Four points from his opening two games in charge of Hibernian portends brighter times for the Edinburgh outfit which has taken a calculated gamble in repatriating the Yorkshireman from Central Coast Mariners, the minnow he moulded into a championship winning giant slayer.
 
Montgomery turned talent identification into an art form in Gosford, along with shoring up the club’s long-term sustainability by attracting significant offers for a raft of players.
 
It was those qualities which convinced Hibs to appoint the 41-year-old and his trusted sidekick Sergio Raimundo to turn fortunes around at Easter Road, already home to the Aussie trio of Martin Boyle, Lewis Miller and James Jeggo.
 
“For me, it’s an opportunity to head back to the UK to take the next step, everything felt right from the word go and the club and I share a common vision,” Montgomery told FTBL ahead of Thursday’s Scottish League Cup quarter final against inform St Mirren.
 
“It’s all about wanting to bring success back to Hibs after some tough years and the tragedy of the death of owner Ron Gordon.
 
“His son Ian has taken over now and vision is for us to build a successful legacy. It’s about bringing an identity to the club that fans can relate to.
 
“That comes with expectation and I’ve come in to try and turn things around.
 
“I enjoy developing players and at the weekend I gave a debut to 16 year old Rory Whittaker against St Johnstone - the youngest player ever to pull on the shirt at senior level here.
 
“That was a nice moment for the club and his family because every club wants to see home produced players coming through. He’s a great young talent.”
 
Spurs boss Postecoglou took time out from working his own brand of magic in north London, to be a among the first to congratulate Montgomery on his appointment, subsequently stating publicly: “Nick has done brilliantly in Australia. He did a fantastic job at a club that it is fair to say in Australia is not considered one of the big ones and won the whole thing last year.
 
“He has done it in a great way where he has developed young players and great he gets the opportunity. I am glad people are looking beyond the obvious in terms of candidates whether they are at their doorstep or on the other side of the world. I have no doubt he will do well.”
 
The feeling is mutual, with Montgomery revealing: “When we won the grand final Ange was one of the first to congratulate me, and he was one of the first again to text me when I was appointed by Hibs.
 
“What Ange said was really humbling. I’ve followed his career closely and it’s a measure of the man that he’s offered me the support and encouragement that he has.
 
"Everybody knows what he achieved up here with Celtic, and now he’s doing an amazing job at Tottenham.
 
“I said from day one he’d surprise a lot of people at Spurs and he’s hit the ground running. The whole club is behind him and they’re playing some fantastic football.
 
“He’s invited me down to spend a day at Tottenham and that’s something I’ll certainly do when the opportunity arises.”
 
Whilst Boyle and Jeggo have established Socceroos pedigree, Montgomery feels Miller will soon also be knocking on the door after a goal and man of the match performance in the 2-0 over the Saints.
 
“I obviously know Lewis really well from our time together at the Mariners, and I know what he’s capable of,” he said.
 
“He just needs managing properly because he’s got so much talent - you just need to know how to push the right buttons.
 
“Fortunately I’ve pushed those buttons already, as you saw at the weekend. I’m really happy for him because he had a tough time under the previous coach.”
 
Miller is up against Hearts’ Nathaniel Atkinson and St Mirren’s Ryan Strain for the Socceroos’ right back spot, with Montgomery adding: “I’ve told him he has to perform better than those two and if he does he has every chance of playing in the national team.
 
“It’s about him being consistent - he has all the attributes to be a top level full back. I’ll push him every day to try and make sure he reaches his full potential.
 
“Overall I’m really happy with the squad and that obviously includes Jeggo, who I think is a very good midfielder, and Boyle who is a very talented attacking player.”
 
Whilst there was sorrow among Mariners fans at losing Montgomery so soon, he takes pride in leaving the club in a far better place than he found it.
 
“I love the Mariners and they will always have a place in my heart,” he added. “I think we achieved a lot: not only in results but millions of dollars worth of player sales to keep them sustainable.
 
“A lot of those we sold also have sell-ons so there could be more down the line. I also think we’ve left them with a squad which is a good mix of youth and experience.
 
“I wasn’t expecting to leave (so suddenly) and the next coach who comes in is lucky to have the squad we put together. I’ll be supporting them from afar and wish them nothing but continued success. I’ve walked away with my head held high.”
 
With Scotland already awash with Australian talent, Montgomery expects more to head across to Europe in the coming years.
 
“Hopefully what we did in our time with the Mariners was show you can produce players who don’t end up costing clubs too much and can go on and be successful overseas. That’s a big plus for the Australian game.”