Sheffield Wednesday return to League One action at Hillsborough on Saturday looking to get back to winning ways against newly-promoted Bromley.
Two successive home defeats have inevitably taken a little of the shine off an otherwise hugely positive summer. Bradford City left S6 with a 1-0 league victory last Thursday before Championship side Wolves knocked the Owls out of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win on Tuesday night.
That has already prompted one question ahead of this weekend: is Bromley a must-win game for Henrik Pedersen?
For a large section of the fan base, the answer will probably be yes.
Wednesday are expected to be competing towards the top end of League One this season and games such as Bromley at home are naturally viewed as fixtures a promotion-chasing side should be winning.
Personally, I think it is still too early to attach too much significance to one afternoon.
There has been an enormous turnover of players this summer and this is a team still learning how to play together. I would rather assess where Wednesday really are over the next three to five league games than make sweeping conclusions after the opening couple of fixtures.
That does not change the expectation for Saturday, though. Wednesday should be looking for all three points — and I am confident they will get them.
Signs that things are coming together
The results against Bradford and Wolves were disappointing, but there have been enough encouraging signs to suggest the individual components of this new-look Wednesday side are beginning to form something fairly cohesive.
Wednesday have been creating opportunities during the early stages of the campaign. The bigger issue has been turning those opportunities into goals.
That was particularly costly against Bradford.
A huge Hillsborough crowd had gathered for the first home league game of the new era, but Wednesday failed to make their first-half opportunities count and were eventually punished from a set piece.
Against Wolves, Wednesday had spells where they competed well and created opportunities of their own, but the Championship side's additional quality ultimately showed. The manner of the two goals conceded was frustrating, although there was little in the overall performance to cause any real concern.
Now the focus returns entirely to the league.
Al-Hamadi gives Wednesday another option
Ali Al-Hamadi's arrival adds another dimension to the attacking options available to Pedersen.
Wednesday have lacked a genuine focal point at times, particularly someone capable of making the ball stick higher up the pitch and giving the rest of the side an opportunity to move forward.
The Iraq international has experience across the Premier League, Championship and lower divisions and gives Wednesday more physical presence at the top of the pitch.
Alongside the likes of Jamal Lowe and Mason Burstow, Pedersen suddenly has greater variety in how he can construct his attack.
Kieran Morrison has also made an encouraging start to life at Hillsborough.
The 19-year-old Liverpool loanee has already demonstrated his willingness to run directly at defenders and carry Wednesday quickly up the pitch. His decision-making in the final third will naturally develop with experience, but he possesses the kind of pace and unpredictability capable of causing League One defences serious problems.
Bromley will not simply roll over
Anyone expecting Saturday to be straightforward should probably reconsider.
Bromley arrived in League One following promotion last season and have made an unbeaten start to their campaign.
Andy Woodman's side opened with an impressive 1-0 victory away at Barnsley before drawing 1-1 with Cambridge United, Victor Adeboyejo scoring a late equaliser.
They will therefore arrive at Hillsborough with confidence and absolutely no reason to fear their surroundings.
Wednesday may find themselves having plenty of the ball again, but they will need considerably more incision in the final third than they showed against Bradford.
Bromley will not simply roll over, but this is also the sort of challenge Wednesday need to overcome consistently if they are going to achieve what they want to achieve this season.
Squad beginning to take shape
Pedersen could have additional options available this weekend.
Liam Cooper is back in training and is expected to be available for the Bromley fixture, while Reece James returned to the starting XI against Wolves and produced a solid performance.
There are still injury concerns.
Harry Gray left the Wolves game following a nasty facial injury, with concerns that he may have suffered a broken nose, while Sil Swinkels also came off carrying a minor problem.
Tyler Onyango remains a long-term absentee and his injury could yet influence Wednesday's remaining transfer business before the window closes.
Central midfield looks an obvious area where another addition would strengthen the squad, particularly when you consider the options available beyond a first-choice combination of Barry Bannan, Callum Slattery and Billy Mitchell.
There could still be further business before Tuesday's deadline, but after such an extensive rebuild, the squad is beginning to resemble one capable of giving Pedersen genuine options.
Time for the first Hillsborough league win
The term "must-win" is always dangerous this early in a season.
A defeat on Saturday would not determine Wednesday's promotion prospects, just as a victory would not prove that everything has clicked.
But there is no escaping the expectation.
Bromley at home is the type of fixture Wednesday will expect to win if they genuinely intend to challenge towards the top of League One.
For me, the more meaningful assessment comes over the next three to five games. By then we should have a much clearer indication of how quickly this heavily rebuilt squad is coming together and where Wednesday might sit among the division's leading sides.
The early signs give me plenty of confidence.
The attacking options are improving, Morrison has added genuine excitement, Al-Hamadi gives Pedersen another dimension and there is considerable quality within the midfield when everyone is available.
The individual components appear to be coming together and Wednesday are beginning to look like a more cohesive side. The next step is turning that promise into results.
Bromley will not roll over, and their unbeaten start suggests they should not be underestimated.
But Wednesday should have enough quality to get the job done and secure the first home league victory of the new era.
Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Bromley.