It was on the night of 25 November that Kim Hellberg was introduced to his new set of supporters before sitting down to watch Middlesbrough lose 4-2 in a top-of-the-table clash with Coventry City.
Victory for the Sky Blues opened up a 10-point gap between the sides and also a blueprint in how to succeed in Championship football.
But Hellberg must be a fast learner because 76 days later, three points at Sheffield United has allowed Boro to leapfrog Frank Lampard's team and become the new Championship leaders.
It was a sixth straight league win and with each of those, belief has been growing on Teesside that under this humble 38-year-old Swede, Boro's nine-year Premier League exile will end in May.
After slipping to 10th last season in the last days of Michael Carrick's time in charge, this term was a case of a leap into the unknown after the appointment of Rob Edwards.
But a 100% start in August put them at the top and they rode that wave through the opening couple of months until Edwards was tempted away by a Premier League switch to Wolves.
His departure was not well received by fans who felt that Edwards had jumped ship as soon as another club had glanced eyes at him. Now three months on, with Wolves' relegation waiting to be rubber-stamped, there is a strong chance his old club will be replacing his new one in the top flight.
Hellberg arrived with a strong reputation from leading unfashionable Hammarby to successive runners-up spots in Sweden's Allsvenskan.
Would he be able to maintain Boro's strong start under Edwards in his first coaching job outside his home country?
The answer has been an emphatic yes.
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