'Gutting' - Kevin Nisbet keen to use Hibs Hampden heartbreak to spark Scotland selection hopes

Kevin Nisbet has vowed to use Hibs’ Scottish Cup final defeat for good as he looks to force his way into the Scotland starting XI for this summer’s Euro 2020 matches.

Kevin Nisbet is a picture of dejection at the end of the Scottish Cup final

The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes as the Easter Road side went down 1-0 at Hampden to St Johnstone, with Shaun Rooney’s first-half header the difference.

Speaking ahead of Scotland’s friendly match against the Netherlands on Wednesday, June 2 Nisbet insisted he was keen to put his Hampden heartbreak behind him as he looks ahead to the country’s first appearance at a major tournament in more than 20 years.

"The friendlies before the tournament are always a chance to impress,” he said. “I just want to go out there and impress, and keep impressing in training.

"[Going away with Scotland] has probably come at the right time for me. Last weekend was very disappointing; I’m still a bit gutted. It was really gutting for me, for Hibs, and for everyone involved with the club but it’s done now, there’s nothing we can really do about it so it’s all about getting my Scotland head on now and trying to impress.

“Scotland is my priority, and it’s all about looking ahead to the Euros.”

Nisbet could feature in this week’s friendly matches against the Dutch at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal, and Luxembourg at Stade Josy Barthel in Luxembourg City and will hope to impress Steve Clarke ahead of the European Championship fixtures against Czech Republic, England, and Croatia next month.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.