Mark Burchill, the Livingston player-assistant manager, has acknowledged that he owes Alan Stubbs a debt of gratitude for looking after him as the Scot made his way through the ranks at Celtic.
The two men will be on opposite sides today when Stubbs sends his Hibernian side out at Energy Assets Arena. They will be opponents for 90 minutes, but yesterday Burchill admitted that he holds Stubbs in the highest regard for how he treated his younger team-mate when Burchill progressed into the first team at Celtic Park.
Burchill was only 18 when he made his breakthrough in Glasgow in a squad which included Henrik Larsson. The teenage striker was at first overawed when he walked into a dressing room packed with seasoned professionals but has admitted that Stubbs soon put his mind at rest.
"I got on great with Alan at Celtic and I've a lot to thank him for, he is a real leader in the changing room and I really enjoyed playing with him and being in the changing room with him," said Burchill. "He actually told me things back then that I still say to the young guys here. He definitely knows what he's talking about.
"At Celtic when I was there he was 26, 27 and he was very experienced for his age. You always thought he was 36 or 37 because he was so confident with what he was saying.
"He used to say things like, 'don't let it pass you by'. He really took me under his wing when I got into the first team. When you go into the first-team dressing room you're not really sure what you should do but he helped me."
There have been times this season when Hibs' players have not looked too sure of themselves either, having registered just 11 points this season to lie fifth in the SPFL Championship table. They are also 14 points adrift of city rivals Hearts.
However, Scott Robertson, the Hibs midfielder, is confident that the league leaders will falter eventually and that his side will be able to capitalise. "You can't tell me Hearts will pick up the same amount of points in the next round of fixtures. That would be incredible, really," he said.
"I'm surprised that gap has opened up after one round of games, they have only dropped two points and deserve all the credit in the world for that. Fair play to them. However, I do see them dropping points, it is just a matter of where and when that comes."
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