Buchanan hails the impact of team-mate

Raith striker says Nisbet ‘has huge potential’

Raith Rovers star Liam Buchanan has joked that his wise words are behind Kevin Nisbet’s sensational season.

The 22-year-old has been a revelation for Rovers since joining from Partick Thistle last summer, pillaging 32 goals in all competitions and earning a nomination for PFA Scotland League One player of the year.

He is also locked in a battle with Edinburgh City ace Blair Henderson for the ‘Ginger Boot’, awarded to the most prolific marksman in the SPFL.

Buchanan, who has turned out for the likes of Partick, Dunfermline and Livingston, rates Nisbet as one of the best natural finishers he has ever worked alongside and believes the sky is the limit for the youngster.

The 34-year-old said: “Have I given him advice? How do you think he has so many goals?

“No, in all seriousness, I will always try to help him if needs be and I’ll pass on any experience I can. But he’s a confident boy and he seems to know where the goals are without me telling him.

“As he progresses and gets more experience, he’ll only get better.

“He definitely has the eye for goal – probably one of the best finishers that I have played with.

“Kevin has massive potential. He is still young, hungry and just can’t stop scoring. That is the best habit you can have as a striker.

“He always tends to be in the right areas to put the ball in the net. If he keeps working hard, he could go far in the game.”

The attacking potency of Buchanan and Nisbet are likely to be pivotal when Raith Rovers embark on their Championship promotion play-off campaign.

Should Raith secure second spot in League One today, they will face Forfar at Station Park on Wednesday in the first leg of their semi-final tie. If they finish third, the Loons will come to Stark’s Park on Tuesday.

And Buchanan, a veteran of three separate nerve-wracking play-off campaigns with Alloa, Livingston and East Fife, reckons calm heads will prevail.

He continued: “We have that opportunity to win promotion – which was the sole aim at the start of the season – and still have everything to play for.

“I’ll hopefully be able to draw on that experience I’ve had over the years and help the boys to victory.

“The key thing is to stay calm. Relax and play your normal game – and never think that the tie is over! You need to always be alert and ready for that opportunity to swing the tie in your favour.”

Although their showdown with the Loons looms large, Rovers have the matter of their last regular league fixture against Montrose today.

Boss John McGlynn has already confirmed he intends to shuffle his pack to ensure his squad are fresh for midweek.

Buchanan added: “It’s a case finding a balance, because you’d be lying if you said that thoughts aren’t already going towards the play-offs.

“However, we want to go into the play-offs on good form, so we’ll be taking the game against Montrose seriously, preparing like any other match and aiming to build confidence.”

Montrose boss Stewart Petrie admitted that he would make changes for the game against Rovers with Tuesday night’s play-off first leg meeting with the team who finish ninth in the Championship in mind.

Petrie said: “It will be nice to relax on Saturday and enjoy the game but we will also be going to try to win it, that’s for sure.

“We will freshen up as best we can and get players rested. The first play-off game comes on Tuesday, so it is a very quick turnaround for us.

“We do have options. For instance, we had Sean Dillon, Paul Watson and Michael Bolochoweckyj on the bench last Saturday.

“They are obviously good players who have made a massive contribution along with others who were on the bench.

“So some lads will be getting game time to try to have everybody as ready as we can. We will need the whole squad going into these play-offs.

“We will try to conserve as much energy as we can because if we come up against a full-time club the two games over four days will be difficult.”

Long-term injured Craig Johnston, Matty Allan and Martyn Fotheringham will miss the game.

Picture: SNS. Liam Buchanan says Raith Rovers players must stay calm.