The Game on New Year’s Day by Ted Brack

7/29/2019 The Game on New Years Day by Ted Brack

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T H E G A M E O N

NEW YEARS DAY


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Also by Ted Brack

There is a Bonny Fitba Team: Fifty Years on the Hibee Highway

Pat Stantons Hibernian Dream Team

(Pat Stanton with Ted Brack)

The Life and Times of Last Minute Reilly

(Lawrie Reilly with Ted Brack)

Theres Only One Sauzee


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T H E G A M E O N

NEW YEARS DAY

T E D B R A C K

B L A C K & W H I T E P U B L I S H I N G


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First published 2012by Black & White Publishing Ltd

29 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JL

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 12 13 14 15

ISBN: 978 1 84502 481 9

Copyright# Ted Brack 2012

The right of Ted Brack to be identified as the authorof this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without

permission in writing from the publisher.

The publisher has made every reasonable effortto contact copyright holders of images in the picture section.Any errors are inadvertent and anyone who, for any reason,

has not been contacted is invited to write to the publisherso that a full acknowledgment can be made

in subsequent editions of this work.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Typeset by Iolaire Typesetting, NewtonmorePrinted and bound by Scandbook, Sweden


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C O N T E N T S

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S v i i

F O R E W O R D B Y J I M M Y O R O U R K E x i

I N T R O D U C T I O N : D O W N A L L T H E D E R B I E S x v

P R O L O G U E : H E A R T B R E A K A T H A M P D E N P A R T 1 1

P A R T O N E

A P P R O A C H I N G A D A T E W I T H D E S T I N Y

C H A P T E R 1 A P R O M I S E K E P T 2 1

C H A P T E R 2 L E A G U E C U P G L O R Y 2 8

C H A P T E R 3 E N D I N G T H E Y E A R I N S T Y L E 4 5

P A R T T W O

T U R N B U L L S T O R N A D O E S T R A V E L T O T Y N E C A S T L E

C H A P T E R 4 T H E C A S E F O R T H E D E F E N C E 5 3

C H A P T E R 5 T H E M E N I N T H E M I D D L E 6 3

C H A P T E R 6 G O A L M A C H I N E S I N G R E E N 7 0

C H A P T E R 7 T H E B A C K R O O M B O Y S 7 7


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P A R T T H R E E

T H E G R E A T E S T G A M E I N H I S T O R Y

C H A P T E R 8 T H E F I R S T H A L F F A N T A S Y B E C O M E S F A C T 8 5

C H A P T E R 9 I N S I D E T H E D R E S S I N G R O O M 9 3

C H A P T E R 1 0 S E C O N D H A L F S E V E N T H H E A V E N I S A T T A I N E D 9 5

P A R T F O U R

A N A N T I - C L I M A C T I C A F T E R M A T H

C H A P T E R 1 1 T H E C O S T L I E S T O F V I C T O R I E S 1 0 7

C H A P T E R 1 2 S E C O N D B E S T I N S P L I T 1 1 3

C H A P T E R 1 3 T H E T E A M I T I S A - C H A N G I N G 1 2 1

C H A P T E R 1 4 T E R M I N A T I N G T U R N B U L L S T O R N A D O E S 1 3 3

P A R T F I V E

W H A T E V E R H A P P E N E D T O T H E C L A S S O F 7 3 ?

C H A P T E R 1 5 T H E B O Y S A T T H E B A C K 1 4 5

C H A P T E R 1 6 T H E M I D F I E L D M A E S T R O S 1 6 5

C H A P T E R 1 7 T H E F R O N T T H R E E 1 8 0

C H A P T E R 1 8 T H E M A N A G E R A N D H I S M E N 1 9 1

P A R T S I X

F O R E V E R W E L L B E S I N G I N G

I N T R O D U C T I O N : T H E F A N S L O O K B A C K 2 0 1

C H A P T E R 1 9 W E W E R E T H E R E 2 0 3

C H A P T E R 2 0 W E C O U L D N T B E T H E R E 2 3 4

E P I L O G U E : H E A R T B R E A K A T H A M P D E N P A R T 2 2 4 8

P A R T S E V E N

S T A T I S T I C A L A P P E N D I X C O M P I L E D B Y B O B B Y S I N N E T


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A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

Standing at Tynecastle watching Hibs beat Hearts 7-0 on their own

turf on the first day of January in 1973 was one of the happiest and

best experiences of my life. I am a nervous spectator and I never take

anything for granted in a game no matter how many goals Hibs are

ahead and how little time is left to play. Thats what watching the

Hibees does for you.

When Alan Gordon headed Hibs seventh goal in the 75th minuteof the most unforgettable of all derbies for all of a Hibernian

persuasion, even I relaxed a bit and accepted that this was one

match which the Hibees were not going to throw away.

What a game and what a performance by a great Hibs team of

many talents, Eddie Turnbulls fabulous Tornadoes. It wasnt just

that we had beaten Hearts 7-0. It was the manner in which victory

had been achieved. A decent Hearts team had been swept aside byan all-round display of classic soccer what the Turnbulls Torna-

does song calls The best brand of football the worlds ever seen.

Those of us who were fortunate enough to watch this epic encounter

witnessed quantity of goals and quality of play.

The players who wore the green and white of Hibernian that day

were my heroes then and they are still heroes to me now. I wanted

this book, commemorating and celebrating The Game on New

Years Day, to contain the voice of the players who represented

Hibs on that magical Monday afternoon.

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T H E G A M E O N N E W Y E A R S D A Y

Despite a lot of effort to do so, I wasnt able to obtain contact

details for Arthur Duncan who now lives in New Zealand. Eddie

Turnbull, Wilson Humphries, Alan Gordon and Erich Schaedler are

sadly no longer with us. However, Jim Herriot, John Brownlie, JimBlack, John Blackley, Alex Edwards, Pat Stanton, Alex Cropley,

Jimmy ORourke and John Fraser could not have been more plea-

sant or helpful.

They welcomed me into their homes and regaled me with

memories, stories and opinion, all of which give this record of a

historic Hibee occasion its insight and authenticity. The players

were warm, friendly and totally honest. Their first-hand account of a

momentous match, the lead-up to it and the events which followed

it fascinated me and I hope that they will be of equal interest to

everyone who reads this book. These were the men who achieved a

record-breaking feat and to share their recollections of it was an

absolute privilege. I thank the Tornadoes for beating Hearts 7-0 and

I thank them too for their contributions to this book. They have

greatly enhanced it.

