Why Hibs have a diamond in Kevin Nisbet - and why he's so much more than 'just' a striker

Striker showing all the signs of replicating McGinn rise

Kevin Nisbet gets stuck in against Rangers during Hibs' 2-2 draw with the Ibrox side at Easter Road

Could Kevin Nisbet be Hibs' 2020 answer to John McGinn? The Easter Road side have previous for plucking young Scottish talent from a smaller club and giving them a platform to progress and on his early showings, there's no reason why Nisbet can’t follow a similar route to that enjoyed by the Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder.

After securing a move to Hibs during the summer and a tidy four-year deal to boot, the question on the lips of pundits, fans, ex-colleagues, and former coaches was whether Nisbet could cut it in the Scottish Premiership.

Nisbet had scored goals for fun in League One with Raith Rovers, and picked up where he left off when he joined Dunfermline Athletic. But there was no certainty that he could replicate his form on the big stage. An earlier spell at Partick Thistle hadn't yielded a single Premiership goal, and not every player successfully makes the step up to the top flight.

It took the 23-year-old fewer than five minutes to make his mark at Easter Road in the season opener against Kilmarnock. He plucked a long ball forward out of the sky and in one movement took it past Stuart Findlay, leaving the defender on the floor, before threading it through to Martin Boyle who danced around the advancing goalkeeper and slotted it in at the near post.

The following week against Livingston, at a venue where Hibs have struggled in the past, he gave the defence the slip to tap in the opener, outjumped the Livi centre-halves to net his second, and had a hand in Christian Doidge scoring a third before converting a penalty for his hat-trick.

Although he drew blanks against Dundee United and Motherwell before two games out with a hamstring injury, he netted on his return to action at St Mirren. While he understandably tired in Paisley as a result of his time on the sidelines, he looked back to his best against Rangers.

There won’t be many Scottish Premiership forwards who manage to get the better of Connor Goldson in the air this season but Nisbet managed it on more than one occasion, and were it not for Jon McLaughlin’s elastic arms, he could well have been the player to end the Ibrox side’s run of clean sheets.

The striker did well to shield the ball from Goldson, before hitting a vicious shot on the turn that the Gers ‘keeper did well to turn round the post.

Nisbet also did well to beat Borna Barisic in the air and get the ball out to Boyle, whose low cross was swept home by Drey Wright for the opener. His very presence in the forward line seems to unsettle opposition defences.

He’s strong in the air, deceptively quick, and adept at finding gaps in the box. Even if he's not the direct target for a team-mate, his movement off the ball creates another issue for defenders and more often than not, space for his team-mates.

Tying him down on a lengthy deal was a masterstroke by Hibs. Assuming Nisbet can avoid serious injury this season and keep scoring and assisting goals, he could be the difference between one or two league places come May and, further down the line, could net Hibs - and Dunfermline - a tidy sum if he moves onto a bigger stage.

The fact that he has been involved in nearly half (46 per cent) of Hibs’ total goals so far this season speaks volumes for what he brings to a side that at times struggled for inventiveness and incisiveness up front this time last season.

He dovetails well with Doidge and is more than happy to track back and help out the defence when required.

What will be particularly cheering for Jack Ross is that Nisbet’s head never drops. If he misses a chance, or has a shot saved, it makes him more determined to get the next one.

And he usually does.

That sort of attitude defines the spirit in the Hibs camp at the moment and is a far cry from the so-called “boyband” mentality that plagued previous Easter Road teams.

McGinn's performances for Hibs earned him a call-up to the international squad while the club was still in the second tier. Now, he's a key player and has goal stats many strikers would be proud of.

While it’s early days yet, if Nisbet maintains this form then Scotland boss Steve Clarke may find himself attending more and more games involving Hibs.

If the Easter Road side can maintain, and even strengthen its reputation as a club that improves young players and helps them reach the top, then the next few years could be especially fruitful down Albion Place.

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