Jack Ross will always be grateful to former club St Mirren – especially for not sacking him after just six games.
Ross goes back to Paisley for the first time in a competitive match, with his Hibs team looking to make it three wins on the bounce after beating Motherwell in his first match in charge on Saturday.
Ross returned to St Mirren for a friendly match with Sunderland shortly after leaving the Renfrewshire club for the Black Cats last year.
But now he returns with vital points at stake. The Hibees moved in to the top six at the weekend and will be looking to increase their current unbeaten run to eight in the league.
Saints meanwhile, find themselves 10th on goal difference, level on points with St Johnstone, Hamilton, and Hearts.
They were bottom of the Championship and fighting for survival when Ross was appointed as their manager, and he admits that he may not have lasted long enough to achieve the success he did had they not shown patience.
“The whole period there, the club benefited from it as they found themselves back in the Premiership and thankfully they’ve stayed there,” he said.
“For me as a manager, it was a huge part of my learning process. It helped me get the opportunities since – to manage a club the size of Sunderland and the opportunity to manage a club the size of Hibs.
“Everything we went through there, the more difficult times and the more enjoyable times, were really important for me.
“I spoke earlier about the demands for change. I lost my first six league games at St Mirren and there wasn’t that change. So I’ll always be grateful in terms of having that opportunity to come through that period.
“For a young manager, that was not easy. It could have ended my management career quite quickly as well."
Despite retaining affection for the Buddies, Ross it will be all business upon his return.
He added: “To be a football manager you’ve got to be able to detach yourself from emotion a lot of the time anyway.
“Because if you get caught up in the emotion of everything, you would probably crumble under the criticism you get at times.
“Whether it’s criticism from the media or arguments with players, you have to have the ability to be that way."
Striker Chris Doidge is hoping to continue his good individual from tonight as well. The Welsh front man netted against Motherwell to add to his hat-trick in Hibs’ 4-1 win at St Johnstone.
He came in for criticism for a barren run during the first part of the season. However, he admitted he tends to go through those sort of spells, but usually follows it up with a run of goals.
"I've got a habit in my career of going on a goalscoring run after maybe three or four games without getting one then go on a long one,” he explained.
“Hopefully that will happen here and I'll score many more.”
