Of all the expensive foreign strikers who have come and gone over the years, some of the best and most fondly remembered players are those who were born in Scotland, scored goals there and seemed to fit into the league perfectly.
Never mind false nines, trequartistas and whatever else is required to be successful in more advanced cultures. Something simpler earned the likes of John Robertson, Kris Boyd and Leigh Griffiths a place in Scottish football folklore.
They all had an unassailable instinct to find the net. They plundered such a quantity of goals in so many seasons that they claimed a place in the country’s record books, as well as in the hearts and minds of the supporters.
This weekend’s Premiership match between Aberdeen and Hearts at Pittodrie will bring together two top strikers from a similar breed. Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet, whose last fight came in an Edinburgh derby 18 months ago, are the kind of players whose prodigious goal-scoring efforts belong in this region.
Together they have scored more than 300 goals, almost all in Scotland. Shankland, 29, has scored 206 goals at Queen’s Park, Aberdeen, Dunfermline, St Mirren, Morton, Ayr United, Dundee United, Beerschot and now Hearts. Nisbet, 27, has racked up 105 points with Partick Thistle, Dumbarton, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline, Hibs, Millwall and now Aberdeen.
Their numbers can be attributed to a career path that forced them to prove themselves in senior football rather than graduate from an academy system. They each dropped a few divisions to reset an ailing career, kickstarted it by scoring goals and continued by repeating the feat until they were back in the Premier League.
Lawrence Shankland’s late equalizer against Ross County ended a run of eight consecutive defeats.
Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet scored his third goal in four games against Dundee at Dens Park.
Shankland has taken on a leadership role at Hearts, but scoring goals will always be his speciality.
Neither should be confused, somewhat disparagingly, with the poachers of yesteryear. Nisbet is strong in the air, occupying his marker and controlling the channels. Shankland has learned to take on a deeper role, make things happen and lead from the front as Hearts captain.
But first and foremost they are goalscorers. Like some of their prolific predecessors, their specialty is best suited to Scottish football. Two years ago, Shankland returned from a spell in Belgium, where he had played out of position, and completed a scoring run so spectacular that it even broke Robertson’s records at Tynecastle.
Shankland has only scored once this season, but it was an important goal. His injury-time equalizer against Ross County last week ended a run of eight straight defeats for Hearts. The managerless Edinburgh team are still bottom of the table, but they will do well, as will Shankland. He always does that.
Nisbet, meanwhile, completed a £2m move to Millwall from Hibs just over a year ago. So far he has not succeeded in England due to injury and questions from their manager about his attitude. In August he was loaned out to Aberdeen for a season and as part of the Jimmy Thelin revolution, he looked like a man reborn. With three goals in his last four games, there is a good chance he will score another tomorrow at Pittodrie.
If he does, and Aberdeen record their 13th straight win in all competitions, it will put them 19 points clear of Hearts, the team who finished 20 points ahead of them last season. When put to Graeme Shinnie, the Dons midfielder admitted it was a turnaround that could hardly have been foreseen. He said: ‘Football is crazy, isn’t it? Different seasons, different things happen. Crazy things happen.’
Where Nisbet will be next season is yet to be determined. Although it is too early to speak of a permanent move, it will be no surprise if he stays at Pittodrie, revives his international career and, like some of those who have gone before him, spends his best years in Scottish football gives. Let’s hope so.
Falkirk manager John McGlynn will be hoping his team can get back to winning ways against Ayr.
The battle for the championship title is heating up
After five away games in a row, Falkirk could always expect a big crowd when they returned home this weekend. That their first game at the Falkirk Stadium since August is against top flight Ayr United will only add to the occasion.
John McGlynn and his players received huge plaudits for their recent performance at Celtic Park in the Premier Sports Cup, but they followed this up with a 1-0 defeat to Raith and the worry for them is that the momentum of a 43-game unbeaten run competition matches have been lost.
With Scott Brown’s work at Ayr attracting attention and David Martindale doing what David Martindale is doing at Livingston, this season’s battle for promotion from the Championship will be nothing short of compelling.
Dundee’s emotions run deep
It was an emotional time for Dundee and their supporters. First came the news that former striker Fabian Caballero had died aged 46, a tragedy that rocked the club during preparations for last week’s match against Aberdeen at Dens Park.
Then, after a 2-1 defeat, it emerged that their midfielder, Mo Sylla, had collapsed in the dressing room at half-time and had been taken to hospital. The 30-year-old Frenchman had suffered anaphylactic shock, which can be an extreme, sometimes life-threatening condition. The next few days have been worrying for everyone involved, but the good news is that Sylla is back in training and may even be available for this weekend’s home game against Kilmarnock. As important as he is to Dundee’s good work under Tony Docherty, no one will complain if he is given a little longer to fully recover.