I would especially like to thank Jimmy ORourke for his fineforeword. The forewords to my previous Hibs books and collabora-

tions have been written by Pat Stanton, Sir Alex Ferguson, Hugh

McIlvanney and Alex McLeish. In continuing that distinguished

line, I could not have chosen anyone better than Jimmy. He was a

superb player and is as fervent a Hibee now as he was when he wore

the green and white with such distinction. Jimmy, I am very grateful

to you for your excellent contribution.I also wish to record my appreciation of my fellow supporters

who have provided me with their memories and anecdotes of The

Greatest Game in History. Their stories provide the perfect tailpiece

to the book.

The book also contains a comprehensive statistical section which

details all the relevant information about the Hibs-Hearts derby

fixture since its inception in 1875. For that part of the book, I am

indebted to that superb statistician and fine Hibee, Bobby Sinnet.

Bobby, many thanks.

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A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

As always, the team at Black & White Publishing led by Campbell

Brown were highly supportive and hugely helpful. My sincere

thanks go to Campbell, Alison McBride, John Richardson, Janne

Moller and Paul Eckersley.My family share my love of Hibs and, like me, have suffered for

the cause for many years. As our beloved teams successes become

more fleeting, they also become more precious. That is why we

should fully celebrate our all-time great moments and beating

Hearts 7-0 at Tynecastle certainly qualifies to be included in that

pantheon of pleasure and pride. While we fervently hope for a

return to the days when top players wear the green and white shirts

of Hibernian and play with class, flair and distinction (and lets hope

that that state of affairs comes along sooner rather than later), we

can continue to enjoy the triumphs of the past. In remembering and

recording the 7-0 game, I have had my usual tremendous support

from my wife Margaret and children Patrick, Lisa, Dominic and

Kevin. I am very grateful to them.

Finally, I wish to thank everyone who buys this book for spending

their hard-earned money on the fruits of my labour. This is my fifthbook about the Hibees and I never fail to be touched by the amount

of people who attend the book launches, come along to our signing

sessions in book stores and purchase, read and enjoy my books. My

thanks to you all. Your support is very much appreciated.

I hope that this books stirs up many happy Hibernian memories.

Writing it certainly did exactly that for me.

Ted Brack

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F O R E W O R D

B Y J I M M Y O R OU R K E

There are times in our lives when all our dreams come true. This

happened for me on New Years Day 1973. The Hibs team I was

proud to be a part of was in a rich vein of form. We had had a great

December and this had included winning the League Cup by beating

Celtic at Hampden. That was special, not least because I scored one of

our goals and my great friend Pat Stanton scored the other.We had achieved this with a group of young men from Falkirk,

Lanarkshire, Fife, Peebles and, of course, Edinburgh. This was a

tribute to our team of home grown talent. Unlike the modern game,

we had no need for expensive foreign imports.

Everyone who knows anything about Edinburgh football is

aware of what happened on January 1st 1973. We beat Hearts

7-0 at Tynecastle. It was a simply sensational result consideringthat Hearts had a decent team and the match was played on away

territory. The rivalry between the two sets of supporters really shone

through that day so Hibs winning as convincingly as we did meant

a great deal to our fans.

It was a pleasure for me to have been involved in such a historic

occasion and to have been on the same park as so many talented

players. We werent just a talented football team, we were fitter

than anyone in the league thanks to our outstanding trainer Tom

McNiven.

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We had a great manager in Eddie Turnbull who worked us for

hours on end on the training ground. We forwards were coached in

launching what Eddie called waves of attacks. Jim Herriot and the

back four had to learn to deal with attacking players coming at themfrom all angles. All of us reaped the benefit of this hard endeavour

when we took to the field on a Saturday. Doing the right things

became second nature to us.

The managers excellent backroom staff of Wilson Humphries,

John Fraser and Stan Vincent all played their part and I couldnt

have asked for better teammates.

Jim Herriot in goal was a quiet big guy who made some inspiring

saves at vital times. John Brownlie had it all. He was the best right

back I have ever seen. His full back partner, Erich Schaedler, was the

fittest player I ever encountered in my years in the game. He could

play as well.

Our centre half Jim Black was a big, honest man who did his

defensive job admirably. He linked really well with John Blackley

who I always thought of as the quiet assassin. John was hard and

skilful in equal measure and a real, top class centre back.In midfield we had three special players. Alex Edwards was the

first footballing sat-nav. He could pinpoint his passes to any

player in any area of the pitch. Alex could have landed the ball on

a button from fifty yards away. Alex Cropley, on the other side of

the park, had a magical left foot and was a great tackler. He was a

pretty good passer as well and he weighed in with his fair share of

goals.Then we had our captain, Pat Stanton. What can I say? Pat led us

by example and it was the best example you could possibly get. He

was a wonderful football player and we did our best to follow in his

footsteps.

Up front, we had the man we called The Flyer, Arthur Duncan,

on the left wing. Everyone knows that Arthur had searing pace but

dont forget that he was brave too and scored goals aplenty. Some-

body who scored even more goals than Arthur was my strike

partner Alan Gordon. I couldnt have had a better partner than

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F O R E W O R D

Alan. His play was intelligent and full of skill. He and I had a great

understanding.

I loved playing for the team I love. I contributed my fair share of

goals as well as quite a few assists and I was never afraid to work forthe cause. I trained hard and I played hard. That is the way Eddie

Turnbull coached us and that is why he was able to mould a truly

great team.

I was privileged to be one of Turnbulls Tornadoes and part of the

Hibs team which achieved a record breaking seven goal victory over

Hearts. Teds book has brought back many happy memories for

me and my teammates. I wish The Game on New Years Day every

success.

Jimmy ORourke

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Introduction

D OW N A LL T H E D E R BI E S

Derby matches are intense affairs. While the Old Firm match always

seems to be given pride of place in the derby roll call, supporters of

other clubs would argue that their confrontations with their closest

local rivals mean every bit as much.

Try telling a Mancunian or a Scouser that Rangers versus Celtic is

more important than United against City or Liverpool taking on

Everton. Dont even think about suggesting to fans of Hibs andHearts that the great Glasgow match-up comes close to the Edin-

burgh derby for thrills and spills. To the capitals cognoscenti the

battle between green and maroon is paramount.

Hibs and Hearts players and especially supporters want to win

the match against their local rivals more than any other. For Hibees

and Jambos, a win in the derby allows them to walk tall at school, at

work, in the local or just along the street. Victory gives them licenceto lord it over their friends and relations of the opposite persuasion.

