The Story So Far E-Book

Tom Wright

• Herausgeber: Luath Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 793

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

As Hibernian Football Club celebrates its 150th anniversary, The Story So Far offers an enthralling journey through the club's storied history. As the official club historian, Tom Wright meticulously chronicles a century and a half of triumphs, trials, and unforgettable moments that have shaped Hibernian into a pillar of Scottish football. From its modest origins in 1875 to the heights of glory, this book is rich with inspiring anecdotes and captivating narratives that breathe life into the club's legacy. Whether you're a die-hard season ticket holder or an armchair fan, The Story So Far is an essential addition to any Hibernian supporter's collection. Get ready to relive the moments that have made Hibernian a beloved institution!

Leseprobe

TOM WRIGHT, a lifelong Hibs supporter, attended his first game aged nine, totally unaware at that time that football, but particularly Hibs, would become such a major influence in his life from that day on. Previously secretary of the Hibs Former Players Association, he is the club historian, a Trustee of the Hibernian Historical Trust, involved in the Football Memories project at Easter Road, and is also the author of several books about the club.

By the same author

Hibernian: From Joe Baker to Turnbull's Tornadoes, 2011

Crops: The Alex Cropley Story, (with Alex Cropley) 2013

Leith: Glimpses of Times Past, 2014

Hibs Through and Through: The Eric Stevenson Story, (with Eric Stevenson) 2016

Hibernian: The Life and Times of a Famous Football Club, 2017

The History of the Hibs Quiz Book, 2018

The Rise and Eventual Fall of Turnbull's Tornadoes, 2023

First published 2025

ISBN: 978-1-91032-442-4

Typeset in 11.5 point Sabon by Lapiz

The author’s right to be identified as authors of this work under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 has been asserted.

Images © Tom Wright unless otherwise indicated

Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgements

1The Great Hunger

2The Association Game

3In the Beginning

4The Birth of Hibernian Football Club

5The First Easter Road

6World Champions

7A New Start

8League Champions and Scottish Cup Winners

9A Move to Piershill

10The Tragedy of James Main

11The Great War

12The Celebrated Side

13The Start of a Gradual Decline

14Relegation and Harry Swan

15The Second World War

16The Golden Years

17Three League Titles and a Trip to Brazil

18A Period of Transition

19The European Cup

20Barcelona

21Jock Stein and Real Madrid

22The First £100,000 Footballer

23Turnbull’s Tornadoes

24The Premier League

25George Best and Relegation

26Alec Miller and Hands Off Hibs

27The Team That Would Not Die

28Three Managers in the Same Season

39League Cup Final Success

30An Embarrassing Afternoon at Hampden

31They Have Only Gone and Done It

32The Coronavirus and Football

33A Truly Remarkable Season

34A New Beginning

Appendix: Hibernian FC Timeline

Introduction

THIS IS THE story of a football team formed by a group of young Irishmen or descendants of Irish immigrants living in the city of Edinburgh. A club that, in the early years, had been forced to overcome fierce bigotry and sectarianism from various quarters, including the football authorities themselves, and that, despite these threats to its very existence, would quickly become the best side in the area and one of the best in Scotland. It is a story of the people and the ingenuity that has helped shape the game as we know it today, a rich seam of tradition, heritage and drama running through its very veins.

Although the club had been formed in the Cowgate area of the city in 1875, Leith has always had a prominent part to play in its colourful history and, for well over 100 years, Hibs have been generally accepted as a Leith team. After playing at several different locations throughout the city, including the first Easter Road ground that was situated just a few yards outside the then Edinburgh boundary with Leith, moving to the present Easter Road ground in 1893, the stadium has always been either partly or entirely inside the district of Leith regardless of any change of the boundary lines.

The club has always been proud of its connection with Leith, and this was reflected in 2000, when the crest was changed to now include not only the port’s historic ship emblem but the Leith motto, Persevere. The motto was also adopted as the slogan for the club’s later four-month Persevered Scottish Cup Trophy Tour in 2016 when the cup was displayed at countless schools, care homes, hospitals and many other organisations throughout the city and much further afield.

As well as the many thousands of fans that over the years have made the short distance from the port to the stadium on a match day, several prominent figures connected with the club have also been associated with Leith, not least former owner Sir Tom Farmer who was born just a short distance from the Foot of the Walk, or the ‘Fit o the Walk’ as it is more commonly known, his great uncle Philip Farmer president when the club won the Scottish Cup in 1902.

This book covers not only all the major events over the past 150 years, but also the sometimes less important but no less interesting happenings. It’s been a long journey since 1875, but looking back one can only begin to wonder just what the early pioneers of the game – when players played for the jersey – would have made of the modern game: European football, floodlights, the introduction of VAR, the expansion of the ladies’ game, under-soil heating, television coverage, electronic scoreboards and much more, including the huge amount of money that can now be earned. Money has always had an important part to play in the game, even in the days before professionalism, when under-the-counter payments were fairly common, but it was then football-led, as opposed to the modern game, which now seems more about money, the game itself often coming second. Maybe, by looking at the history of one of Scotland’s oldest and most beloved clubs, we can keep alive that football-led, community spirit so central to its survival all these years.

Acknowledgements

MY THANKS TO the staff of the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh for their tremendous help throughout the years. My main sources have been the Edinburgh Evening News, The Scotsman, Daily Mail and Daily Record, the official match programmes and far too many publications and other sources of information to mention.

Particular thanks to Alan Rennie for the photographs of the 2016 Scottish Cup Final side and the game against HNK Rijeka. All the other photographs are from my own personal collection. Where necessary, every effort has been made to locate any copyright holders.

And finally my thanks must go to the countless Hibs players that have entertained me throughout the years, good times and bad, and also the tremendous supporters I have met along the way.

