when they were losing, and he didn’t go overboard after emphatic victory.
He said: ”It was important to bounce back but I didn’t feel we played any better than we had in the three games we lost.
”I’m delighted with 3-0 and a clean sheet but there’s more in the locker and I’ve told the boys that. We’ll have to be better if we want to kick on.
”Against Kilmarnock on Wednesday we have to rectify not winning at home.”
Pars manager Jim McIntyre said: ”There is no doubt that, when you have not won for a while and you keep losing games the same way by making mistakes, it does dent confidence.
”It’s our job to lift them for Motherwell on Wednesday and that’s what we’ll do. But I reiterate, until we cut them out we are going to struggle to win games.”