KEVIN NISBET is forever grateful for what Jack Ross did for his career. The former Hibs boss signed Nisbet from Dunfermline and helped him catapult himself into the Scotland squad.

It’s not something the striker takes for granted, especially after watching Ross relieved of his position at Easter Road after a torrid run of form.

For Nisbet it was a case of the perfect timing working under Ross as he honestly admitted his career could’ve gone in a totally different direction if not for his tutelage.

“I spoke to Jack after the announcement and I had a lot of gratitude towards him”, said Nisbet.

“He’s the one that brought me to the club, made me a better player and stuck by me in tough times as well.

“I’ve got a lot of good things to say about Jack and I’ve no doubt in the future he’ll go and get himself another great job because he’s that type of guy.”

Nisbet went through a lot under Ross from impressive form, goal droughts, big-money transfer offers and off-the-field issues. It was the manager who helped guide Nisbet through a transfer window where he was tipped for a switch to Birmingham City which led to a time out of the Hibs side.

“He gave me a lot of advice obviously he’s been through it as well and certain manager situations as well so he had a lot of advice to give me,” Nisbet said of discussions with Ross during the transfer speculation.

“I think he did the right thing with me in January by taking the pressure off me and the limelight off me. It worked wonders for me because after that I got in Scotland squads and I’ve been in every Scotland squad since.

“He improved me a lot as a player and gave me that platform to go and play and stuck by me through droughts I’ve been on and off-field issues as well, he really looked after me.

“It’s obviously sad the way it happened but we’ve got a cup final now and all the boys are 100 per cent behind Dave, Sammy and Eddie, they’ve been great since the gaffer’s departure.”