1

The Great Hunger

THE GREAT IRISH potato famines of the mid-1800s that had also affected parts of Scotland, the south of England and northern Europe would lead to a shortage of food and eventual starvation and death for many. The airborne blight is believed to have arrived from America, transported in the holds of ships visiting Europe and it is estimated that from a population in Ireland of around eight million, almost one million would die as a result of starvation and disease. At that time a great number of the Irish rural inhabitants were extremely poor, many depending on the potato as their staple diet and the shortage of food would ultimately cause great hardship. Now with little or in some cases no food, many would be left with no other alternative but to move abroad and almost two million would soon leave seeking a better life elsewhere. Those that could afford it would make their way to America or Australia, the majority however making the short journey to nearby England and Scotland. In Scotland, a great many would eventually settle on the west coast, particularly in the immediate Glasgow area where they would find work in the numerous industries situated around the River Clyde. Some made their way to Dundee to seek work in the abundant jute mills, while many others would make the journey to Edinburgh where they would find employment, mainly as unskilled labourers including work in the expansion of Leith Docks that was taking place around that time and in various other unskilled occupations.

In Edinburgh many would eventually settle in the Cowgate and surrounding area that would soon become known as Little Ireland. At one time the Cowgate had been one of the oldest and wealthiest thoroughfares in the city, but after the construction of George Street and Queen Street many would now take advantage of the fresh air of the new town, leaving the area relatively empty and in the hands of unscrupulous landlords and a flourishing black market. The usually impoverished Irish immigrants could often be found living in squalid, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often sleeping many to a room. Their intemperate habits however, and a general acceptance to work for less wages, had almost immediately made them extremely unpopular with the locals, the area said to have been ‘not unknown to the police’.

2

The Association Game

FOR HUNDREDS OF years many different forms of football have been played in this country, the often-disorganised games sometimes allowing handling as well as kicking. The first recorded mention of football in Scotland was in 1424 when King James I banned the game as it was felt to be interfering with archery practice, then a vitally important form of defence. Later, there would also be opposition from religious institutions who considered that the playing of the game of football or golf on a Sunday not only violated the Sabbath but also helped dissuade some from attending sermons.

These early games however had been played under many different rules or regulations and by the 18th century efforts were being made to bring it more into line, including banning the rough and violent village games that were often described as being played by angry mobs and would regularly end in broken limbs or worse. By the middle of the 19th century several of the major colleges in England had been keen to compete against each other but had often found it difficult as each played under their own distinct set of regulations. It was only in 1848 when the College or Cambridge rules were conceived, followed by the formation of the Football League in 1863, that the game we know today as Association Football finally began to evolve, and would later lead to the formation of the Scottish Football Association in 1873, ten years later than their English counterparts. Formed in 1867, Queen’s Park are said to have been the first Scottish side to adopt the new association rules although with slight amendments, remaining undefeated for several years, not least as no doubt they would have encountered great difficulty in finding opponents. Supplying all 11 Scottish players for what is recognised as the world’s first official international against England at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow in November 1872, in attracting a crowd of around 4,000 the game’s popularity north of the border had been secured almost overnight. The association game quickly became one of the most popular sports in the country, particularly in Glasgow and the West of Scotland. In Edinburgh, Rugby remained the established game, but on 27 December 1873, two Glasgow sides, Queens Park and Clydesdale, both founding members of the recently formed Scottish Football Association who saw themselves as missionaries for the new code, played an exhibition match at Raimes Park in Leith, that would later be renamed Victoria Park to commemorate the Queens Golden Jubilee in 1887. Watched by a few hundred curious onlookers, several of those watching from the sidelines that historic afternoon would leave to form their own sides and soon several had sprung up in the city playing under the association rules, including 3rd Edinburgh Rifles, Hanover, Thistle, Brunswick, White Star, St Andrews, Swifts and later Hibs and Hearts to name but a few. Although all trace of the game is long gone, the site of that historic first game can still be seen today.

3

In the Beginning

IT IS GENERALLY accepted that Father, later Canon, Hannan of St Patrick’s Church in the Cowgate had been instrumental in the founding of the club on Friday 6 August 1875 in a ceremony in the Catholic Institute to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Daniel O’Connell a leader in the field of Catholic emancipation. However, there appears to be some uncertainty as to his direct involvement at that particular time. The minutes of a Catholic Young Men’s Society (CYMS) meeting dated 2 January 1877, refers to the then Chaplain Hannan

asking for information regarding the football club’s connection with the society, and as it appeared to be outside our direction promised to see the members either individually or collectively with a view to bring them within our influence.

The minutes dated 27 February confirming: ‘the officers of the football club were willing to come under the control and patronage of the council’; and those of the 11 March stating that it had earlier been agreed to

allow the football club the use of Lothian Street School for dressing and also a room in the Institute for their business meetings. Further, the father had been informed by these gentlemen that they had passed a rule excluding all Catholics from their club who were not members of the Catholic Young Men’s Society but wished to have permission to admit Protestants when well recommended. As such a course appeared to be inconsistent to the Chaplain, he would not consent to such an arrangement and the question was allowed to lie in abeyance in the meantime.

Although Hibs’ first recorded game was against Hearts at the Meadows on Christmas Day 1875, it is almost certain that the club would have been formed sometime before this. Though seemingly without the direct involvement of the church, several individual members of the Catholic Young Men’s Society would appear to have had a major part to play in its founding. Research suggests that it was after watching the earlier game at Raimes Park that several young men had decided to form a team known as White Star but that later after an argument several had gone their own way, one group to initially form a side called St Andrews, later Hearts, the other Hibernian. Author Bob Crampsey, a man who was quite deliberate in his research had also believed members of the former street team White Star had split in 1875 after an argument, one group going on to form Hibernian, the other eventually to form Hearts. Further, the first rules of the football club stated quite clearly that a general meeting of the football team would take place on the first Monday of each month at Buchanan’s Hotel in the High Street at 7.30 precisely, and again it seems likely that these early meetings would have been held in the St Mary’s Street Halls if the church itself had been fully involved at that time. With the club now regularly using St Mary’s Street School as changing rooms on match days and later, as the minutes were now suggesting, the institute for their meetings, it would appear that Hibs were then considered a strictly sectarian club.