Being in the ascendancy is wonderful but being on the receiving end

is terrible.

The Hibernian v Heart of Midlothian match is a venerable institu-

tion. The fixture dates back well over a century. The two teams met for

the first time at the Meadows on Christmas Day 1875. Sadly, Hearts

won 1-0. In doing so, they set down a marker for the decades ahead.

In season 1886-87, Hibs had one of their best ever teams. They

won the Scottish Cup for the first time and on their way to the final

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saw off the challenge of Hearts by no less than 5 goals to 1. Derby

domination didnt end there though in that particular campaign. In

matches in other competitions, the men in maroon were taken care

off 3-0, 5-2 and 7-1 respectively. In the 7-1 game, the great JamesMcGhee scored five times in the first twenty-five minutes. 7-1 is an

impressive score but, as everyone reading this book knows, it was to

be bettered at a later date.

Hibs played their first New Year match in 1883. It wasnt against

Hearts though. St Johnstone provided the opposition and probably

wished that they hadnt bothered as they were thrashed to the tune

of 13-0.

The first New Year derby took place on January 1st 1895 with

Hearts winning 6-1. The match was of the friendly variety though so

it shouldnt be taken too seriously. Mind you, I dont think there is

such a thing as a friendly match involving the two teams from

opposite ends of Edinburgh.

An encounter which was undoubtedly official was played at

Logie Green in 1896. 17,340 supporters turned up to watch an all

Edinburgh Scottish Cup Final. Hearts came out on top 3-1.The first half of the twentieth century saw Hibs enjoy mixed

fortunes on the derby front. In 1901, they met Hearts in a Scottish

Cup semi-final for the first time and lost 2-1 after a replay. On New

Years Day 1934, Hibs lost 4-1 at home to Hearts. That was quite

definitely bad news. On the positive side, though, it was Hearts first

win at Easter Road since 1919 and their first victory in a New Year

derby for 19 years.By the 1940s, Hibs were building a great team. In 1941, Gordon

Smith who had been snatched by Willie McCartney from under

Hearts noses, scored a hat trick on his debut in a 5-3 win at

Tynecastle. Another great name, Matt Busby, the legendary man-

ager of Manchester United, was on the scoresheet in a 2-2 derby

draw in 1942.

When the 1950s dawned, Hibs were at the summit of British

football. They had won the league championship and were on the

brink of winning it twice more. When Hearts came to Easter Road

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D O W N A L L T H E D E R B I E S

on January 2nd 1950, interest in the game was so high that 65,860

spectators crammed into the ground. Gordon Smith gave Hibs the

lead but Hearts were strong at that time too and the maroons fought

back to silence the huge crowd by winning 2-1. The attendance atthat match remains a record turnout for any football match in

Scotland played outwith Glasgow.

While Hibs had no problem overcoming Rangers or Celtic during

their early fifties halcyon days, they almost always encountered

difficulties when Hearts provided the opposition. The maroons

seemed to reserve their best, most committed performances for

matches against their city rivals and, in a trend which has continued

to the present day, they never seemed to be short of luck in derby

fixtures.

Hibs did get the better of things in September 1952 when Lawrie

Reilly notched a hat trick in a 3-1 home victory. In the 58 years since

Lawries feat, only three other Hibs players have managed to score

three or more goals in a game against Hearts. One of those was Joe

Baker who went one better than his illustrious predecessor in the

number 9 jersey by scoring four goals in a 4-3 Scottish Cup victory atTynecastle in 1958. Hearts were running away with the league

championship that season and strongly fancied themselves to

achieve a league and cup double. The 17-year-old Master Baker

and his Hibernian teammates had other ideas.

Another hat trickster was Pat Quinn. The little midfield general

had his moment of glory in Gorgie in 1967 as Hibs swept to a

convincing 4-1 win. Thirty-three years would pass before anyoneelse in a green and white shirt was able to notch another derby day

treble.

In 1983, a young forward who had come close to signing for Hibs,

made his derby day debut for Hearts. His name was John Robertson

and he marked his first appearance in the local shootout with two

goals in a winning cause. The little striker was to inflict untold

misery on Hibs in the decade and a half ahead.

In 1985, Hibs under John Blackley were fighting to avoid relega-

tion. They needed something from the derby tussle at Tynecastle but

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found themselves 2-0 down with only a few minutes of the match

remaining. Step forward left winger Joe McBride, the son of an

outstanding striker, the recently deceased and greatly lamented Joe

McBride senior. Joe senior knew what it meant to find the net in aderby game and now his son conjured up two late goals to secure a

draw, a point and ultimately, Premier League survival.

As the eighties drew to a close, Hearts embarked on an unbeaten

run which became the despair of all Hibs supporters. For 22

successive matches, the Hibees failed to defeat their greatest rivals.

There were nine draws and a fair bit of misfortune. No game

exemplifies this lack of luck more than the Scottish Cup tie at Easter

Road in February 1994. The game entered added-on time locked at

1-1. Hibs had enjoyed the better of things and were pushing for a

winning goal.

Hearts counter attacked though and Wayne Foster found himself

one on one with Jim Leighton. Leighton came out to narrow the

angle and like the great goalkeeper he was made himself big.

However, he forgot to close his legs, and probably more by accident

than design, Foster fired the ball between them and into the Hibsnet.

Thankfully Hibs didnt have to wait too much longer to end

Hearts undefeated sequence. Six months later, Gordon Hunter

scored an iconic goal at Tynecastle and the maroons stranglehold

was broken. Hibs best unbeaten run, incidentally, is 12 matches

during the period 1974 to 1978. Hibs won seven of these games and

drew the other five. From January 1969 to January 1973, Hibs playedHearts nine times and didnt lose a goal. Hearts greatest number of

consecutive wins in competitive derby fixtures is seven. Sadly, the

most successive wins that Hibs can boast is only three.

In 1998, Hearts were in contention for the League Championship

while Hibs were looking down the barrel at the prospect of relega-

tion to the First Division. Although the last derby match of the

season took place in mid-April, it was played in freezing weather

punctuated by flurries of snow. Two outstanding goals from Barry

Lavety and Kevin Harper secured a 2-1 home win. John Robertson

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was on target for Hearts in a derby match for the last time. Hibs

victory went a long way towards scuppering Hearts title hopes but

it wasnt enough to keep them in the top league.

The last derby fixture of the twentieth century was enacted atTynecastle on Sunday December 19th 1999. Hearts entered the

Millennium Derby as hot favourites and exited it as 3-0 losers.

