Kevin Nisbet Explained

Kevin Nisbet
Full Name:Kevin Michael Nisbet[1]
Birth Date:8 March 1997
Birth Place:Glasgow, Scotland
Height:1.80 m[2]
Position:Centre-forward
Currentclub:Millwall
Clubnumber:7
Youthyears1:2011–2012
Youthclubs1:Hibernian
Youthyears2:2012–2014
Youthclubs2:Partick Thistle
Years1:2014–2018
Clubs1:Partick Thistle
Caps1:17
Goals1:0
Years2:2015
Clubs2:East Stirlingshire (loan)
Caps2:11
Goals2:6
Years3:2016–2017
Clubs3:Ayr United (loan)
Caps3:20
Goals3:2
Years4:2018
Clubs4:Dumbarton (loan)
Caps4:9
Goals4:0
Years5:2018–2019
Clubs5:Raith Rovers
Caps5:34
Goals5:29
Years6:2019–2020
Clubs6:Dunfermline Athletic
Caps6:25
Goals6:18
Years7:2020–2023
Clubs7:Hibernian
Caps7:78
Goals7:31
Years8:2023–
Clubs8:Millwall
Caps8:27
Goals8:5
Club-Update:16:33, 5 May 2024(UTC)
Nationalyears1:2021–
Nationalteam1:Scotland
Nationalcaps1:11
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalteam-Update:07:16, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

Kevin Michael Nisbet (born 8 March 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for EFL Championship club Millwall and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline Athletic and Hibernian, as well as East Stirlingshire, Ayr United and Dumbarton on loan.

Career

Partick Thistle and loans

Nisbet was raised in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, and attended Trinity High School.[3] [4] [5] He played for Hibernian's under-15 team before joining the Partick Thistle youth system.[6] He joined the club as a full-time apprentice in summer 2014.

Having quickly progressed through the Thistle Weir Academy, he made his breakthrough in the Firhill side's development squad. He made 18 appearances at that level during the 2014–15 campaign, and scored six goals, including a hat-trick against Falkirk.[7]

Nisbet joined Scottish League Two side East Stirlingshire on loan in February 2015,[8] making 11 appearances and scoring six goals in his time at Ochilview Park. He returned to Partick Thistle and made his first-team debut for the club on 19 September 2015 as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat away to Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.[9] [10]

Nisbet joined Ayr United on loan at the start of the 2016–17 season, on a six-month deal running until 14 January 2017.[11] He later joined Dumbarton on loan in January 2018.[12]

Partick were relegated to the Scottish Championship via the play-offs at the end of the 2017–18 season, following which Nisbet was one of many players released by the club.[6] [13]

Raith and Dunfermline

Nisbet signed for Scottish League One side Raith Rovers in July 2018.[14] He finished the season at Raith Rovers with 35 goals in all competitions.

Nisbet then signed for local rivals Dunfermline Athletic in June 2019,[15] scoring 20 goals in all competitions before the end of 2019.[16] During the January 2020 transfer window, a number of clubs - including his future employers Hibernian - were said to be interested in the player's signature, however, Dunfermline opted to reject all bids for Nisbet with the intention of keeping him until at least the summer.[17] [18] Nisbet finished the curtailed 2019–20 season having scored 23 goals in 32 appearances.

Hibernian

After attracting interest from several clubs,[19] Nisbet signed a four-year contract with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian on 10 July 2020 for an undisclosed fee.[20] [21] During the January 2021 transfer window Hibs rejected offers for Nisbet from EFL Championship club Birmingham City.[22] Nisbet finished the 2020–21 season as Hibs' top scorer scoring 18 goals in 45 games in all domestic competitions.

On 22 July 2021, Nisbet scored his first goal in a European club tournament in Hibs' 3–0 win over Andorran side FC Santa Coloma.[23] He suffered a knee injury in February 2022 that required surgery, and is expected to prevent him from playing for several months.[24]

Nisbet returned to first-team training in November 2022, and scored in his first league appearance back, a 3–2 defeat at Rangers on 15 December.[25] He scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win at Motherwell on 8 January,[26] which helped him win a Premiership player of the month award.[27] Hibs accepted an offer of around £2 million from EFL Championship club Millwall during the January 2023 transfer window, but Nisbet decided against the proposed move.[28] [29] He finished the season with 12 goals from 20 appearances for Hibs.[30] On 31 May 2023, Hibs were reported as having accepted an offer of £2 million for Nisbet from Millwall.[30] [31]