However, a passage taken from the Scottish Sport newspaper dated Tuesday 22 January 1889 appears to contradict matters, although he would most likely have been referring to early games before the involvement of the church. The unsigned letter was in reply to an article in the previous week’s publication stating that:

The difference between Celtic and Hibernian is that the latter was both a religious and political organisation. The members of Celtic, it is true, belong to one religion, but adherents of other religions are not debarred from joining the club or playing in the team.

A correspondent, who unfortunately was not named but credited as being a valued friend of the newspaper had replied:

Permit me as one of the patrons and founding members of Hibernian Football Club to correct an error into which you have fallen in your issue of Tuesday last. Neither the club nor the team are confined to members of any religious persuasion. Apart from the fact that I am a Protestant myself, men like Brogan now of Bolton and Higgins of Kilmarnock were also Protestants and at one time also members of the team. No enquiry as to religion was ever made but the fact that the club had now been given the use of the Catholic Institute in St Mary’s Street in Edinburgh for their meetings, no doubt gave rise to the belief that only Catholics had been admitted as members of the club.

Regardless, now under the direct influence of the church Hibs would soon become a team of the people and would continue the church’s charitable work in helping to raise much-needed revenue to satisfy the needs of the poor, both in their own district and further afield. What is certain however is that without the influence of Father Hannan, the CYMS and St Patrick’s Church it is highly unlikely that the club would have prospered and would probably have gone the same way as most of the early football clubs and ceased to exist.

4

The Birth of Hibernian Football Club

THE PLAYERS WOULD name the side Hibernian after the Roman name for Ireland, adopting the traditional Irish green as their colours. Regular training sessions were to take place the nearby East Meadows on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In addition, the first club rules decreed that, as well as having to attend the general meetings at Buchanan’s Temperance Hotel on the High Street on the first Monday of each month, failure to do so resulting in a fine of two pence, members were expected to provide, at their own expense, caps, a white Guernsey with a harp on the left breast and white trousers with green stripes. However, no evidence seems to exist that this strip was ever worn in a game, and it is generally accepted that the first jerseys were probably the now more familiar dark green and white hoops bearing HFC in large black Gothic letters on the chest and white pantaloons with a green stripe down each side.

Many of the early games took place on the East Meadows, a large tract of open land on the south side of the city. Although, it is likely that other games would have taken place beforehand. It was at the Meadows on Christmas Day 1875 that Hibernian would play their first ever recorded game against a side destined to become their greatest rivals, Heart of Midlothian, on a pitch believed to have been situated at the east end of the park. As would be expected, no sign of what would have been the site of the game remains. Today, tennis courts partly occupy the area; both the adjacent Archers Hall and the Boroughloch Brewery buildings however still survive, the latter now converted into private premises.

Before the game, the Hibs players were said to have changed in St Mary’s School in nearby Lothian Street, Hearts in Anderson’s Tavern in West Cross Causeway, before making their way to the Meadows carrying the goalposts. Despite their opponents having played with only eight men for the first 20 minutes or so, Hearts had still managed to record a slender 1-0 victory over the Irishmen. The game between the two recently formed sides however seems to have failed to capture the imagination of the Edinburgh public, the report in the Scotsman on the Monday morning allocating a mere three lines to the event.

On Saturday Hibernian and the Heart of Midlothian played in the East Meadows resulting in a win for Heart of Midlothian by one goal to nothing. Cavanaugh and Byrne played well for the Hibernians: Wylie and Laidlaw for the Mid-Lothian.

Since the early days both clubs have shared an at times turbulent but often successful history. Destined to become great rivals, they would soon become the dominant sides in the city and later among the best in Scotland, both having a defining part to play in the development of a game that from its humble beginnings has since spread throughout the world.

An attempt by Hibs to join the recently formed Edinburgh Football Association had initially been turned down, supposedly because of opposition from, amongst others, the staunchly Protestant 3rd Rifle Volunteers, the EFA now stating that they could not admit a club that was not already a member of the Scottish Football Association. However, on applying to the SFA they had also been refused admission on the grounds that the national association was for Scotsmen not Irishmen. Another attempt to join the Edinburgh Association had once again been turned down. After a petition signed by several of the more prominent players in the area, including some from Hearts, reason would eventually prevail and the club allowed to join both organisations. Acceptance however had come too late to take part in that seasons Scottish Cup competition as the first-round draw had already been made.

Now fully accepted members of the Edinburgh FA, Hibs first took part in the local Association Cup in October 1876, a knock-out tournament that had been inaugurated only the previous season and contested by teams from Edinburgh as the name would suggest but also various sides from East and West Lothian, the Borders and Fife. Losing 2–1 to the eventual cup winners Thistle in the opening round at the Meadows, the game, according to contemporary reports, ended in controversy. At that time there were no pitch markings, the dimensions of the playing area identified only by markers at each corner and it was not all that unusual for spectators to encroach onto the pitch, often making it difficult for the referee to confirm if a ball was in or out of play. With just a few minutes remaining, Thistle had been leading 2–1 when Hibs appeared to have scored an equalising goal. Claiming, in the days before goal nets, that a spectator had kicked a ball that had seemingly already crossed the goal line back into play, the players’ furious appeals for the goal to stand was waved away by the referee. Although an official letter of complaint had been sent to the Edinburgh FA the appeal had been dismissed by the authorities insisting that the referee’s decision must be upheld at all times regardless of circumstances.