The early noughties saw some high scoring victories. Hearts man-

aged four goals a few times and even notched five on one occasion.

Hibs went one better in October 2000, though, when they won 6-2

and Mixu Paatelainen emulated Reilly, Baker and Quinn in becom-

ing a post-war derby hat trick scorer.

One particularly sad derby day for all Hibees was a 4-0 Scottish

Cup semi-final defeat in 2006. Hibs went into the game with a long

injury list and an unreliable goalkeeper. They paid dearly for both.

Hibs havent in fact beaten Hearts in the Scottish Cup since 1979

when Gordon Rae and George Stewart scored to gain a 2-1 victory.

Hibs most recent victory over Hearts came in May 2009 when

Derek Riordans reward for netting a penalty winner was to be

attacked by a disgruntled Hearts supporter. Hearts are once againbuilding an unbeaten derby run. When this book went to the

printers, they had gone eleven games without defeat. Indeed of

the 48 derbies played in the current century, 24 have resulted in

Hearts triumphs while Hibs have only managed to win 9 times.

Since the introduction of the Premier League neither Hibs nor

Hearts has managed to win all four League derbies in any one

season. Hearts did though win all three league games played inseason 2011-12. Over the course of the fixtures though, it has to be

admitted with reluctance and regret that Hearts have had much the

better of it. In league matches, Hibs have won only 28% of their

home derbies and 22% of those played away from home. Of the

316 competitive derbies which have been contested, Hearts have

triumphed 139 times. Hibs have only won 88 times. It is hard to

understand how any one team could have been so lucky so often.

Hibs have, though, won more New Year derbies than Hearts. The

greens have won 31 to the maroons 29.

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Thirty-six players have represented both Hibs and Hearts. The

most famous of the men to play for both sides are Gordon Smith,

Willie Hamilton and Alan Gordon. The most recent is Danny

Galbraith who never played a first team game for Hearts andone of the most illustrious is Bobby Atherton, Hibs captain when

they last won the cup in 1902.

The Hibs player who has played in the most derby matches in the

league is Gordon Hunter who played in 36 capital contests. Pat

McGinlay played only two games less. Another Pat, the great

Stanton, played most derbies among the Turnbulls Tornadoes

team. He managed 26 appearances against the men in maroon.

In all competitive derbies, Gordon Smith has made the most

appearances. He played against Hearts on 38 occasions and also

scored the highest total of goals in all competitive fixtures with his

tally of 15.

Hibs highest scorer in league matches against Hearts is Lawrie

Reilly with 10 goals. Next comes Derek Riordan, Eddie Turnbull and

Arthur Duncan with 7 each. These statistics pale into insignificance

when compared with John Robertsons 27 derby goals for Hearts.Even the most ardent Hibs fan would have to admit that Hearts

have done better than Hibs in derby matches in the 137 years over

which the fixture has been played. The last derby played before this

book went to print was one of the most high profile fixtures of all.

On 19 May 2012, Hibs and Hearts met at Hampden in the first all-

Edinburgh Scottish Cup Final since 1896. Hibs went into that final

with one of their least distinguished teams. In the match itself,Hearts Ian Black should have been sent off but wasnt, Hibs had a

player correctly sent off and the maroons were given a penalty at a

crucial time in the game for an offence which clearly took place

outside the penalty area. In the end Hearts deservedly won 5-1

which is a crushingly convincing margin for a historic cup final

between local rivals. That result hurt Hibs fans very badly. As I

write these words, I am still suffering from the disappointment of

that defeat. With that victory, Hearts and their supporters earned

bragging rights which can never be taken away.

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There is one boast, though, that Hibees can make which Jambos

cannot refute. Hibs hold the record-winning margin in a competitive

derby. That margin is SEVEN goals. As no-one needs reminding,

that record was established on January 1st 1973 when Hibs humi-liated their fiercest rivals on their own turf by the score of 7-0.

The match in question has been immortalised in song and news-

print. This book, which is published as the 40th anniversary of Hibs

greatest ever triumph draws ever closer, sets out to record this

happiest and most historic of Hibernian occasions through the eyes

of the players who wore the green and white jerseys on the great day

and the supporters who watched the game unfold before their

euphoric but scarcely believing eyes. Some of those who are too

young to have been at Tynecastle on the day itself, have heard the

tales of it down through the years. They have also been given the

opportunity to have their say.

In truth, Hibs record against Hearts is a sorry one. The 2012

Scottish Cup final capitulation has added significantly to the cata-

logue of derby disappointments which supporters of Hibernian

Football Club continue to endure. That is why major victories,few and far between as they are, need to be treasured.

The 6-2 win in October 2000 may already be 12 years distant but

its memory is no less sweet. It is now almost four decades since Hibs

greatest derby triumph of all that unforgettable game on New

Years Day 1973. This is the story of Hearts 0 Hibernian 7 and it truly

is a story to savour.

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Prologue

H E A RT B R E A K A T H AM P DE N P A RT 1

As season 2010-2011 meandered towards an end which couldnt

come quickly enough for most Hibs supporters, the team under the

less than inspired management of Colin Calderwood was making

heavy weather of its closing bottom six fixtures. A home game

against St Johnstone had just been lost in depressingly, disappoint-

ing fashion and fans making their way from the game were focused

on lamenting the shortcomings of the current side.Word began to spread through the crowd that it had just been

announced on the radio that Eddie Turnbull had died. This sad

news put the teams current malaise into sharp perspective and

directed the minds of older supporter back to better times.

A number of days later, I stood with my wife and granddaughter

on the concourse to the East Stand at Easter Road and bowed my

head in respect and remembrance as Turnbulls funeral cortegedrove past. There was a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat. In

my mind were a host of memories of a great and combative player I

had watched in the latter days of his career and a visionary manager

who had lead Hibs to great heights in the early nineteen seventies

before his teams fortunes had waned.

I may not have agreed with every decision that Eddie Turnbull

took as his managerial reign at Easter Road developed but I most

certainly recognised his achievements and realised just how great

the football played by his original team had been. My thoughts went

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back to his appointment as Hibs manager in the summer of 1971 and

the huge excitement engendered among the Hibs support by that

appointment.

Turnbulls predecessor, Dave Ewing had not been a great success.He had failed to get the most out of a talented squad of players and

it was no great surprise when he returned to England after a few

short months in the managerial hot seat. Eddie Turnbull had built a

fine side at Aberdeen and he was the man every Hibs follower

wanted to take charge at Easter Road. Chairman Tom Hart moved

heaven and earth to get his man and eventually he did. The news

that the midfield dynamo whose all-round excellence had provided

the platform for the Famous Five to weave its magic was coming

home was met with unbridled joy among the Hibs support.

