How Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet turned into player he is today

Kevin Nisbet did not morph into a top goalscorer the moment he signed for Dunfermline – that instinct had been there for years – but he did use his season at East End Park to add to his skillset and convince Premiership observers that he was worth pursuing, according to Pars boss Stevie Crawford.
Kevin Nisbet is in great form for Hibs.Kevin Nisbet is in great form for Hibs.
Kevin Nisbet is in great form for Hibs.

“What we did at Dunfermline was give Kevin a platform following on from the very successful season he had had at Raith Rovers,” said Crawford.

“He is an instinctive finisher and he has the knack of getting in and scoring the goals that some others wouldn’t take as much pride or satisfaction from. There was a goal recently where it more or less just bounces off him! But Kevin will score goals from all over the place; from six yards, from 18 yards, he also has a terrific finish from set plays or outside the box and a sweet right foot. He is very good with headers as well.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A former Hibs, Dunfermline and Raith striker himself, former Scotland international Crawford is not surprised to see the 23-year-old hit the ground running and top the scoring charts at the Easter Road club.

“I could tell within days of working with him that he had the ability, but he will tell you that as a professional he got better during his time at Dunfermline. He matured, but deep down he also knew that we had faith in his ability and knew we were going to give him a grounding and a foundation to at least take Dunfermline forward.

“The players, very early on, could see that Kevin was going to help us. It will have been the same at Hibs. They will have seen that he can deal with the football, can bring others into the game and bring quality to the team. So they will have given him respect right away and that will have helped him settle in.”

And, Nisbet has more to offer than goals, claims Crawford.

“I am a massive believer that every player has their own qualities. It is working on the bits and pieces they don’t possess that allows them to move to a higher level.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“As his season with us progressed, his understanding of what he had to do out of possession, to stop the opposition having an impact, was very good. He was very quick at picking that up and that helped him get even fitter. And that buy-in from Kevin allowed him to get his move.”

It is a reflection of Crawford’s own football education. “When I broke into the Raith Rovers team, JImmy Nicholl obviously saw talent in me in terms of my forward play but what he added to my game was a determination to close people down. The moment I gave the ball away I had to work hard to win the ball back. When I learned that he then told me that not only did I have to close down the first man, I had to close the second man down, too. He instilled a work ethic in me and that earned respect from other team-mates.

“So, it is great that Kevin has got off to such a positive start to his Hibs career but now he has to continue in that vein.”