Cuthbert warns of striker’s threat
A quick glance at the Hibernian squad list and the name Kevin Nisbet stands to attention.
St Johnstone’s rearguard will need to be on red alert to keep him quiet at the national stadium on Saturday evening.
Just ask former St Johnstone goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert how dangerous the highly-rated, Scotland-tipped striker can be.
Cuthbert worked with Nisbet at Raith Rovers a few years back and is not surprised by his meteoric rise to Premiership stardom.
“I was with Kevin at Raith Rovers and he is a boy on fire just now,” Cuthbert said. “He will be a real dangerman for Hibs.
“He came into Raith Rovers and, to be honest, we were looking at someone else.
“We had such a small squad and needed someone who could play in two positions. It so happened that never came to fruition.
“But once Kevin signed he blew everyone away in training. You saw a guy grow into the shirt and become a different person.
“There were concerns over certain elements of his game but he became such a prominent player.
“He was fantastic with the contribution he made at Raith Rovers and continued that at Dunfermline and now Hibs.
“He is the type of player who will only get better playing with better players.”
Saints are no strangers to semifinals against Hibs and Cuthbert actually played in the 2006/07 League Cup last four tussle between the clubs at Tynecastle.
He remembers sitting in the dressing room after the game.
Gathering his thoughts, the script playing out in his head was the ‘what could have been’ one.
Jason Scotland’s header late in the day had cancelled out a Hibs opener from forward Steven Fletcher. Extra-time was required.
But disaster soon struck when David Murphy’s ambitious longrange free-kick ended up finding the net, despite Cuthbert getting a touch.
“Nine times out of 10 you save it,” Cuthbert said. “That one time, for whatever reason, it evades you.
“As a goalkeeper it’s one of those things that probably still gets remembered unfortunately.
“It happens in games sometimes. There are scenarios in games that adapt the dynamic and that’s probably what happened.
“It swung it in their favour and we were never able to get ourselves back on track after going 2-1 down.
“We were happy to throw caution to the wind and throw bodies forward. We had to
take the chance to maybe nick one back.
“When you’re in the dressing room after the game, it is, more or less, the second goal that won the game for them.
“It’s difficult. You are the one who needs to take the responsibility for the defeat. It can be hard and a challenge.
“From my point of view, you know the players gave everything. For many of them it might have been their last opportunity of a major final.
“It’s part of football. Mistakes happen. Sometimes in a cup tie it can be a moment of brilliance or a mistake.
“When it’s a mistake, it’s not ideal when it’s you. But that’s football.