Hibs’ Head Coach Jack Ross was delighted to break the news of a first international call-up to Kevin Nisbet in a quiet moment before training at the Hibernian Training Centre on Tuesday.
Fourteen goals – including the winner in Dingwall – caught the attention of national team boss Steve Clarke, who has turned to the 24-year-old ahead of the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers – with the Euros looming large on the horizon.
Photos by Ian Jacobs
Ross believes that Nisbet has only scratched the surface of his full potential but is pleased that decisiveness from both parties last summer has paid off.
He said: “Kevin was someone I really wanted to bring to Hibernian and I’m grateful for the support I had within the club in terms of making that happen.
“I thought he had the all-round qualities to become a really good player and I’ve thought that since I first tried to sign him on loan for Alloa when he was at Partick Thistle.
“There’s a lot more to him than simply scoring goals. He’s a good footballer and the exciting thing for me is that he’s still got areas to improve in, like any player. The best is yet to come.
“There are plenty of challenging moments as a manager, so you have to enjoy the good times.
“So, it was a pleasure to be able to sit down and break the news to Kevin about his Scotland call-up, because he’s earned it. It made me think about the first conversation we had about him coming here.
“The challenge and the opportunity was for Kevin to help us compete for trophies, qualify for European football and win a place in the Scotland squad.
“He’s had a good go at that in the space of his first few months at Easter Road.
“When you bring in a talented player from the Championship, people maybe assume it’s a given that everything will go to plan but there aren’t many players whose development follows a straight line like that.
“This has Kevin’s first chance to play at this level consistently, while dealing with the pressure of playing for a big club.
“Like any young player, you have to manage him through that professional challenge and the personal challenge he’s had with the loss of his father, which I think he’s spoken about with real maturity.
“Hopefully, we’ve managed those challenges pretty well and it’s a good reflection of our model and – I think – the wider Scottish game.
“Raith Rovers helped him, Dunfermline helped him and, in turn, benefited when we signed Kevin in the summer.
“Now he’s in the Scotland squad. All those experiences along the way have helped shape him.
“His team-mates have helped. For example, he’ll look at someone like Christian Doidge and note the unselfish side of the game. What a striker can do to help the team.
“The whole environment has been good for him. Kevin’s part of a stable, level-headed group and that group is proud of him this week – as we have been all season.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