John Fraser, who was on Hibs coaching staff at the time, knew

Eddie Turnbull well. Fraser, a fine servant to Hibs as a right winger,

centre forward and full back and who had also captained the team

to victory over Real Madrid and to three wins over Rangers in one

season, had made his debut in 1956 playing alongside all of the

Famous Five except Bobby Johnstone who had left for ManchesterCity by then. He recalls, My first match was against East Fife and I

played on the right wing. We won 6-0 and what struck me was how

vocal players like Eddie and Lawrie Reilly were. Eddie was like a

coach on the park.

Lawrie had a lot to say but it was more to do with his will to

win. He was always urging you on and nipping away at the

opposition. Lawrie set really high standards and would neversettle for second best. I remember in training one day, we were

playing a bounce game. Big Tommy Younger let in a goal that he

possibly could have saved. Lawrie wasnt best pleased and told

Tommy so. In no time at all they were eyeballing each other and

had to be pulled apart.

It was funny really because they were the best of pals off the park

and Tommy towered over Lawrie. It just showed how much desire

for high quality there was in that team and among players like

Lawrie and Eddie.

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H E A R T B R E A K A T H A M P D E N P A R T 1

It was obvious to everyone at the club that Eddie was cut out to

be a manager. When he retired, he was made trainer. That was a role

in those days which was a combination of coach and physiothera-

pist. Hugh Shaw was still the manager but he spent most of his timein his office. Eddie took the training and gave the team talk on a

Saturday. Mr Shaw would come in after Eddie had finished and

send us out with a few rallying words but that was about the extent

of his involvement. Eddie was pretty much running the show. Mind

you, if we lost on a Saturday we knew that the manager would

make his presence felt on a Monday by putting us through a

gruelling physical training routine to punish us. It was a good

reason not to lose.

Hugh Shaw had, of course managed the Famous Five team

during its reign of success. By the time I came into the team though,

he was an older man and happy to leave most things to Eddie as

trainer. One good habit he had retained was to ask each player at the

pre-match meal to give his views on the days game. He was happy

to let even the younger player have their say and he listened

carefully to what was said. He was probably ahead of his timein that respect.

John Fraser had mixed feelings when he heard that Eddie Turn-

bull was returning to Easter Road. He says, Tom McNiven was our

physio at that time and he was outstanding at his job. When Tom

and I heard that Eddie was coming back, we were delighted for the

club because he had been really successful at Aberdeen and we

knew how good he was. However, we were worried for our ownjobs. Usually when a new manager comes in, he brings his own

backroom team with him and there is a clearout of the old guard.

We were concerned that this might happen with Eddie. In the event

our apprehension wasnt warranted. Eddie assured us as soon as he

arrived that he wanted us to stay at the club. We couldnt have been

more pleased.

Fraser had worked under a number of previous managers in-

cluding the great Jock Stein. He remembers his time with Stein

fondly. Jock was a tremendous manager. By the time he came to

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Hibs, I had moved to right back after playing mainly as a right

winger. It was Eddie Turnbull, in fact, who was instrumental in my

switch to full back. We were playing Dundee and our right back

John Grant got injured. There were no substitutes in those days soEddie, who was captain, took charge. He told me to go back to full

back and kept me right through the game telling me when to jockey,

when to tackle, when to show the winger the outside and things like

that. His insight was superb and I had found a new position! When

Jock took over, he encouraged me to overlap and attack more. He

had studied the work of Helenio Herrera, the great Inter Milan

manager whose left back Giacinto Facchetti would bomb forward at

every opportunity. Stein decided he wanted me to do the same. He

took this ploy further with Tommy Gemmell when he went back to

Celtic.

Big Jocks man management was an education. We had Willie

Hamilton with us at that time and his ability was second to none.

His attitude, though, was less than dedicated. One day at training

when Willie was clearly under the weather from his previous

evenings socialising, Stein came up to me. He said Im tellingyou this as captain so you dont speak up to defend him but Im

going to sort Hamilton out when we get back into the dressing

room. Its for his own good and the good of the team so dont even

think about intervening. When we got back in after training, Stein

steamed into Willie.

He stood over him and said, Youre a complete disgrace. Youre

a disgrace to yourself, to your talent and to this club. Get yourclothes on, get out of here and dont come back until I tell you. If I

decide to let you come back that is. Willie got changed quickly and

slunk out of the dressing room. There was a shocked silence. Big

Jock let him stew for three weeks before he called him back. Willie

had learned his lesson and he was a complete revelation for the rest

of his time at Easter Road.

On becoming manager of Hibs, Eddie Turnbull wasted no time in

making his mark. He informed the players, press and public that

Hibs training would be entirely different now and that the accent

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would be very much on ball work and tactical thinking. John Fraser

loved being part of his coaching staff. He recalls, It was a pleasure

to work under Eddie. Whereas Stein had used a blackboard to make

his tactical points, Eddie used the training pitch. When Stein wentthrough something on his board, he would always finish by saying,

Do you all understand what I am looking for? We all nodded

back at him because he had an intimidating presence and I dont

think anyone wanted him to think that they didnt follow what he

was telling us. Im not sure if everyone really always understood

what he wanted though.

Eddie was different. He did lots of what he called functional

training. He drilled the players on the pitch time and time again in

game situations. He worked with the back four, he developed the

running off the ball and the switching of play which become such a

trademark of his team. The players worked so hard and so often on

the basics of the teams tactical approach that these moves became

second nature to them. When similar situations arose on a Saturday,

they did the right things instinctively. It may sound simple but it

required a lot of hard work and was brilliantly effective.Fraser recently went down to Manchester with other members of

the Hibs Former Players Association. They had dinner with Sir Alex

Ferguson and he invited them to come and watch his teams training

at Carrington. The training was really intensive and John Fraser says

thatittookhimbacktothetypeoftrainingthatHibsusedtodounder

Eddie Turnbull: Manchester United were playing a practice match. It

was red bibs against yellow bibs and nobody was holding back. Inoticed that Paul Scholes was wearing a green bib. This was because

he was playing for both sides. Whenever either team got the ball they

looked for Scholes and passed to him. The purpose was to make

picking out Scholes a reflex action for all members of the United team.

That is why when you watched them play, Scholes was so obviously

the fulcrum of their playing system. It reminded me of Eddies

functional training. He was years ahead of his time.

