Why Hibs’ Christian Doidge was so happy with Kevin Nisbet’s hat-trick

Welshman who struggled after moving to Easter Road is delighted his new strike partner hit the ground running in rout of Livingston

Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet takes the match ball home following his hat-trick against Livingston. Picture: Ross MacDonald/SNS Group

Building on last season’s achievements appears to be proving easier for some than others.

Livingston surprised everyone last term with their fifth-place finish. But two games into the new campaign, with two losses to show for their efforts, they are, thus far, finding it hard to replicate the form that fuelled their success.

Christian Doidge can offer them some hope, though. The Hibernian striker was a slow starter in his first season with the Leith club but when he finally found his scoring rhythm, there was no stopping
him, as he ended the season with 18 goals – the most prolific
striker in the league outwith the Old Firm.

Kevin Nisbet's penalty wraps up Hibs' 4-1 victory at the Tony Macaroni Arena. Picture: Ross MacDonald/SNS Group

On Saturday he took up where he had left off, showing a striker’s instinct to ensure he was in the right place at the right time to stab home a 42nd- minute goal which, when added to the two already bagged by strike partner Kevin Nisbet, effectively killed off any hopes Livingston may have harboured of a second-half comeback.

“‘Obviously I’ve come off quite a good year goal scoring
wise. I’m at the same club, comfortable with all the lads and I’m trying my hardest to build on what I did last year,” said the Welshman, who is planning to maintain his push for international rewards.

“Every day in training, the players are learning to know what runs I’m making. Maybe
at the start they didn’t know that. It can be hard as a striker when you go to a new club and the goals won’t come.

“That’s why I’m so delighted for Kevin to hit the ground running in such style. Hopefully there are many more goals to come from him.”

It was a promising performance all round by Hibs but given how precious a commodity proven goalscorers can be, the fact that both of his main strikers were on the scoresheet will have been a source of huge satisfaction to boss Jack Ross.

“I think we performed well together and I’m really happy for Kevin to get that hat-trick,” said Doidge. “He has been looking really sharp.

“It’s a fantastic achievement at any level, getting a hat-trick, and I’m so pleased for him.

“With Martin [Boyle] getting a couple last week, we’ve got plenty of threat – and there are even more goals in the team, I think. Joe [Newell] scores a lot of goals in training, Daryl
[Horgan] is a real threat as well. I think we looked good against Livingston, even when we were up against it, with Boyle’s pace.

“We probably could have scored a lot more.”

Summer signing Nisbet opened his Hibs account only 24 minutes into his second game and having grabbed his first he wasted little time in adding to his tally.

The movement and off-the-ball running of the former Dunfermline man and those around him made life tough for Livingston, who had come close themselves in the opening stages but Scott Robinson failed to find the net.

The West Lothian side have yet to find the type of performance that reaped such rich dividends last season and when Horgan finally got free down the left flank, he was able to bide his time and wait for the perfect moment to drive in a low, inviting cross for Nisbet to direct home at the back post.

In the 38th minute Horgan and Nisbet combined again, but this time the cross was swung for Nisbet and he got clear of his marker to head home.

He had to wait until late in the game to wrap up his hat-trick but when Marvin Bartley 
bundled Merker Hallberg to the turf in the 88th minute, Nisbet stepped up to confidently strike the spot-kick past Robby McCrorie and seal a comprehensive victory for the visitors.

Gary Holt’s men had temporarily reduced the deficit when Ryan Porteous was adjudged to have felled Matej Poplatnik in the box just before the hour mark. Lyndon Dykes was clinical from the penalty spot but it was a day when not enough Livingston players stepped up and a day when everything Hibs have been working on paid off.

“What we’d done all week in training was about getting crosses in the box,” revealed Doidge. “And we did it to a tee.
That speaks volumes and shows that the lads are taking
on board what the gaffer wants from us.”

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