Kevin Nisbet

Kevin Nisbet
Personal information
Full name Kevin Michael Nisbet[1]
Date of birth (1997-03-08) 8 March 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-forward
Team information
Current team
 Aberdeen
(on loan from Millwall)
Number 9
Youth career
2011–2012 Hibernian
2012–2014 Partick Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 Partick Thistle 17 (0)
2015 → East Stirlingshire (loan) 11 (6)
2016–2017 → Ayr United (loan) 20 (2)
2018 → Dumbarton (loan) 9 (0)
2018–2019 Raith Rovers 34 (29)
2019–2020 Dunfermline Athletic 25 (18)
2020–2023 Hibernian 78 (31)
2023– Millwall 28 (5)
2024– → Aberdeen (loan) 8 (4)
International career‡
2021– Scotland 11 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 October 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 June 2023

Kevin Michael Nisbet (born 8 March 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for Aberdeen, on loan from 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.[23]

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.[24] He suffered a knee injury in February 2022 that required surgery, and is expected to prevent him from playing for several months.[25]

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.[26] He scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win at Motherwell on 8 January,[27] which helped him win a Premiership player of the month award.[28] 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.[29][30] He finished the season with 12 goals from 20 appearances for Hibs.[31] On 31 May 2023, Hibs were reported as having accepted an offer of £2 million for Nisbet from Millwall.[31][32]

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".[33]

Aberdeen (loan)

On 24 August 2024, Nisbet went on loan to Aberdeen.[34]

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.[35] Nisbet made his international debut on 31 March, appearing as a substitute in a 4–0 win against the Faroe Islands.[36] He was one of three strikers selected in the Scotland squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament,[37] and scored his first international goal in a pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands.[38] Nisbet appeared as a substitute in each of Scotland's three matches at the Euro 2020 finals.[39]

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.[40]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Partick Thistle 2014–15[41] Scottish Premiership 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2015–16[42] Scottish Premiership 8 0 1 0 0 0 — 9 0
2016–17[43] Scottish Premiership 3 0 1 0 1 0 — 5 0
2017–18[44] Scottish Premiership 6 0 0 0 6[c] 0 0 0 12 0
Total 17 0 2 0 7 0 0 0 26 0
Partick Thistle U-20s 2016–17[43] SPFL Development League – – – 2[d] 3 2 3
2017–18[44] SPFL Development League – – – 2[d] 1 2 1
Total – – – 4 4 4 4
East Stirlingshire (loan) 2014–15[41] Scottish League Two 11 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 6
Ayr United (loan) 2016–17[43] Scottish Championship 20 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 2
Dumbarton (loan) 2017–18[44] Scottish Championship 9 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 13 0
Raith Rovers 2018–19[45] Scottish League One 34 29 2 1 4 1 6[e] 3 46 34
Dunfermline Athletic 2019–20[46] Scottish Championship 25 18 1 0 5 5 1[d] 0 32 23
Hibernian 2020–21[23] Scottish Premiership 33 14 6[f] 2 6 2 — 45 18
2021–22[47] Scottish Premiership 26 5 2 2 4 1 4[g] 1 36 9
2022–23[48] Scottish Premiership 19 12 1 0 0 0 — 20 12
Total 78 31 9 4 10 3 4 1 101 39
Millwall 2023–24[49] Championship 27 5 1 0 1 0 – 29 5
2024–25[50] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 0
Total 28 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 30 5
Aberdeen (loan) 2024–25[50] Scottish Premiership 5 2 0 0 1 1 – 6 3
Career total 227 93 16 5 28 10 18 8 289 116
  1. ^ Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes Scottish League Cup, EFL Cup
  3. ^ Five Scottish League Cup appearances are shown here Kevin Nisbet at Soccerbase and one is shown here Kevin Nisbet at Soccerbase
  4. ^ a b c Appearances in Scottish Challenge Cup
  5. ^ Two appearances and one goal in Scottish Challenge Cup, four appearances and two goals in Scottish Championship play-offs
  6. ^ Includes one appearance in the 2019–20 Scottish Cup that was rescheduled to October 2020 due to COVID-19
  7. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

As of 20 June 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 2021 10 1
2023 1 0
Total 11 1
As of match played 7 September 2021. Scotland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Nisbet goal.
List of international goals scored by Kevin Nisbet
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 2 June 2021 Estadio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal 2  Netherlands 2–1 2–2 Friendly [38]

References

[51]

