Hibs' Kevin Nisbet opens up on his 'silencer' goal celebration and what would not be acceptable for him

When he finally broke Cove Rangers’ resistance in extra-time at Easter Road two weeks’ ago, Kevin Nisbet pointedly stuck his fingers in his ears as he celebrated Hibs’ winner in the Scottish Cup fourth round tie.

It was one of only two goals Nisbet has scored in his last 10 appearances, a sequence in which the Scotland striker’s form has inevitably come under scrutiny from punters and pundits alike.

Nisbet admits he was anticipating being questioned about the gesture he made but insists there was no antagonism in it from his perspective.

"It was just about silencing some doubters who have been saying 'he's a flash in the pan' and all that stuff,” he explained. “There was no malice in it at all.

“I don’t think it plays on my mind as much. I’m not really one to look too much into it. Obviously it’s just a bit of frustration coming out. I know if I go out and score 10 goals in the next 10 games, then everything is forgotten about.

“It’s just part and parcel of being a footballer. You just kind of need to take it. But there was not any malice in it. It was just kind of a silencer.

“I like proving people wrong. I have done that my full career. I’ve always said the more doubters the better because the more people I get to prove wrong.”

Nisbet’s reaction will certainly be impassioned if he finds the net against Hearts at Easter Road on Tuesday night.

“I will probably just wing it,” he said with a smile. “We will just need to see what happens. It will probably depend on what end I score at!”.

Nisbet doesn’t underestimate the significance of a fixture in which defeat would see Hibs fall 15 points behind their city rivals in the Premiership table.

“That would not be acceptable for us,” he admitted. “We need to make sure that