Millwall

Nisbet signed a three-year contract with Millwall on 10 June 2023. He made his debut for the club on 5 August 2023 in a 1–0 victory over Middlesbrough. Nisbet scored his first Millwall goal on 26 August 2023 in a 1–0 win against Stoke City. In May 2024, Nisbet was dropped from the Millwall squad for a match against Swansea City due to a "disciplinary issue".[32]

International career

On 16 March 2021, Nisbet received his first Scotland call-up ahead of 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel and Faroe Islands.[33] Nisbet made his international debut on 31 March, appearing as a substitute in a 4–0 win against the Faroe Islands.[34] He was one of three strikers selected in the Scotland squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament,[35] and scored his first international goal in a pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands.[36] Nisbet appeared as a substitute in each of Scotland's three matches at the Euro 2020 finals.[37]

After two years out of the squad, partly due to a long-term knee injury, Nisbet was recalled for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches in June 2023.[38]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Partick Thistle2014–15Scottish Premiership00000000
2015–16Scottish Premiership80100090
2016–17Scottish Premiership30101050
2017–18Scottish Premiership60006[39] 000120
Total170207000260
Partick Thistle U-20s2016–17SPFL Development League2[40] 323
2017–18SPFL Development League2121
Total4444
East Stirlingshire (loan)2014–15Scottish League Two116000000116
Ayr United (loan)2016–17Scottish Championship202000000202
Dumbarton (loan)2017–18Scottish Championship90100030130
Raith Rovers2018–19Scottish League One342921416[41] 34634
Dunfermline Athletic2019–20Scottish Championship251810551[42] 03223
Hibernian2020–21Scottish Premiership33146[43] 2624518
2021–22Scottish Premiership 26522414[44] 1369
2022–23Scottish Premiership 191210002012
Total7831941034110139
Millwall2023–24EFL Championship195001000205
Career total21391155279188273113

