Hibs boosted by return of Kevin Nisbet but key player set to miss St Mirren trip

Striker could return to starting line-up in Paisley

Alex Gogic (left) and Kevin Nisbet are both available for selection again

Scott Allan will miss Hibs' trip to St Mirren on Saturday but Easter Road head coach Jack Ross has been boosted by the return of striker Kevin Nisbet and midfielder Alex Gogic.

The playmaker picked up a knock during training and has been omitted from the playing squad as a precaution but the coaching staff are optimistic that the influential 28-year-old won't miss much action.

Speaking to Hibs TV ahead of the Scottish Premiership clash at the Simple Digital Arena, Ross said: "Scott Allan will miss tomorrow. He's picked up a knock so he'll be unavailable. It's just a training ground knock so we're hopeful he won't be out for too long."

Former Dunfermline Athletic forward Nisbet started Hibs' first four games of the season, notching an assist in the 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock and a hat-trick in the 4-1 win at Livingston, but a hamstring strain kept him sidelined for the fixtures against St Johnstone and Aberdeen.

However, the 23-year-old has recovered from the injury and could return to the starting line-up in Paisley.

Ross continued: "Kevin is back fit, as planned.

"We possibly could have really pushed him for the Aberdeen game but I think it would have been foolish if we had done.

"He played in a bounce game last week and trained fully this week.

"He's looked good, he's looked sharp and it's nice to have him back available.

Cypriot midfielder Gogic is also available for selection after completing a period of self-isolation. The 26-year-old returned a coronavirus result during routine testing that "required further investigation" and despite returning two additional tests with negative results, the former Hamilton man was advised by the Scottish FA and Scottish Government to self-isolate for ten days, causing him to miss the 1-0 defeat by Aberdeen on August 30.

Left-sided defender Sean Mackie, who returned to training during pre-season after a spell on the sidelines with a foot injury, suffered a minor setback in his bid to return to full fitness but the versatile 21-year-old isn't far away, according to the Hibs boss.

Ross added: "Sean had a slight recurrence of an injury so he's missed a couple of weeks of training. He's not quite match fit yet but everybody else is fit and healthy."