Hibs’ striker Kevin Nisbet was ‘buzzing‘ after yesterday’s victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park which sees Hibs move into third place above Aberdeen who face champions Celtic today.

The youngster who joined Hibs in the summer for an undisclosed fee from Dunfermline scored his eighth goal of the season from the penalty spot to secure the three points but insisted that there is more to his game that scoring.

Betfred Cup – Hibernian v Brora Rangers,. Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. 07/10/2020. Hibs play host to Highland League side, Brora Rangers in the Betfred Cup at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh. Pic shows: Credit: Ian Jacobs

Nisbet and his strike partner Christian Doidge never gave the Kilmarnock defenders a second’s peace and in the end the scoreline flattered Killie now Nisbet and his team mates are fully focussed on next Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts.

After the final whistle Nisbet told Hibernian TV: “I’m delighted. This is a hard place to come and to get a one-nil win and a clean sheet, I’m buzzing. I think as a striker it is always good to score goals but the graft that me and Doidgie (Christian Doidge) put in  week in week out give us confidence for each other.

“For us it’s about taking each week game by game and just trying to bang out as many wins as possible. We have a big one next week so hopefully it continues.

“It’s my first Edinburgh derby and I am absolutely buzzing for it.  I can’t wait and I know that all the boys are just ready to go.”

Hibs Head Coach Jack Ross was full of praise for the striker but highlighted the contribution of Doidge.

He added:  “It’s (8 goals) a brilliant return and it shows you how confident he is that he is willing to take the responsibility for taking the penalty. There are others in our team that would be more than willing to do so as well and I had every confidence in him scoring it.

“We have been really pleased about how he has adjusted to life. I keep saying it all the time that he will keep improving and we keep at him to improve and he knows that but his overall contribution both in terms of performance and goals has been really good so far.

He’s enjoying playing with Christian (Doidge) who was excellent today. Kevin will get headlines because he scored the winner but Christian’s overall contribution to the game was excellent.”

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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.