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland2021101
202310
Total111

As of match played 7 September 2021. Scotland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Nisbet goal.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kevin Nisbet . The Thistle Archive . 7 March 2022.
  2. Web site: Strack-Zimmermann . Benjamin . Kevin Nisbet (Player) . 2023-02-01 . www.national-football-teams.com . en.
  3. Web site: Dunfermline's loan move for Killie winger as key pair sign contract extensions . 11 January 2020 . The Courier. PressReader. 4 June 2021.
  4. Web site: Hibs star Kevin Nisbet reveals his dad died just days before Hearts semi-final . 2 November 2020 . Daily Record. 4 June 2021.
  5. https://www.tes.com/magazine/archived/scotland-players-old-schools-send-good-luck-messages Scotland players' old schools send good luck messages
  6. News: Kevin Nisbet reveals Covid-19 fears over Hibs move, football wake-up call, and why he doesn't set personal targets . Patrick . McPartlin . Edinburgh Evening News . 14 July 2020 . 14 July 2020.
  7. Web site: Kevin Nisbet. www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle. 19 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160402001006/https://ptfc.co.uk/teams/senior/seasons/2014-2015/players/kevin_nisbet. 2 April 2016. dead.
  8. Web site: Kevin Nisbet - March 2015. www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle F.C.. 19 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151006023806/http://ptfc.co.uk/news/2014-2015/march_2015/kevin_nisbet. 6 October 2015. dead.
  9. Web site: Davie. Scott. A Liam Boyce header was all Ross County needed to beat a Partick Thistle team that remains winless at the foot of the Scottish Premiership.. www.bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 19 September 2015.
  10. Web site: Partick Thistle sign Australian youth internationalist Ryan Edwards. 24 September 2015. Daily Record. 24 September 2015.
  11. Web site: Kevin Nisbet signs. Ayr United F.C.. 9 August 2016. 7 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20160810031715/https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/kevin-nisbet-signs/ . 10 August 2016.
  12. Web site: SIGNING NEWS: STRIKER ARRIVES FROM PARTICK THISTLE. Findlay. Alan. 22 January 2018. Dumbarton Football Club.
  13. Web site: Playing squad update . 25 May 2018 . 25 May 2018 . www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle FC.
  14. Web site: Signing News: Kevin Nisbet & Nathan Flanagan. 11 July 2018. Raith Rovers F.C..
  15. Web site: Kevin Nisbet signs for Dunfermline . Dunfermline Athletic F.C.. 13 June 2019 . 13 June 2019.
  16. Web site: K. Nisbet profile . Soccerway . 10 July 2020.
  17. Web site: Everyone happy with Nizzy decision . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 19 February 2020 . 10 July 2020.
  18. Web site: Exclusive: Portsmouth emerge as serious Dundee United rivals for Kevin Nisbet . Eric . Nicolson . Courier . DC Thomson Co Ltd . 12 June 2020 . 10 July 2020.
  19. News: Hibs seal stunning transfer move for striker Kevin Nisbet . Patrick . McPartlin . Edinburgh Evening News . JPIMedia Publishing Ltd . 10 July 2020 . 10 July 2020.
  20. Web site: Hibernian sign Kevin Nisbet and Drey Wright . BBC Sport . BBC . 10 July 2020 . 10 July 2020.
  21. Web site: Hibernian agree Kevin Nisbet signing . Hibernian F.C. . 10 July 2020 . 10 July 2020 . 11 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200711175915/http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/10669 . dead .
  22. News: 'I wasn't too happy' - Kevin Nisbet breaks silence on failed Birmingham City transfer . Shane . Ireland . Birmingham Mail . 15 March 2021 . 12 April 2021.
  23. Web site: Hibernian 3–0 FC Santa Coloma. bbcsport.co.uk. Colin. Moffat. 22 July 2021. 23 July 2021.
  24. Web site: Kevin Nisbet: Shaun Maloney expects striker to make World Cup finals if Scotland qualify . 11 March 2022 . 12 March 2022 . Brian . McLauchlin . BBC Sport.
  25. News: Rangers defeat was disappointing, but Hibs hero Kevin Nisbet is glad to be back . Andy . McGilvray . Daily Record . 16 December 2022 . 16 December 2022.
  26. Web site: Motherwell 2-3 Hibernian: Kevin Nisbet hat-trick earns vital win . BBC Sport . 8 January 2023 . 8 January 2023 . Thomas . Duncan.
  27. News: Hibs star becomes first non-Celtic or Rangers player to win Player of Month award this season . The Scotsman . Oliver . Anderson . 8 February 2023 . 8 February 2023.
  28. Web site: Kevin Nisbet: Hibernian consider Millwall's increased offer of £2m for Scotland striker . Brian . McLauchlin. BBC Sport . 25 January 2023 . 27 January 2023.
  29. Web site: Kevin Nisbet: Hibs striker's move to Millwall off despite accepted bid . Brian . McLauchlin. BBC Sport . 27 January 2023 . 27 January 2023.
  30. Web site: Kevin Nisbet: Hibernian accept Millwall bid for striker . Brian . McLauchlin . BBC Sport . 31 May 2023 . 31 May 2023.
  31. Web site: Hibs accept offer for Kevin Nisbet from English Championship club . Craig . Fowler. Edinburgh Evening News . 31 May 2023 . 31 May 2023.
  32. News: Kevin Nisbet axed from Millwall squad over 'disciplinary issue' as Scotland Euro 2024 hopeful falls foul of boss . Daily Record . 5 May 2024 . 24 May 2024.
  33. Web site: Scotland boss Steve Clarke praises Kevin Nisbet after receiving first call-up. Daily Record. 16 March 2021. 16 March 2021.
  34. Web site: Scotland 4–0 Faroe Islands . BBC Sport . Andrew . Southwick . 31 March 2021 . 31 March 2021.
  35. Web site: Kevin Nisbet: Hibernian striker says he proved to himself that he is Scotland class . BBC Sport . 30 May 2021 . 30 May 2021.
  36. News: Kevin Nisbet on first Scotland goal and giving himself chance for shock Czech Republic start . Alan . Pattullo . Edinburgh Evening News . 2 June 2021 . 3 June 2021.
  37. News: Kevin Nisbet: This will be catalyst for Hibs striker on his international journey . Moira . Gordon . 22 June 2021 . 24 June 2021.
  38. Web site: Scotland: Hibernian's Kevin Nisbet earns recall as Southampton's Che Adams misses out . BBC Sport . 29 May 2023 . 29 May 2023.
  39. Five Scottish League Cup appearances are shown here and one is shown here
  40. Appearances for Partick Thistle under-20s in the Scottish Challenge Cup in which age-restricted sides from the Scottish Premiership clubs compete against senior clubs
  41. Two appearances and one goal in the Scottish Challenge Cup and four appearances and two goals in the Scottish Championship play-offs
  42. Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  43. One appearance in the previous season's Scottish Cup which was rescheduled to October due to COVID-19
  44. Appearances in the UEFA Conference League