Kevin Nisbet’s career has been on upward trajectory since Partick Thistle release – and he intends to carry that on in Millwall colours

Kevin Nisbet is hoping the only way is up at Millwall – just like the direction of his career ever since he was released by Partick Thistle in 2018.

The 26-year-old Glaswegian has the chance to test himself in English football after his transfer from Hibernian this summer.

Nisbet was hugely prolific in Scottish League One – plundering 29 goals in 34 matches – before then netting 18 times in 25 outings in the division above for Dunfermline.

Those numbers ensured that he only spent one season at both clubs before joining Hibernian for an undisclosed fee in July 2020.

Nisbet scored 18 goals in all competitions for the Edinburgh outfit, in 45 appearances, before an ACL injury in February 2022 ate into the two most recent campaigns.

He scored on his return, a 3-2 defeat at Rangers, in the middle of December and bagged a hat-trick against Motherwell the following month to make it seven goals in six matches, eventually notching 12 times in 20 games.

“I was delighted with it but I probably should’ve scored a few more,” said Nisbet, talking to the South London Press before the tragic death of chairman John Berylson. “It was a good return.

“It was hard because the ACL was my first major injury. I was lucky enough I had a manager – Shaun Maloney – who had been through it before. He made the whole thing a lot easier.

“He came down to London the night before the operation and took me out for dinner, just to make sure I was okay. I had the surgery the next day. I had him to bounce stuff off and ask questions.

“It was lonely days. In at half-eight in the morning and getting back to the house at half-six. You’re doing the same stuff every day. But it was going towards an end goal – to be was back playing, and I did that. I came back fine.

“I put the work in during my rehab and it stood me in good stead. I don’t think anyone expected me to come back as good as I did. But I did – and now I’m here at Millwall, it’s about continuing that scoring form.

“I want to score as many goals as I can before Christmas and then we can look at it from there.

“I’ll take it game by game. Getting the first one is probably my most important one – it will be fine after that.”

Nisbet tried to watch as many of Millwall’s matches as possible after a January transfer broke down.

Hibs rejected a £3million bid from Birmingham City in the 2021 January window, with the player handing in a transfer request to try and expedite an Easter Road exit.

Nisbet learned from that experience when he saw another Championship move fail to reach completion at the start of the year.

“I was actually okay about it,” he said. “I’ve been through it before, when I was meant to go to Birmingham and it didn’t happen. That kind of matured me a bit. I dealt with it a lot better.

“I knew, at the back of my mind, that Millwall would be there in the summer as well. It was about me continuing to score goals and basically then try and get things sorted early.”

Things did move quickly with the Lions announcing a deal before the end of June. Nisbet sought the advice of Maloney, his manager at Hibs for 18 months, when he sized up the move.

“He gave me good reviews of Millwall,” said the forward. “And the Scotland coaching staff – Steve Clarke, John Carver etc – they gave good reviews as well and said it would be a brilliant club for me.

“I’d say the physicality will be the difference in England, so I need to step up to that.

“I’ve got a few friends who play down here. Ross McCrorie at Bristol City – we play them in the second game of the season. And Ryan Porteous, at Watford. I’m looking forward to them.

“My game is about goals but I give 100 per cent and work hard. I’m more technical as well, I can drop in – take the ball and link the play. I can go in behind as well. It’s down to me to go and prove what I can do.

“I built myself back up. I got released when I was 20, 21 and I had to drop down into the lower leagues. I’ve been on an upward trajectory since. Hopefully that continues.”

Nisbet could have reported for Millwall training later due to his involvement with Scotland earlier in the summer.

Instead he opted to fly out with the rest of Gary Rowett’s squad to Alicante for a training camp.

“I went away for a couple of days either side of Scotland,” said Nisbet. “It was a bit hectic, a lot of flights and travel, but I wanted to get down and start with the team as quickly as possible.

“It was a tough first few days of training – a shock to the system. Now it is just about getting going.”