Hat-trick Hibee promises more goals will flow
Kevin Nisbet insists he wil not be weighed down by his hefty price tag this season – but admits he can play with a little more freedom after breaking his duck in style.
The £250,000 signing from Dunfermline claimed an assist on his debut against Kilmarnock last weekend but went three better against Livingston with a clinical hat-trick.
A first-half double eased any pressure he was feeling and the late penalty ensured he left the Tony Macaroni Arena gleefully clutching the match ball signed by his team-mates.
With six points in the bag after two fixtures that looked tricky on paper, there will be plenty of belief in Nisbet and his colleagues when they head for Tannadice to take on Dundee United on Tuesday.
Asked if he feels any pressure because of his transfer fee, he said: “Not really. I back myself, I’m confident in my ability and what I can bring to the team.
“It’s just about hitting 10 and then going from there and getting as many goals as I can.
“But the most important thing is helping the team – off the ball and on the ball, and scoring goals and getting assists and getting points on the board.
“It’s the best possible start. We’ve scored six goals in two games and got six points – brilliant.
“Daryl did brilliant for the first and put it on a plate for me.
“I think I can feed off that this season.
“The game-plan was to get a lot of crosses in and Daryl did that, and thankfully I got on the end to put them away.
“To get the first goal is vital in the first couple of games.
“I’ve got three now and it’s a good marker to go on for the rest of the season.”
Nisbet’s belief was clear when Melker Hallberg was bundled over by Marvin Bartley late on and he confidently grabbed the ball.
He added: “Nobody else was getting the ball to take the penalty. When you’re on a hat-trick, you need to take the penalty.”
Livingston suffered from a slow start in last weekend’s defeat to St Mirren and were sluggish out of the blocks again on a ground where their home record was bettered only by the Old Firm last season.
Manager Gary Holt moaned: “We were not good enough, simple as that.
“I have to watch what I say. We are just two games in but that is not us. I have told them that.
“All the good work we did last year, forget it.
“Fifth place was last year, it’s done. They have to take responsibility, look themselves in the mirror and make sure they can say ‘I did my job to the best of my ability’.”