Of the remaining nine games that season, all taking place on the Meadows, four would end in wins with one drawn, including two 1–0 victories over Hearts. However, a little-known tragedy was to strike the club on 4 November 1876. After a 2–0 defeat by Swifts in a friendly match at the East Meadows, the Hibs player Andrew Hughes along with some of his teammates and friends were making their way home when they came across a woman being assaulted by a male near Nicolson Square. Attempting to intervene on the woman’s behalf Hughes had received a blow to the side of the head from a heavy stick requiring immediate treatment at the nearby Royal Infirmary where unfortunately he would die a few days later. The following week his attacker would be fined just 5/- (25p) at the Burgh Court with the option of three days’ imprisonment, a surprisingly lenient sentence, although at the time of the trial Hughes would not yet have passed away and presumably the incident would have been treated as common assault. It would appear however that his attacker, who lived in the same common stair in the Cowgate as Hughes, had got away lightly and it’s not known if he ever faced further action. According to a newspaper report at the time:

following a service at St Patricks Church that was attended by several hundred mourners, a large number from the Catholic Young Men’s Society of which he was a member and also by members of his football team, Hughes was interred at the Grange Cemetery.

At the start of the following season, after 1-0 victory over Hanover in the Edinburgh Cup, Hibs would now come face to face with Hearts in the opening round of the Scottish Cup, their first ever meeting in the national competition. The first game ended goalless before finally overcoming their city rivals 2–1 in the replay in front of a ‘big crowd’. Progressing into the next round after defeating Hanover, they were eventually to lose to 1–0 to Swifts. In those days, presumably because of the potential travelling difficulties, the early rounds of the competition had all been local, but in their first ever competitive game to take place outside the Edinburgh area, Hibs would make their way to Pollokshaws to play Thornliebank in the fourth round. Hibs’ eventual 2–1 victory however would mean little. A later protest from the home side that the referee had disallowed a perfectly good goal was upheld, resulting in a replay, this time at Hibs’ new ground at Mayfield in Edinburgh, had also ended all square. The rules at that time stipulated that in the event of a drawn replay then both sides would progress into the fifth round, when Hibs would eventually be defeated 3–1 away by Glasgow South Western.

With the game still in its infancy there had been relatively few public places to play and with several of the recently formed clubs now also using the Meadows, the area would soon become overcrowded making it imperative that the more ambitious sides acquire their own home grounds elsewhere. Just under a mile from the Meadows and a few hundred yards from the Old Toll on Mayfield Road lay the district of Powburn, where in 1869 a spacious field had been leased by a syndicate of enthusiasts from the Southern Athletics Society specifically for the then popular sport of pedestrianism or what is better known today as athletics. Named rather grandly ‘The Royal Hippodrome’ or the ‘Newington Running Grounds’, the venture had not proved a great success and after only a brief period would pass out of existence, probably not helped by its, at that time, inconvenient location just outside the city boundary. In 1874 the site had briefly been home to the 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers, who, probably influenced by the earlier historic game at Raimes Park, were said to have been the original pioneers of the association game in Edinburgh. In 1877 the volunteers had moved to a ground in the Stockbridge area of the city before eventually disbanding completely, with Hearts briefly taking over the lease of the Powburn ground. Today the houses at West Saville Terrace and McDowall Road partly occupy the site of what had once been the playing area.

Hibs themselves had also been looking to move and between 1877 and 1878, and again for short time the following year, they would play their home games at a ground at Mayfield. Situated just to the east of Craigmillar Park at the end of Crawfurd Road and East Suffolk Road, its location was close to the suburban railway station and tram terminus at Newington making it easily accessible for the fans.

After a 1–0 victory over Hanover in that season’s Edinburgh Cup at the Meadows, and a 4–0 victory over Thistle at Mayfield in the semi-final, Hibs would now face Hearts in the 1878 final, the very first meeting in a cup final of two sides destined to become fierce rivals over the following 150 years. This time it would need five hotly contested games to separate the sides. But, after four draws at various venues throughout the city, Hearts would eventually win the trophy for the first time at the then neutral Powburn. Regardless of the obvious disappointment that would have been felt on the day, it had clearly been a season of progress and would ultimately turn out to be the club’s last on-field defeat in the competition for almost ten years.

Following the expiry of the short-term lease at Mayfield, in September 1878 Hibs moved to Powderhall where they would remain for several months. The original Powderhall ground had taken its name from the former gunpowder factory that once stood on the site. It had been opened in 1870 specifically as an athletics venue with a track laid out on similar lines to the famous Stamford Bridge in London, the first of what would eventually be four football grounds in the immediate area. Bordered by the Water of Leith to the north and Redbraes and Pilrig to the east with its entrance on Broughton Road, a small grandstand later erected at the south-west corner using furnishings purchased from Powburn at a cost of £100. It was at Powderhall on 11 November 1878 that one of the very first floodlit games in Scotland took place. Advertised as a Challenge Match under Electric Light, Hibs defeated an Edinburgh Select 3–0 in a game played in a snowstorm and watched by only a few hundred hardy souls. The experiment however had obviously not proved a success when all three lights had eventually failed to function properly, the game finishing in virtual darkness. It would be almost 70 years before the medium would become a common feature at football grounds throughout the country.

It was at Powderhall on Saturday 29 March 1879, that Michael Whelahan, a co-founder of the club, became the first Hibs captain to be presented with silverware, after a 2–0 victory over Hearts in the Edinburgh Cup final that took place at Union Park after a replay. By this time the green and white hooped jerseys had been replaced by dark all-green shirts and with the exception of an occasional change in collar style would not change significantly until the addition of the white collar in 1933.

