IT MAY not have been exactly what he was hoping for, but at least Nigel Pearson is off and running.
To be fair to Pearson, his head must be in something of a spin.
Approached on a Sunday, appointed on the Monday, given a home game on the Tuesday.
Of course the side put out for the Plymouth defeat was not his, but he was having to learn about his squad in double quick time.
Just a couple of days of preparation time later and Pearson was having to take his side up to Scunthorpe for a relegation battle.
Saints didn't play particularly well at Glanford Park and for a while at least looked as if they would come away with a defeat against 10-man opposition which would have been a dreadful result.
But the most important thing for Saints here was not to lose.
Pearson now has the luxury of a full week to work with his players.
Now is the time he can coach them on the training field, make judgements and ensure they understand how he wants them to play.
The initial feedback is encouraging.
Pearson is going back to the very basics and making sure the players know what is expected of them in every situation.
By providing a framework for the players they can understand and feel comfortable in, you give them the best possible chance of picking up results and being able to express themselves further.
Even good teams need it to a certain extent. Struggling teams low in confidence are crying out for it.
It's too early to assess the Pearson style of play. That should become clearer in the weeks ahead.
But the most important thing was always going to be about restoring the confidence of the players.
This season has just become about staying in the league: The rebuilding work starts in the summer.
For now, everybody must remain focussed on the job in hand and at least try and provide some kind of forward momentum.
But when the players are suffering a crisis of confidence, it can be hard to halt - even with fresh impetus and new ideas.
That is Pearson's task but it's quite clear he's happy to take that weight on his broad shoulders and carry his share of the responsibility as well.
The frustration for both sets of fans watching was acute.
Here were two teams that went out and adequately displayed why they are scrapping for survival.
Also on display were two teams who with a bit more confidence and belief looked to have the ability to be in mid-table.
Both sides were the same - able to get the ball down and pass but often just lumping it forward because they were edgy and nervous.
On the occasions they did get the ball down, both teams looked good and there was neat build-up play from the back and through midfield.
But for both teams, once you got into that final third things broke down. It was no surprise the two goals came from penalties as there seemed few other likely sources.
Kelvin Davis made a decent stop and Jack Cork missed the rebound early on, but that was about the sum of the first half action until five minutes before the break.
Martin Paterson was dribbling the ball in the box, got a slight contact from Jhon Viafara and went down.
Referee John Moss awarded a penalty which Andy Crosby saw Davis save low down to his right, but Crosby calmly slotted home the rebound.
Moss was again in the thick of the action on 54 minutes when he sent off Matt Sparrow for a challenge over the ball on Wayne Thomas which again looked harsh.
Saints went 4-3-3 against Scunthorpe's ten men but just weren't able to find that breakthrough.
They got a bit of luck with six minutes remaining, though, when the linesman provided a chance for them.
Craig Evans flagged for a penalty for a shirt pull on Stern John NOT spotted by the referee - and NOT seen by the majority in the ground and NOT appealed for by the Saints players.
Still, Saints weren't going to argue and Gregory Vignal topped another fine performance by slotting the ball into Joe Murphy's bottom left hand corner, sending the keeper the wrong way.
Saints had chances to win it, first Marek Saganowski firing well wide from inside the area and then Bradley Wright-Phillips rounding the keeper but hitting the side netting from a tight angle.
But you have to start somewhere and for Pearson this is at least a start.
Daily Echo Man of the Match: Gregory Vignal
Another terrific display from the Frenchman who is proving his worth at left back and topped off with a goal.