  1. ^ "Kevin Nisbet". The Thistle Archive. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  2. ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Kevin Nisbet (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Dunfermline's loan move for Killie winger as key pair sign contract extensions". The Courier. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via PressReader.
  4. ^ "Hibs star Kevin Nisbet reveals his dad died just days before Hearts semi-final". Daily Record. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  5. ^ Scotland players' old schools send good luck messages, Henry Hepburn, TES (magazine), 11 June 2021
  6. ^ a b McPartlin, Patrick (14 July 2020). "Kevin Nisbet reveals Covid-19 fears over Hibs move, football wake-up call, and why he doesn't set personal targets". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Kevin Nisbet". www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Kevin Nisbet - March 2015". www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle F.C. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  9. ^ 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. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Partick Thistle sign Australian youth internationalist Ryan Edwards". Daily Record. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Kevin Nisbet signs". Ayr United F.C. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  12. ^ Findlay, Alan (22 January 2018). "SIGNING NEWS: STRIKER ARRIVES FROM PARTICK THISTLE". Dumbarton Football Club.
  13. ^ "Playing squad update". www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle FC. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Signing News: Kevin Nisbet & Nathan Flanagan". Raith Rovers F.C. 11 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Kevin Nisbet signs for Dunfermline". Dunfermline Athletic F.C. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  16. ^ "K. Nisbet profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Everyone happy with Nizzy decision". Dunfermline Athletic FC. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  18. ^ Nicolson, Eric (12 June 2020). "Exclusive: Portsmouth emerge as serious Dundee United rivals for Kevin Nisbet". Courier. DC Thomson Co Ltd. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  19. ^ McPartlin, Patrick (10 July 2020). "Hibs seal stunning transfer move for striker Kevin Nisbet". Edinburgh Evening News. JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Hibernian sign Kevin Nisbet and Drey Wright". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Hibernian agree Kevin Nisbet signing". Hibernian F.C. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  22. ^ Ireland, Shane (15 March 2021). "'I wasn't too happy' - Kevin Nisbet breaks silence on failed Birmingham City transfer". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  24. ^ Moffat, Colin (22 July 2021). "Hibernian 3–0 FC Santa Coloma". bbcsport.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  25. ^ McLauchlin, Brian (11 March 2022). "Kevin Nisbet: Shaun Maloney expects striker to make World Cup finals if Scotland qualify". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  26. ^ McGilvray, Andy (16 December 2022). "Rangers defeat was disappointing, but Hibs hero Kevin Nisbet is glad to be back". Daily Record. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  27. ^ Duncan, Thomas (8 January 2023). "Motherwell 2-3 Hibernian: Kevin Nisbet hat-trick earns vital win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  28. ^ Anderson, Oliver (8 February 2023). "Hibs star becomes first non-Celtic or Rangers player to win Player of Month award this season". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  29. ^ McLauchlin, Brian (25 January 2023). "Kevin Nisbet: Hibernian consider Millwall's increased offer of £2m for Scotland striker". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  30. ^ McLauchlin, Brian (27 January 2023). "Kevin Nisbet: Hibs striker's move to Millwall off despite accepted bid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  31. ^ a b McLauchlin, Brian (31 May 2023). "Kevin Nisbet: Hibernian accept Millwall bid for striker". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  32. ^ Fowler, Craig (31 May 2023). "Hibs accept offer for Kevin Nisbet from English Championship club". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Kevin Nisbet axed from Millwall squad over 'disciplinary issue' as Scotland Euro 2024 hopeful falls foul of boss". Daily Record. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Nisbet strengthens Dons' forward line". Aberdeen F.C.
  35. ^ "Scotland boss Steve Clarke praises Kevin Nisbet after receiving first call-up". Daily Record. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  36. ^ Southwick, Andrew (31 March 2021). "Scotland 4–0 Faroe Islands". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  37. ^ "Kevin Nisbet: Hibernian striker says he proved to himself that he is Scotland class". BBC Sport. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  38. ^ a b Pattullo, Alan (2 June 2021). "Kevin Nisbet on first Scotland goal and giving himself chance for shock Czech Republic start". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  39. ^ Gordon, Moira (22 June 2021). "Kevin Nisbet: This will be catalyst for Hibs striker on his international journey". Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  40. ^ "Scotland: Hibernian's Kevin Nisbet earns recall as Southampton's Che Adams misses out". BBC Sport. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  41. ^ a b "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  42. ^ "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  43. ^ a b c "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  44. ^ a b c "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  45. ^ "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  46. ^ "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  47. ^ "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  48. ^ "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  49. ^ "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  50. ^ a b "Games played by Kevin Nisbet in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  51. ^ "Kevin Nisbet Eyes Scotland Squad Return with Aberdeen Loan Move". Innews247. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024. Kevin Nisbet's loan to Aberdeen FC is seen as a strategic move to boost his Scotland squad return.