Kevin Nisbet remains coy over Hibs contract talks - 'I just want to keep scoring goals'

There are a lot of ‘what-ifs’ about Hibs this season. What if Martin Boyle hadn’t got injured, what if Aiden McGeady had been fit from the start of the campaign – and what if Kevin Nisbet had been available for all 26 competitive games to date?

His brace against Dundee United on Saturday, including the equaliser deep into stoppage time, takes him onto seven for the campaign so far – all scored in the last six matches. He has leapfrogged Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda of Celtic and Alfredo Morelos in the charts and as things stand is scoring a goal every 69 minutes. His goal conversion rate (44 per cent) is the highest in the league. His importance to this Hibs team cannot be overstated.

“I’ll probably get a lot of praise but I’m just doing my job, putting the ball in the back of the net,” he says, speaking after his injury-time leveller. “I think the boys believe I’ll score every game and I do feel like I’m going to put away every chance I get at the moment. That’s what it’s like as a striker. When you’re scoring every week, every time you get a chance, you feel like you’re going to score.”

He has arguably singled-handedly won Hibs four points in the space of six days. He naturally wishes it was six, but it’s that pursuit of perfection that keeps him going, and spurred him on during his ten months on the sidelines.

Kevin Nisbet celebrates after netting a late equaliser for Hibs against Dundee United

“I just feel like I’m going to score in every game just now, I’ve felt that for a while. I did say before the Rangers game that I felt I had come back a different player – and I think I’ve shown that, I think I’ve come back really sharp. If you look at my goals, you’ll see someone playing with a lot of confidence.

“For the second, I was just thinking about hitting the target. When there are so many bodies in the way, it’s hard to see the shot, so I knew if I hit the target it was going to be a goal. Just a shame it wasn’t a winner for three points, but it was a good point.”

Every point is a bonus for Hibs at the moment and it was vital, given the concerning number of defeats in the last 12 or 13 games, that they built on the win at Motherwell in some way. Another three points would have been ideal but even fighting back to get one feels like progress. Understandably, fans are anxious that Hibs don’t let Nisbet slip through their grasp. He has 18 months left on his Easter Road contract and club chiefs are keen to get round a table with his people sooner rather than later, even if the player himself is keen to keep his focus on the pitch.

"I don’t really want anything to get in the way. I don’t want to be involved, I just want to keep scoring goals. It would be a distraction,” he states. “I try to keep as far away from it as possible and let my representatives get on with it. We’ve got a massive game against Hearts to focus on. I don’t want distractions going into that, when I’m so full of confidence.”