5

The First Easter Road

AFTER LESS THAN a year at Powderhall, Hibs would eventually move back to Mayfield for a few months, Hearts taking over the lease of the ground until their own move to the Gorgie area in 1881. However, it had been obvious for some time that a more secure home ground had been desperately needed, and in 1880 they moved to what would become the nearest thing to a permanent home. Situated down a narrow dirt track just off the main Easter Road and only a few yards from the then Edinburgh boundary with Leith, the new ground officially opened on 14 February 1880 with a 5–0 victory over Hanover in a challenge match. According to the press at the time the area would soon become known to the supporters and media alike as ‘Waterloo’, apparently on account of the number of memorable battles that had taken place there. Their previous ground at Mayfield would eventually be taken over by the Royal High School playing fields and in 1895 would be the home of the nine-hole Craigmillar Park golf course before its move to the present site in 1907. Sometime around 1912 the area had been acquired for use as a college and hostel for female students. The original buildings have since been converted into private housing, but what had been the site of the playing area can still be clearly made out in the centre of the complex.

At the new ground the club would go from strength to strength. Just a few weeks after the official opening, they had further enhanced their reputation as the best side in the area by again reaching the final of the Association Cup where they would now face Dunfermline at neutral Powderhall. At one stage three behind, Hibs had eventually managed to stage a remarkable recovery to win 6–3, only to discover that Dunfermline had lodged a protest on account of the Hibs supporters encroaching onto the field of play to congratulate the players after the equalising goal. Once again the protest had been upheld, the rearranged game taking place a few weeks later at the same venue. This time however there would be no controversy, with Hibs winning 5–0. What had been an otherwise successful season that had included victories against local rivals Hearts in both the Edinburgh and Scottish Cups, would finally come to an end with a 3–0 defeat by Glasgow South Western in Edinburgh after an earlier high-scoring 6–6 draw against Hanover at the Gymnasium in Stock-bridge as part of a Sports Gala Day.

After a more than convincing 11–1 victory over Caledonian in the first round of the 1880–81 season’s Edinburgh Cup, a bye in the first round of the Scottish Cup and a 3–1 victory over Dunfermline had been followed by a 2–1 defeat by Hearts at Powderhall.

The high scoring had then continued with a 15–1 victory against Burntisland Thistle in the Edinburgh Cup before defeating Hearts 2–1 at Powderhall in the next round. But, yet again, only after the by now almost expected protest by the home side complaining that Hibs had fielded an ineligible player who did not reside in the immediate area as the rules then dictated. This time the protest would be thrown out after it was explained that the player both lived and worked in the city at that time. Continuing their defence of the trophy, after a 9–0 victory against Rovers, and a 6–1 win over Edinburgh University in the semi-final, Hibs would retain their stranglehold on the trophy with a narrow 1–0 victory against St Bernard’s in the final after a replay, the clubs third consecutive success in the competition. According to the rules at that time, the club had now been allowed to retain the trophy in perpetuity along with the Reserve Cup that had also been won on three consecutive seasons.

On Saturday 7 May 1881 the Easter Road ground became the site of the world’s first ever women’s association football international between sides representing Scotland and England. The players, the Scottish side led by Helen Graham, a well-known women’s activist, had organised themselves into an association for the purpose of promoting the game as a pastime for females and planned to play a series of games throughout the country. Reported as an ‘athletic novelty presented to the Edinburgh public’, the game had attracted a crowd of almost 2,000 mainly curious onlookers, although it was noticeable that not many ladies had been present. The Scottish side kicked off playing into a strong wind, both teams said to have entered the fray with all the enthusiasm of their male counterparts. After half an hour a Miss Lilly St Clair had opened the scoring in Scotland’s eventual comfortable 3–0 victory to be credited as the first ever goal scorer in women’s international football. It would appear however that the entertainment on offer had not been met with the approval of the majority of the audience. The various incidents in the game were met with sarcastic comments and loud guffaws from a mainly good-humoured crowd and it was noticeable that more than half the spectators had left well before the end.

Two weeks later the sides would meet again at Shawfield in Glasgow, a game that would prove a major blow for the promotion of the women’s game in Scotland. Goalless at the interval, midway through the second half a number of ‘roughs’ had entered the field of play and would soon be followed by hundreds more who began jostling the players. Forced to make a hurried exit towards the safety of the waiting omnibus, only the arrival of the police with batons drawn prevented the situation from escalating even further. After the farce at Shawfield, the rematch that had been scheduled to take place at Kilmarnock a short while later had immediately been cancelled. Although some newspapers had been supportive of the women’s innovative enterprise, the game had been widely condemned by the male establishment along with the ludicrous claim by the medical profession that women’s bodies – particularly their reproductive organs – were not equipped for the rigours of football and it would soon be all but banned in Scotland.

At the end of the year another tragedy was to strike the club when just days after the visit of the famous English touring side Corinthians, Hibs’ popular forward Tommy Preston had died shortly after coming down with illness aged just 23, the event quite obviously having a dreadful effect on everyone connected with the club.

At the end of the season the club would make its first ever trip to England with challenge matches against Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Olympic. Although only one ended in victory, the players had been well received and the tour considered a great success.

The 1881–82 season would be Hibs’ first full campaign at the new Easter Road ground and would continue to further develop the club’s reputation. After a 7–0 first-round Scottish Cup victory over Addiewell, they would remain unbeaten until almost the end of the year. The previous 16 games resulting in an incredible 97 goals scored against just 17 conceded. Included in this unbeaten run had been a 22–1 victory against a Black Watch Royal Highlanders side that were then stationed at the castle, and although only a friendly it remains to this day the clubs highest ever victory. Also included in this impressive run had been a 4–2 victory against Hearts in the first round of the Edinburgh Association Shield at the recently opened Tynecastle; the first game to have taken place between the city rivals at the new ground.

