Nigel, thanks for the reply. There were a few earlier posts which had referred to maintenance being performed before pushback, but I guess that is to be officially confirmed.
Framer - thanks for the details. Main question is the real risk of being scapegoated if/when something goes wrong in spite of having done the best that was humanly possible in the circumstances, and under the limitations present. Management will do their best to shrug off responsibility, even if their rules and procedures occasionally (perhaps often) do not line up with the daily operational limitations the pilots face.