When they unveiled their new coach last month, Lion City Sailors caused quite a stir with their appointment of Mark Jackson.
Getting Jackson to take over following the dismissal of Jesús Casas was seen as a real coup following his abrupt departure from Buriram United, who he led to success in the Thai League 1, FA Cup and ASEAN Club Championship last season -- following on from a previous treble he claimed with A-League Men outfit Central Coast Mariners in 2023-24.
But just as excitement was building, the temperature surrounding the reigning Singapore Premier League champions was brought back down to a simmer through circumstances beyond their means.
After Jackson's first game at the helm ended in a commendable 1-1 draw with BG Pathum United in the AFC Champions League Two, the international window -- the longest-ever in history, at that, given FIFA's new calendar -- meant that the Sailors have not been in action since.
When they take on Công An Hà Nội in the opening game of their 2026-27 ASEAN Club Championship -- also know as the Shopee Cup -- at Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday, it will mark the end of a three-week wait for Jackson's second match in charge.
Jackson had already acknowledged that, while not ideal, the break would provide time for him to introduce his ideas to his new team. Even if several key players were away on international duty with Singapore, he stressed that additional work would be done to ensure they were brought up to speed with all that has been done on the training pitch in their absence.
Now, after having to bide his time for the second chance to show what we could be bringing to the Sailors, Jackson is ready for competitive action once more.
"We're really excited to take part in this competition," Jackson said, in Wednesday's prematch news conference. "It's one that I know well from last season in my time with Buriram.
"We know it's going to be a very tough competition with a high calibre of opposition in every game. But we're really looking forward to it.
"We've been working hard with the players. It's been a bit of a hindrance -- missing the players that were away with Singapore -- but we understand and support the national team cause.
"They've fitted straight back in with us. It's important to get them back in and manage the physicality, and give them the information which the other players have been given -- how we want to play, my ideas in and out of possession, and how we want to move forward as a club.
"There's been a lot of information given to the players and I have to say they've received it very well -- very focused, very disciplined. Now it's about implementing that in the game."
While the Sailors have made no secret of their ever-increasing ambition in recent years, and have actually made considerable strides in growing on the regional and continental stages, it probably would not be unfair to suggest there is still some ground to make up on the likes of Buriram and Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim.
Given his previous success, Jackson knows what it takes to build a team that can win trophies on multiple fronts -- and believes he has all the necessary pieces of the puzzle at the Sailors.
"In two past seasons at previous clubs, I've had successful teams," Jackson added. "It's down to numerous things.
"It's down to the players, down to the staff, down to how we work as a culture and how we build that -- does that happen quickly? No, it happens over time.
"I've said before that, speaking to the owner and sporting director before I came here, I knew the club had the right ingredients -- through my research on the players and calibre we have -- to have a successful team.
"Now it's about the work we do on the training ground, understanding how we want to play, and implementing that quickly in games.
"This game [against CAHN] is going to be a battle. Tactical ideas will be important, but also the physicality, and how we have that winning mindset to start my [Sailors] tenure in this competition with three points.
"I'm very optimistic we can be successful."
With Jackson having already stated that the target is to win the ASEAN Club Championship, that sentiment was echoed by defender Brazilian centre-back Hugo Gomes -- who will be coming up against his former team after joining the Sailors from CAHN in the offseason.
"Like every player when you play against your former club, of course my feelings are that I'm very grateful to Công An Hà Nội," said Gomes, who was part of the CAHN side that lost in the 2024-25 to Buriram on penalties.
"But when you are a professional, you just want to win for your new club.
"Since I arrived here, all my teammates and the people who work here have received me very well.
"We have all the conditions [necessary for success] here. As the Sailors, we'll also represent Singapore in this match against Vietnam [opposition]. The only thing that matters is the result.
"The feeling I have from this competition, that final we [CAHN] lost on penalties was actually a good season. So I want to win this competition a lot. Of course, in football, you cannot promise something because there are a lot of things that [can] interfere in the game.
"For now, we're focused on the first game. It's the first step to reach the final - that is our target.
"We want to win all the competitions. That's why it's so important to have a large squad with quality. But we'll take it game by game. We cannot play the Shopee Cup thinking about the [AFC] Champions League [Two] or [Singapore] Premier League.
"We just want to win this game and then we will look forward to the next competition. Our target is to win as many trophies as possible this season."