This winning run however would come to an abrupt end at the beginning of December after a heavy 6–2 defeat by Dumbarton in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at Easter Road. An appeal by Hibs that their opponents had fielded an ineligible player, a not uncommon occurrence in those days, would eventually prove successful. The sides would meet again just a few days before Christmas, the game unfortunately again ending in a 6–2 victory for Dumbarton, this time legitimately. However, despite this disappointing result, Hibs had continued their high scoring and were to lose only once more before the end of the season: a 5–0 defeat by St Bernard’s on the final day. In an earlier game against St Bernard’s at neutral Tynecastle, Hibs became the very first winners of the new Edinburgh Shield with a 4–2 victory. Despite the earlier disappointing Scottish Cup defeat by Dumbarton, it had been yet another tremendous season for the club, yet again confirming their status as the top side in the area while scoring a tremendous total of 149 goals against the 55 conceded. Some of the so-called ‘bigger sides’ in the west were beginning to sit up and take notice.

A Sunday outing to Ayrshire near the end of the previous season had included an impromptu game against the local Lugar Boswell, a side Hibs had faced earlier in a friendly at Easter Road. During the game, a 2–2 draw, several of the opposition players had caught the eye and we were to hear more of them in the very near future.

The following few seasons continued to be successful. The 1882–83 campaign could well have been described as something of a transition. Several players who had been with the club since the very beginning had now decided to move on, two making their way to America, others joining the rapidly expanding exodus of Scottish players to England; one to Bolton, another Middlesbrough. The loss of the experienced players would obviously have left the squad severely weakened and, in all probability, had contributed to the club relinquishing its hold on the local Edinburgh trophy for the first time in five years. Despite a request for more time as they had been struggling to raise a team for the final, they had been left with no other option but to withdraw completely after the request had been rejected and Edinburgh University awarded a walk-over.

A 3–1 defeat by Hearts in the semi-final of the recently inaugurated Rosebery Charity Cup had raised further concerns, prompting a return to Ayrshire to sign several of the Lugar Boswell players that had earlier caught the eye, including James McGhee, James McLaren and Peter McGinn. It is now history that all three would have a significant part to play in coming seasons. McGhee, a free-scoring inside forward who would eventually captain the side had already featured as a guest player during Hibs’ brief tour of the Midlands the previous season and it did not take him long to become a firm favourite with the fans. McLaren, who would be known to the supporters as ‘the general’ would soon be recognised as the ‘brains’ behind the side. While perhaps lacking a bit of pace, he more than made up for this with his tremendous vision and ball control and like McGhee would be held in extremely high esteem by the fans. All three would make their first start a few weeks later, a debut that would turn out to be anything but memorable when they were defeated 10–2 by Queens Park at home. However, if any of the watching fans that afternoon had been less that enamoured by the performance of the new signings, who in truth had been no worse than any of their new teammates in what had been an all-round disappointing performance, it would not take long for them to change their minds and all three would go on to serve the club well for several seasons.

Controversy wasn’t far away for the new signings and complaints were to be made that it had been against the Edinburgh Association rules to sign players living outside the immediate area, a regulation that had not gone unnoticed by several of the opposing sides that were perhaps resentful at Hibs’ ever-growing reputation. As a result, the club was banned from any competition organised by the association. There seemed little doubt however that the protests had been nothing more than jealousy regarding its success, or the anti-Catholic sentiments that had surrounded the club since the very beginning. Despite appeals, the suspension would be upheld, only to be overturned after a late-night stage-managed protest by supporters and it would soon be back to business as usual.

At the start of the 1883–84 season Hibs had returned to Ayrshire to sign the Lugar Boswell player James Lundie. Once again it would turn out to be an inspired bit of business and yet another that was destined to become a great favourite of the fans. Meanwhile, the attendances at home games had been steadily increasing for some time and to cope with the increasing numbers another grandstand had been erected on the far side of the ground, situated roughly on the site of the present-day Hibernian supporters’ clubrooms and car park.

Yet again the new campaign would get off to a flying start with several high-scoring victories in the Scottish Cup including a 4–1 away win against Hearts to qualify for the semi-finals, having scored an impressive 33 goals against just three conceded. Unfortunately, the quest for the so far elusive Scottish Cup was to once again end in disappointment after a 5–1 defeat by Queen’s Park at Easter Road. The high scoring however had continued when, after earlier wins against the local Norton Park, Glencairn and East Linton in the Edinburgh Shield, another 4–1 victory against rivals Hearts would again mean qualification for the final, where St Bernard’s would be defeated 7–0. During this time the Rosebery Charity Cup had also been won for the first time after a 1–0 victory over St Bernard’s in the final after a replay at neutral Tynecastle.

The following few seasons would continue to be successful, including a 10–0 victory over Edinburgh Rose in the Edinburgh Shield that had been followed by a 3–1 win over Hearts and a quite incredible 20–0 defeat of Edinburgh Emmet in the 1885 semi-final. Hibs then gained a modicum of revenge for the earlier cup defeat by defeating Edinburgh University 3–2 in the final, perhaps taking even more satisfaction as the winning goal had been scored in the very last minute to win the trophy for the sixth time inside the previous seven years. A promising run in the Scottish Cup with wins against Vale of Teith, Glengowan, Ayr United, Morton and Annbank would end at the semi-final stage after a 3–2 defeat by Renton at Easter Road. And although it would be of little consolation, the Rosebery Cup would be retained after a 3–0 success against neighbours Hearts in the final at neutral Powderhall.

As Hibs were defeating Morton 4–0 in a friendly at Cappielow just a few weeks later, at the Merchiston Castle Cricket Grounds in Edinburgh, today the site of George Watson’s College on Colinton Road, a historic game was taking place. In the early days the cricket grounds had also been the venue for many memorable games including a Hibs v Hearts Edinburgh Cup tie in 1878 and several other significant fixtures around that time. Now it would host a historic FA Cup semi-final replay between Queen’s Park and Nottingham Forest, the only occasion to this very day that a FA Cup tie has taken place outside of England. After an earlier 2–2 draw in the Midlands, Queen’s would now go on to beat the English side 3–0 to reach their second consecutive FA Cup final, only to be defeated 2–0 by Blackburn at Kennington Oval.