The Hibs players loved the enlightened approach of their new

manager and after a series of indifferent results in pre-season

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friendlies, they hit the ground running when the season proper got

underway.

Turnbull, at that point had made only one signing. He had moved

for the former Dunfermline, Birmingham City and Scotland goal-keeper Jim Herriot who had been playing in South Africa. Herriot

recalls feeling excited when he received Eddie Turnbulls telephone

call. He says, I knew that with Eddie Turnbull in charge at Hibs,

there was every chance of the club winning something. When Eddie

contacted me, I told him what my terms were and he agreed to

them. To be honest, I would have accepted whatever he had offered

me as I was really keen to go to Hibs.

Hibs had tried to sign me back in the Sixties when I was still at

Dunfermline but Jock Stein, who was in charge at East End Park at

the time had refused to let me go. I didnt want to miss out on going

to Easter Road a second time.

Nicknamed Big Bob by his teammates because he had sleepy

eyes like the Hollywood legend Robert Mitchum, Herriot exuded

calm and assurance and brought out the best in his defensive

colleagues. Herriot admits that while he liked to give off an airof unflappability, he wasnt quite so relaxed inside. I used to get

nervous before games. Theres a lot of pressure on you as a goal-

keeper but you cant let your nerves show. You have to give out the

right aura to your defenders.

These defenders included players like John Brownlie, Erich Schae-

dler, Jim Black and John Blackley whose talents were obvious. To

that point, these talents hadnt been fully utilised on a consistentbasis. Eddie Turnbull would soon change that.

Sweeper supreme Blackley remembers well the early impact

made by the new man in charge: Willie McFarlane and Dave Ewing

were both popular with the players. Willie, in particular, was a real

enthusiast and a great motivator but, when it came to coaching,

Eddie Turnbull was in a different league. He drilled the back four

constantly. Jim Herriot would be in goal with big John Brownlie, Jim

Black, Erich Schaedler and me in front of him. The midfield players

and forwards would come at us in waves and we would defend for

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our lives. We would attempt to go as long as possible without losing

a goal. Jim Herriot would shout at us and keep us right and we soon

developed into a compact unit in every sense. We developed a bond

as a defence and took a fierce pride in doing our job well. Eddiewould stop the game every so often to make a point. Every training

session was an education.

Jim Herriot agrees: The midfield players and forwards would

constantly come at the back four and me. Eddie said to me,

Remember, youre the gaffer in there. Let them know it. I used

to tell the back four to leave the space in the six-yard box to me and I

would come for everything in that area. When we did those training

drills, the only protection we had was one of the young players

acting as a chaser in front of the back four. Apart from that, we

used to have to take on six top quality attacking players on our own.

Sometimes, we kept them out for ages. It was great training and

defending in games on a Saturday seemed easy in comparison.

That great attacking full back John Brownlie, who could also be

relied on defensively, agrees with his former teammates and long

time friends. We would be told to come back in the afternoons towork on specific parts of our game. Sometimes you came in on your

own and, at other times, a group of you came back for extra work.

It all had a benefit to you as an individual and to the team as whole.

It definitely made you a better player.

Blackley doesnt remember Eddie Turnbull as being big on praise

during these sessions. He would have a quiet word in your ear on a

one to one basis and you would feel a million dollars but he didntlike to praise you in front of the rest of the group.

Rock solid centre half Jim Black feels a bit more praise from the

boss would have been no bad thing. He says, It would have been

good to get praised in front of the rest of the team. It would have

built your confidence. That wasnt Eddies way though. He worried

that handing out praise might breed complacency.

He was brilliant at instilling a team ethic in us. He would

constantly tell the most gifted players in the squad and, we had

some real high-class performers, how much they needed the other

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players in the group. He would say, Remember, they can do things

that you cant and you need them as much as they need you.

There was no shortage of quality in the midfield area either. Pat

Stanton, undoubtedly one of Hibs greatest ever players, was ap-proaching the peak of his career and a left footed bundle of energetic

excellence called Alex Cropley was beginning to make his mark.

Up front, Joe Baker, recently and rapturously welcomed back

from Sunderland, was in possession of the number nine jersey and

he had a popular strike partner in Jimmy ORourke whose love of

Hibs was well known. ORourke had a prodigious work rate and the

eye for goal of a natural marksman. Jimmy was delighted when The

Baker Boy came back to Hibs. When Joe walked into the dressing

room, Bobby Duncan and I bowed down before him and paid him

homage. He was my hero. Width in the front line was provided by a

flying machine called Arthur Duncan who was also no slouch in the

scoring department.

Jimmy ORourke remembers the impact made by the arrival of

Eddie Turnbull. Eddie was highly organised and he brought

structure and discipline to the club. We had some seriously goodplayers but we had been underachieving. Things were a bit casual.

People would turn up late and their performances would be

inconsistent. Eddie soon changed all that.

The previous manager Dave Ewing had given me permission to

return a couple of days later than the rest of the players for pre-season

training to fit in with my holiday arrangements. When I came into

training, Eddie was waiting for me. He left me in no doubt thattrainingwasfarmoreimportantthanholidaysandmadeitclearthatI

better not be late for anything ever again. As I walked in, he said to the

rest of the team, Theres a professional for you. I tried to tell him that

Ewing had told me that it was alright to come back late. He wasnt

interested and told me in no uncertain terms that he hadnt been

impressed by the first impression I had made and that I had better

show him what I was made of. I definitely got the message.

Eddie got us playing wee games in training which were aimed

at sharpening our passing and improving our defending. We took

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them seriously and enjoyed them. They made a difference on a

Saturday.

Club captain Pat Stanton, Jimmys friend and colleague since their

school days at Holy Cross Academy in the early 1960s also recallsthe early days of the Turnbull regime: Like all great managers, says

Pat, Eddie kept it simple. He didnt believe in overcomplicating

things and would tell us before a game or at half time, Right, sit

down and Ill tell you how to beat this lot. He was more concerned

with what we could do to the other team than what they might do to

us. He liked width in his team as well.

ORourke says that Turnbull was a perfectionist: Eddie would

never settle for anything but the best. I remember one day he had

Bobby Smith who was an excellent player practising a free kick

routine. Bobby kept overhitting the ball and Eddie took off the

bunnet he was wearing and threw it on the ground in frustration.

He said, No wonder I take a wee drink now and again! Mind you,

we didnt often have to practise things in training more than once

because there was a lot of quality in our squad.

