In the event that Aberdeen do, one way or another, end up snatching Scotland’s coveted spot in the Europa League play-off round, it will likely owe much to the goals of Kevin Nisbet.
They have also made it substantially more probable that he would still be here to take part in it.
By his own admission, Nisbet hit the ground ambling upon his arrival at Pittodrie. His crediting of Spring’s regrowth to increased fitness work raises the question of what he was putting in before.
But bygones are bygones; what matters far more at this stage of a season, when the prizes are distributed and players’ employment intentions resolved, is what the future holds.
Until very recently it was not on the cards that Nisbet’s Aberdeen stay would extend past May. Now though – after another strike whose invention matched its importance – it may very well be that all parties are interested in making that happen.
Nisbet is visibly enjoying his football as much as at any recent point, and Jimmy Thelin clearly trusts him as his unchallenged line-leader, fielding him for every minute of the last six games despite a litany of other options. Millwall, for their part, are managing fine without him.
While Thelin’s blueprint does not necessarily stand or fall on the presence of a high-output finisher in the penalty box, having one rarely hurts. Particularly when they are also capable of finding corners of the net from beyond 18 yards, even if only by inches.
When initially signed to fill Bojan Miovski’s shirt, Nisbet felt like a stopgap, destined to either fail to justify the billing or succeed so conspicuously as to be reclaimed by his parent club. His returns have fallen intriguingly in the middle: quite conceivably into the sweet spot for player and club alike.
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