In breaking news from south of the border, despite the countless sham denials over the years, numerous players had been receiving illegal underhand payments. Now, following an FA Cup tie against Upton Park in 1884, Preston North End had subsequently been disqualified from that year’s competition after being found guilty of financially rewarding their players. Although Accrington had suffered a far more severe fate the previous year by actually being expelled from the FA after similar allegations, the Preston manager Major William Sewell had pleaded guilty to the offence by openly admitting to making payments to his players in an effort to create the best side in the country. The fact that many of the top players were then being paid was an open secret, and the incident would eventually lead to the acceptance of professionalism in England, Preston being the first club in the country to openly embrace the paid ranks in 1885.

By the start of the 1885–86 season Hibs were now generally considered to be among the best in the country. In yet another unbeaten start to a campaign, after a bye in the first round of the Scottish Cup they would defeat Hearts, Bo’ness, Abercorn and Dumbarton only to be defeated for a second consecutive season by Renton in the semi-final, all the games taking place at Easter Road.

A few weeks later as Hibs were defeating Queen’s Park 2–1 in a friendly in Edinburgh, that same afternoon in Arbroath the local side had created its own piece of football history by defeating an ill-equipped Aberdeen side Bonn Accord 36–0 in the first round of the national trophy, a result that still remains to this very day a Scottish record. Twelve ahead at half-time, another 21 goals had been scored in the second half, the 18-year-old forward John Petrie eventually ending up scoring 15. Incredibly, less than 20 miles away in Dundee that same afternoon, the local Harp were defeating another Aberdeen side Rovers 35–0. With such high scoring in both games it was perhaps understandable that there had been claims on both sides that even more goals had been scored that for some reason or another had failed to be recorded.

For Hibs, among the highlights of the season had been the retention of the Edinburgh Association Shield after a 4–1 victory over St Bernard’s while once again managing to reach the semi-final of the Scottish Cup. However what had been considered as yet another successful season was to end in controversy. In the final of the Rosebery Cup at neutral Powderhall against city rivals Hearts, Hibs had been leading 2–0 when with just 15 minutes remaining the supporters of both sides had invaded the field after an ill-tempered clash between two of the opposing players. The riot that followed was serious enough for the referee to abandon the game and a replay ordered. After the dreadful behaviour of both sets of fans in the first game, trouble had probably been expected in the replay and it was no surprise when once again the game had been brought to a premature end. With Hearts already leading by a single goal the referee had awarded the Tynecastle side a second despite the ball appearing not to have crossed the line. The decision led to a great number of supporters invading the field in an attempt to assault the official who apparently had only been saved from serious injury by the intervention of the police who themselves were said to have also come under attack. However the third game would take place on the very last day of the season without mishap, Hearts this time deservedly winning 1–0.

Just weeks earlier both James Lundie and James McGhee had been selected in the Scotland side to play Wales at Second Hampden, the game ending in a 4–1 victory for the home side, Lundie at right back, McGhee at inside right. Although it would turn out to be their one and only international appearance, both can claim the distinction of being the first ever Hibs players to be selected for their country. However, it had also been suggested that at an earlier meeting of the Edinburgh Association, a member of the SFA had stated that the Hibs player James McLaren would have been selected for Scotland but for doubts regarding his nationality. It would appear that the club had not been contacted by anyone from the SFA regarding the matter, but if they had they would have discovered that McLaren had been born at Croy near Glasgow, not Ireland as was thought. Two years later, McLaren would receive deserved international recognition in a 5–1 defeat of Wales at Easter Road/Hibernian Park. One prominent sportswriter at the time of the opinion: ‘They are Irishmen, all by the same descent.’ A clear indication of the religious and anti-Irish bias still surrounding the club in some quarters.

6

World Champions

IF RECENT SEASONS had been considered successful as Hibs reinforced their growing reputation as a skilful, entertaining and high-scoring side, then things were about to get even better. Although the Edinburgh Shield had been won for the eighth time in the 12 years since its inception after a 3–0 victory over Hearts in the final and an even more conclusive 7–1 victory over the Tynecastle side in the Rosebery Cup final, there would be absolutely no doubt that the highlight of the season had been the Scottish Cup run that would lead all the way to the final. As already mentioned, the club’s first ever Scottish Cup tie had ended in a 2–1 victory over local rivals Hearts on the East Meadows almost ten years earlier, before eventually going down to Thornliebank in the fourth round. During the following few seasons Hibs had regularly managed to reach the later stages of the competition but it was not until season 1883–84 when, after again defeating rivals Hearts along the way, they would qualify for the first of what would be three consecutive semi-finals. In 1887 however they were destined to go much further.

After victories over Durhamtown Rangers, Mossend Swifts, Hearts and Queen of the South Wanderers, a 2–1 victory over Third Lanark in Glasgow would see Hibs reach their fourth consecutive semi-final which in itself was a not inconsiderable feat. Now, a 3–1 victory over Vale of Leven at the penultimate stage of the competition had been enough to seal Hibs’ entry into their first ever Scottish Cup final where they would face Dumbarton – or so it was thought. It now turned out that an official protest had been lodged by their opponents claiming that the Edinburgh side had earlier infringed the rules by fielding an ineligible player in Willie Groves, alleging that the Leith-born Groves was a professional player, which in those days was very much against the rules in this country. Hibs now found themselves involved in a dispute that could well have cost them the Cup. The basis of the protest had been that the 17-year-old inside forward Groves, an apprentice stonemason to trade, had been paid more than the accepted payment in lieu of time lost from work, and according to a private investigator hired to follow the player, up to four times as much. Somewhat ludicrously, part of the protest had also been that Groves and several of his teammates had partaken of breakfast and dinner at a local establishment, the meals paid for by the football club.