Alex Cropley had learnt of Eddie Turnbulls arrival from one ofhis neighbours as he walked along the street. Alex recalls: He

shouted over to me, Eddie Turnbulls your new manager. Hell

make you play. He was dead right. From the minute Eddie came

in, every one of us in the team sensed that something special was

in the air. We felt that we could go on and win things. We didnt

talk about it a lot but there was a definite unity of purpose among

us and real belief that we could succeed around Easter Road. Therewas a real atmosphere of one for all and all for one. It was a

great dressing room with a lot of characters and lot of strong

personalities but no personality was stronger than that of the

manager.

With some managers, praise is cheap. With Eddie, it was like

gold dust. He would praise the whole team after a great perfor-

mance but he didnt often hand out compliments to individuals.

When he did have a good word for you, it meant a lot. I remember

scoring a really good goal against Hearts at Easter Road and he said

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to me afterwards that the way I had been aware of exactly where the

goal was as I struck and placed the ball had told him that I was

going to be a real, top player. I went around with a smile on my face

for a week after that.In the early 1970s the Scottish season always began with the

League Cup qualifying sections. Each section was made up of four

teams and the winner of this group qualified for the quarter-finals.

For season 1971-72, Hibs were drawn with Motherwell, Dundee

United and Kilmarnock. Hibs raced through their section in mag-

nificent style. Baker was on fire, displaying all his old pace and

prowess and getting among the goals. A 3-0 win at Motherwell in

the first sectional match signalled Hibs intentions and they qualified

for the knockout stages without losing a game.

In fact, they won the first five and would have made club history

if they had managed to come out on top in their last match at Rugby

Park. In the event a goalless draw saw them retain their unbeaten

record but fail to enter the history books. The undoubted star of the

League Cup qualifying ties though was Alex Cropley. Cropley

scored four goals in the first four games and impressed everyonewith his classy play.

When the league campaign got underway, Hibs were faced with

what could have been a daunting prospect by being asked to visit

Tynecastle for their opening league fixture. Eddie Turnbull sent out

a clear signal that he expected his team to dominate derby matches

by steering his team to a 2-0 victory. The goals came from Cropley

(yet again) and Johnny Hamilton. Hamilton was a talented youngplayer who was equally at home on the right wing or in midfield.

Although he never managed to achieve a regular starting place in

Turnbulls Hibs teams, he was an important and productive squad

player in the managers early time in charge.

Falkirk, who were riding high at that time, provided the opposi-

tion in the two legged quarter-final tie and managed to get the better

of Hibs. Joe Baker had sustained a hip injury. Initially, he wasnt

expected to be out for long but his recovery period proved to

be lengthy and he was sorely missed. Falkirks old stadium at

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Brockville was packed for the first leg match and the atmosphere

was intense and intimidating.

Hibs dominated possession and pressure but the Bairns defended

stoutly and skilfully and with the help of a goal from a debatablepenalty and a last-second counter managed to secure a 2-0 victory.

Such was the interest in the match that over 18,000 fans packed into

the old ground to watch it.

Most Hibs fans still believed that their team could turn things

round in the return match and they very nearly did. Hibs attacked

incessantly and when Jimmy ORourke opened the scoring, the

comeback seemed on. Falkirk showed great character and commit-

ment though to hang on for a 2-1 aggregate win despite the Hibees

receiving non-stop encouragement from a crowd of over 27,000.

Eddie Turnbull and his team swallowed their disappointment

and turned their attention to the business of the league. League form

was good and the manager began to fine-tune his squad.

First he signed Alex Edwards from Dunfermline. The little num-

ber seven was so good that Jock Stein had put him in the Dunferm-

line team when he was only 16 years old and he had lookedcompletely at home. Now the wee Fifer had fallen out with his

club. This opened the door for Hibs. Edwards cost around 15,000

but was, in fact, a priceless player. He had tremendous ball control

and the vision to see passes that lesser players couldnt even begin to

visualise. He could also execute these passes with unerring accuracy

and was a master at unlocking defences. Like all great players, wee

Alex knew his own worth and the aura of confidence he exuded wasa positive influence on those around him.

Around this time, Hibs fine form was recognised when Scotland

manager Tommy Docherty selected Pat Stanton and Alex Cropley

for the European Nations Cup match against Portugal. Scotland

achieved an impressive victory and the Hibs duo were outstanding.

Alex Cropley remembers comparing the Scotland team boss with

his manager at Easter Road.

He says, I was grateful to The Doc for giving me the chance to

play for my country. I liked him. He was funny and entertaining but

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the novelty of working with him didnt last. With Eddie Turnbull,

there was always an aura and an impact. He talked to us about the

game all the time and he did so in a way that we could understand.

He simplified things for us which is a gift that shouldnt be under-estimated. Docherty was a good motivator but he wasnt in the

same class as Eddie Turnbull as a manager. Mind you, not many

were. When we stayed in hotels on trips to Europe, Eddie would

gather us round him in the evening and hold court. It was always

interesting. He would talk about other managers and say, See him,

hes a nice man and no a bad manager but nothing like as good as

me. None of us ever disagreed.

With Joe Baker still injured, Eddie Turnbull tried Arthur Duncan

at centre forward when Falkirk returned to Easter Road on league

business. The move was a great success as Hibs hammered six goals

past the Bairns with Duncan notching four of them. What would the

Hibees have given for just one of those goals in the earlier League

Cup tie?

In Bakers continuing absence, Eddie Turnbull decided he needed

a more permanent replacement and moved to sign another striker.This was another transfer coup as Alan Gordon was acquired from

Dundee United for a bargain price. Tall and elegant, Gordon was a

composed and consistent finisher who was adept at bringing other

players into the game and masterly in the air.

Eddie Turnbull had tried to sign Gordon when he was at Aberd-

een but the move hadnt worked out. When he heard that the big

striker might be available now, he wasted no time in contacting JimMcLean and securing his signature.

McLean had only just begun his long reign at Tannadice and had

chosen Gordon to play against Hibs in one of his first matches in

charge. Hibs had won 3-0 and McLean had clearly not been

impressed by Gordons performance. In contrast, Eddie Turnbull

had clearly liked what he had seen and big Alan would be playing a

lot more regularly at Easter Road in future.

When the Scottish Cup came round in January 1972, Hibs were

given a really difficult draw. Partick Thistle, managed by Dave

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McParland were having a great season. They had won the League

Cup beating Celtic 4-1 in the final and astounding the football world

in the process.

