Fans of clubs up and down the land are desperate to see their new signings (and, in some case, managers) in action, to see if they are really all they are cracked up to be and if the pre-season form can be transferred into a competitive scenario.
Sadly, Saints fans will have to wait a while longer to see at least three of their new signings. Craig Dargo is injured, while Roy Dayan and Franco Miranda have yet to receive international clearance. Mark Howard could also be out if Chris Smith is preferred, so the only likely new boys starting are defender Will Haining and midfielder Gary Mason.
Saints selection woes don't end with the new boys either. Ian Maxwell, Eddie Malone and Craig Molloy are all ruled out with injury. Fortunately, everyone else is fit and there are no suspensions. At a guess, I reckon the team will be Smith, van Zanten, Reid, Haining, Potter, Brittain, Murray, Mason, Corcoran, Kean, Mehmet.
It's hardly one to set the world on fire, but on the plus side there is the Mark Corcoran factor. Just over 18 months ago, the winger put in a fantastic performance against Motherwell in the cup, and a repeat of that would be nice.
Saints won that game 3-0, despite being a division below the Steelmen at that point in time, but it's another game that saw the Buddies put three past tomorrow's visitors that is all the more memorable - and not just because it only happened a few months ago. Trailing 2-0 and staring relegation in the face at Fir Park, boss Gus MacPherson put on John Sutton and Billy Mehmet. They somehow managed to score three goals between them and secure Saints place in this season's SPL.
Since then, Motherwell have - not surprisingly - booted out Mauriece Malpas and replaced him with Mark McGhee. However, most of last season's squad remains. Chris Porter has come in from Oldham Athletic to replace Scott McDonald, while Simon Mensing has signed from St. Johnstone. And that's it. Instead, we've heard the usual new manager stuff about players being fitter, more determined, making the opposition know they've been in a game.
So, a prediction? With a Kean and Mehmet partnership I can't see us scoring, and the new manager factor should ensure Motherwell win 1-0.