Aberdeen boss has said on-loan Millwall striker Kevin Nisbet ‘pushed hard’ before sending his current club to the top of the SPFL this weekend.
While Millwall were getting their first win of the season, the Scotland striker was helping send the Dons to the top of the tbale for the first time in nearly a decade. Nisbet, making only his second appearance since joining on loan from the Lions, struck in the eighth minute of injury time to clinch Aberdeen’s ninth consecutive win under manager Jimmy Thelin.
The late goal was the culmination of a tense match filled with near-misses and VAR drama. Ross County thought they had taken an early lead when Ronan Hale’s shot deflected off his shin and rolled over the line, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside. Hale’s frustration grew in the second half when former Cambridge United goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov saved his penalty, keeping the match deadlocked.
Aberdeen had their own close call when Slobadan Rubezic headed in a rebound after Vicente Besuijen’s free-kick struck the bar. However, VAR once again intervened, ruling Rubezic offside and disallowing the goal.
Just as it seemed the match would end in a stalemate, Nisbet delivered the decisive blow, calmly slotting the ball home to send Aberdeen to the top of the table, ahead of Celtic, who regained the top spot 24 hours later.
“It is good for Kevin to arrive at a new club and get a goal so early,” Aberdeen boss Thelin said. “He should be happy with that. Kevin has pushed hard in the training sessions and also helped to defend against Ross County. He took on a lot of responsibility to pick up second balls and was vocal on the pitch, so I’m pleased with that.
“For the goal Kevin was in the right place at the right time. Shayden [Morris] got a good ball into the box but you have to be there, and Kevin was.”
The 27-year-old began his professional career with Partick Thistle, making his SPFL Premiership debut as a substitute, ironically, against Ross County in September 2015. In 2018, Nisbet left Thistle for Raith Rovers, where his career took off. He scored 34 goals in all competitions, leading to a move to Dunfermline the following year.
He continued his prolific form with 23 goals in 32 games despite the season ending early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With 57 goals over two seasons, it was inevitable that bigger clubs would take notice, and Hibernian came calling.
He joined Millwall from the Edinburgh outfit in 2023, having hit 39 goals in 101 outings for Hibs. He’s found it a challenge to settle in London, with five goals in 20 outings, and joined Aberdeen on loan in August.
Writer’s View
It’s a good job. Millwall hit a few goals this weekend. Otherwise, there might have been a few fans questioning why they have a striker out on loan hitting the net when they’re struggling.
Nisbet is a decent striker; he’s got Scotland caps and is a bit of a coup signing for Aberdeen. It’s good news for Millwall he’s hitting the back of the net as well – it either makes him a viable recall in January if they’re struggling or a saleable asset which might generate a bit of income.
Either way, there will be a section of the East London support keeping an eye on Aberdeen’s results, hoping to see their asset accumulate value north of the border.
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