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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Gabriel McKay

Kevin Nisbet earns Jack Ross rave review as Hibs manager highlights 'mindset'

Hibs manager Jack Ross heaped praise on Kevin Nisbet after his hat-trick secured a 4-1 win over Livingston.

The 23-year-old joined from Dunfermline this summer in a £250k deal after 18 goals in 25 Championship games.

Nisbet has hit the ground running in the top flight, getting an assist on his debut against Kilmarnock before downing Livi with a hat-trick.

Ross told BBC Scotland: "He's settled in really well, and immediately when he came to the club he looked comfortable in the surroundings.

"He was impressive in training and the players noticed him right away, they were impressed by him.

((Andrew Barr Photography/Pool)

"He's continued that onto the pitch, even last week he didn't grab the headlines but he plays a really important part in Martin's first goal with his all-round performance.

"Today, again, his all-round performance was excellent and I think it shows were he's at in terms of his mindset that he wants to take the penalty, he wants to get his hat-trick, he'll back himself to score.

"He believes in himself, he's scored goals in League One and the Championship and he believes he'll do it in the Premiership.

"If we can continue to provide him with that type of service I believe he will."

It was a huge win for Hibs, with Livingston boasting an impressive home record.

Ross said: "Coming here we'd have been happy with any sort of victory, given how impressive Livingston's home record has been for a significant period of time now.

(SNS Group)

"So to win the game in the manner we did and by the margin of victory is very satisfying and should generate confidence within the group as well.

"We looked at today and the challenge we would face, and very simply we looked at two key parts.

"One: out of possession we knew we'd have to defend a lot of balls into our box, in open play and from set pieces.

"We'd have to be brave and aggressive with that, and not only defend first balls but the second contacts as well. We did that brilliantly as a team throughout the whole game.

"Second: in possession we believed that we could work the ball into wide areas and when we did we wanted to put balls into the box, that's why we played the personnel we did today.

"Again, the players did that terrifically well and you saw that in the opening two goals in particular.

"So in terms of taking on board what we wanted, the players were brilliant.

"It's okay for us as a staff to devise that, they're the ones that have to do the hard part and do it on the pitch. They did every aspect of that brilliantly today."

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