Kevin Nisbet gives verdict on Scotland chances as Hibs winner sends timely message to Steve Clarke

Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet is hoping he still has time to play his way into the Scotland set-up ahead of this summer’s Euros.

Hibs manager Jack Ross (L) and match winner Kevin Nisbet embrace at full time in Dingwall. Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group

After a bright start to his first season in the Premiership, positioning himself as one of the most consistent forwards in the league, the 24-year-old was widely tipped to force his way into the national set-up.

That form attracted the attention of Birmingham City, who bid for his services during the January transfer window, but Hibs refused to sell their prize asset and manager Jack Ross chose to relegate him to the bench while the speculation dissipated.

Given just one start in the past seven games, as others made the most of the opportunity that afforded them, he came off the bench on Saturday to grab the winner against Ross County and remind his club manager and the national boss of his ability to contribute.

“It’s all there for me, I know that, and I needed that goal to kick me on as well. I have spent a lot of time on the bench and not played a lot in recent games. Thankfully I got the goal and hopefully I can kick on and get more.”

Scotland boss Steve Clarke will name his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday and Hibs’ top scorer is hoping his weekend performance helps his case for inclusion.

“One of my goals at the start of the season was to get in the Scotland squad and now I am back playing and scoring I have every chance. We’ll see what happens the next couple of days.”

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.