Groves had made his debut for the club as a 16-year-old only the previous season. With his devastating pace, mesmerising ball control, deceiving body swerve and thunderous shot it would not take him long to become a firm favourite with the Easter Road fans who had now christened him ‘Darling’ Willie Groves and would later be described perhaps rather romantically as ‘the finest football artist ever produced by Scotland.’ However, the charismatic player’s career would rarely be far from controversy and he would be one of several current Hibs players to join the newly formed Celtic the following season.

Shortly before the final was due to take place, an emergency meeting of the SFA committee called to look into the matter had remained unresolved and another meeting convened, but incredibly this would not take place until after the final itself. At that time Dumbarton were a robust and skilful side and considered strong favourites to lift the Cup for a second time and would certainly prove formidable opponents. On Saturday 12 February 1887 the teams took the field at Second Hampden (later Cathkin Park) to contest the 14th Scottish Cup final. Hibs won the toss and allowed their opponents to kick off playing into a strong wind, the treacherous underfoot conditions making good football difficult for both sides. Dumbarton had the better of the early play, claiming a goal that was rightly chalked off on account of the ball going past the outside the goalposts which at that time were still without nets. Although fiercely contested the game had so far provided little in the way of goalmouth action, the first half ending goalless. In the second half chances at either end had still been at a premium, but on the hour mark Dumbarton took the lead. Now using the wind to their advantage, the ‘Sons’ appeared content to hang on to their slender lead. Hibs however started to take control of the proceedings, Montgomery levelling things midway through the half, much to the delight of the large travelling support. With only minutes remaining, a great jinking run by Groves had ended in Lafferty scoring Hibs’ second despite a vain appeal for offside, a goal that would give Hibs the Scottish Cup – or so it was hoped.

As the triumphant Hibs players were making their way to Queen Street Station for the return trip to Edinburgh after a celebratory dinner in the St Mary’s Halls in the east end of Glasgow that had been attended by both sides, it was said that the Hibs secretary John McFadden had been overheard telling a group of Glasgow-based Irishmen that they should emulate the Edinburgh side’s success by raising a team of their own in the city. Words that would come back to haunt both McFadden and Hibs when the soon to be formed Glasgow Celtic would have a major part to play in the temporary demise of the club just a few years later. However, back in the capital the result had been received with tremendous excitement, a huge crowd waiting at the Waverley Station to greet the victorious team on their arrival back in the city later that evening, the route packed with jubilant crowds as the players, led by a couple of bands, finally entered the Institute in St Mary’s Street where the celebrations would go on well into the night.

However, the reconvened meeting to decide Vale’s appeal and Hibs’ fate was yet to be held, and on the Tuesday, three days after the final, the protest would go before the committee for a second time. Both parties had put forward a strong case in a heated debate that went on for some time but in the end still remained split down the middle with six voting for Hibs, six against and the remainder undecided. Yet another vote had failed to settle matters and it was all down to the casting vote of the chairman who, after some deliberation, came down on the side of Hibs to officially confirm the Easter Road side as the Scottish Cup winners, the first side from the east coast to win the coveted trophy.

The new cup winners were to receive yet another honour when they were invited to take part in the Glasgow Charity Cup competition, the first side from the east of the country to do so. Defeated 2–0 by Renton at Hampden in the opening round, Renton were later described in one newspaper as ‘one of the very few teams at that time capable of beating the Easter Road side.’

By this time the Edinburgh Shield, Rosebery Cup, and Scottish Cup holders Hibs were now being described as the premier side in the entire country and were in more demand than ever for charitable games and friendlies. In what had turned out to be a long and tiring season they had taken part in over 50 games, winning 29, drawing 11, with only 13 defeats, three during a mid-table trip over the border, the recent victory over Dumbarton projecting the club to national prominence.

However with expectations far greater than ever before, the 1887–88 season would get off to a fairly disappointing start with a humiliating 8–2 defeat in a friendly against Queen of the South Wanderers, closely followed by a 6–0 defeat by Renton in Glasgow. The Hibs supporters would not have been overly confident of a victory in the forthcoming challenge match against the celebrated Preston North End. A projected meeting of the sides at Easter Road the previous season had been cancelled owing to Preston’s then Cup commitments, but now quite obviously a game between the previous seasons FA Cup semi-finalists and the current Scottish Cup holders would be an even more attractive proposition. At that time Preston had at least six Scottish players on their books including the popular Jimmy Ross, nicknamed the ‘little demon’ who would undoubtedly have represented Scotland had the selectors at the time not refused to recognise anyone playing beyond these shores. Another Ross, Edinburgh-born Jack, who had honed his skills on the East Meadows and had been described as the most accomplished full back in the entire country when he was signed from the capital side Hanover, was one of the first Scottish players to further their trade south of the border. Also in the side was the famed English international centre forward John Goodall who was then regarded as the best in the country, another who was said to have learned his trade north of the border.

As could be expected, the game against what was generally considered to be one of the top sides in England had generated tremendous interest and excitement in the capital, and a crowd of between six and seven thousand, then the largest gate at Easter Road, had crammed into the ground. Both Grandstands – one only recently erected – and every available vantage point had been packed full of excited spectators all desperate to watch what was already being billed in the press as a ‘World Championship’ clash. On Saturday 13 August 1887 the teams took the field after a ten-minute delay said to have been caused by the late arrival of two Hibs players that had seemingly encountered great difficulty in making their way through the heaving crowds. Despite heavy overnight rain, the pitch itself was in excellent condition and the huge crowd settled down to watch what was expected to be a memorable encounter.