With players of the quality of Alex Rae, Jimmy Bone, DenisMcQuade, Bobby Lawrie and Alan Rough in their ranks and

playing on their own ground at Firhill, Thistle must have gone

into the tie quietly fancying their chances. In the event, they were

comprehensively outplayed and Hibs, through goals from Gordon

and Schaedler, secured a 2-0 victory which was more comfortable

than most people had expected.

Shades goal was real collectors piece. He hurled one of his

trademark long throws into the box and the ball was headed back in

his direction by one of the Partick defenders. Normally, Erich would

have controlled the ball and fired a cross into the danger area. On

this occasion, he went for broke. He volleyed the ball for goal and, to

his own delight and the joy of the large travelling Hibs support, sent

it flying into the roof of the net with maximum velocity. Alan Rough

could only stare in bemusement as the ball hurtled past him.

A couple of weeks later, Hibs travelled to Falkirk on leaguebusiness and won at that difficult venue by 3 goals to 2. Joe Baker

was back at last and, not surprisingly, on the score sheet. One of

Falkirks scorers was Alex Ferguson who at that time was a prolific

and feisty striker. An impressive victory was overshadowed though

by a serious injury to Alex Cropley. Crop broke his ankle and

would be out for the rest of the season, which was a huge blow to

the club. As he recalls it now, his injury occurred in a tackle with theman who is now Manchester United and English footballs most

successful manager. Not that Cropley blames the great man for his

injury: It was just one of these things. Fergie had an eventful game

that day because if I remember correctly, he got sent off late in the

game. Pat Stanton recollects that Ferguson was genuinely upset

about Cropleys accidental injury at the end of the match.

In the next round of the Scottish Cup, Baker and Gordon supplied

the goals in a 2-0 home win over Airdrie as Hibs eased into the last

eight. Aberdeen who were doing really well under the guidance of

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Eddie Turnbulls successor, Jimmy Bonthrone, were the visitors for

the quarter-final and Turnbull would have derived satisfaction from

getting the better of his former club.

Jimmy ORourke opened the scoring within seconds of the kick-offand another Baker goal sealed victory. Hibs were now in the semi-

finals and hope was rising among their support that the Scottish Cup

could be won again at last. Rangers provided the opposition at

Hampden and Hibs were probably reasonably content when a

Jimmy ORourke equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw and a replay.

Joe Baker played in the semi-final but wasnt selected for the replay.

He was to be released at the end of the season. After the second game

against Rangers though, no-ones mind was on the impending de-

parture of a club legend. Everyone was focused on a forthcoming

Scottish Cup Final against Celtic.

If Hibs had been tentative in the first semi-final encounter with

Rangers, they were free flowing and irresistible in the second. Hibs

totally dominated the match and, for the fourth time in the 1971-72

Scottish Cup campaign won by the score of 2-0. Pat Stanton and

Alex Edwards got the goals and, in truth, the winning margin couldand should have been more.

Hibs followed up their semi-final win by going to Ibrox and

beating Rangers 2-1. Jimmy ORourke scored Hibs second goal from

the penalty spot. It was the only penalty I can remember us ever

being awarded at Ibrox or Parkhead, says Jimmy, so I wasnt going

to miss it.

The teams form was now hugely impressive and they approachedthe cup final with no little optimism. They couldnt have had more

formidable opponents than Jock Steins Celtic. It was only five years

since Steins team had lifted the European Cup and they had reached

the final of Europes premier club competition for a second time only

two years previously. They boasted such great players as Jimmy

Johnstone, Bobby Lennox, Billy McNeill, George Connolly, Kenny

Dalglish and Lou Macari and had inestimable big match experience.

Hibs had finished fourth in the old Scottish First Division. They

had won 19 matches and drawn 6 out of the 34 they had played in

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the old eighteen-team division and great progress had clearly been

made.

Eddie Turnbull had very often got the better of Jock Stein as a

player and there was reason to believe that he might be about to dothe same as a manager. Indeed, Aberdeen, under Turnbull, had

beaten Celtic 3-1 in the Scottish Cup Final just two years earlier and

this was also seen as a positive omen.

Sadly, the Scottish Cup Final, played in front of a crowd of

106,102, proved to be a massive anti-climax. Celtic struck early

through their captain Billy McNeill and, despite a brief Hibs rally

during which Alan Gordon equalised, ran out convincing 6-1

winners. Dixie Deans who was to cause Hibs supporters nearly

as much angst in the 1970s as John Robertson did in the eighties and

nineties scored a hat trick and too many Hibs players were over-

awed by the occasion.

Hibs made and missed quite a few goal-scoring chances but

defended weakly and naively. Both Pat Stanton and Jimmy

ORourke feel that the score was not a true reflection on the game.

Jimmy is of the opinion that Hibs could easily have scored four goalsthemselves and Pat reflects, It was one of these days. Everything

Celtic hit went in. John Blackley agrees with his captain. He says,

We could easily have made that game much closer if we had taken

all our chances.

Blackley considers that a key factor in the eventual outcome of the

final was Eddie Turnbulls decision to move him into midfield in an

attempt to wrest control of that area from Celtic. By moving meforward, Eddie left the rest of the defence one-on-one with the Celtic

forwards. It was a calculated risk to help us to win the cup but

unfortunately, on this occasion, it didnt work. Celtic were deadly

on the counter attack and clinical in their finishing. I think if we had

got the score back to 2-2, Eddie would have put me back to sweeper

and the final outcome might well have been very different. It wasnt

to be though.

Alex Edwards knows why Eddie Turnbull chose to take a chance

on moving his sweeper forward. We chased the game because that

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was the way we played. We were an attacking team. We created as

many opportunities as they did. We just didnt put our chances

away. Unfortunately for us, they took theirs.

Jim Herriot thinks that the decision to move Blackley forward wascrucial. Eddie Turnbull had a great tactical brain. He would make a

change at half time which would completely alter the flow of the

game. He decided to move Sloop forward at 2-1 to Celtic and it

might have worked but unfortunately it didnt. Every time we

missed a chance, and believe me, we missed plenty, they would

hit us on the counter attack and we found ourselves exposed

without Sloop to sweep up behind the defence. After the game

Eddie told us that he had got that one wrong. I admired him for

that.

Jim Black thinks that it was one of those matches when everything

went Celtics way. He says, I remember Jimmy Johnstone hit a shot.

It was heading out of play when Dixie Deans stuck his head in the

way of it and it flew into our net. That summed up the sort of day it

was.

Deans scored a Scottish Cup Final hat trick and proved to be ascourge to Hibs in subsequent seasons. Jim Black recalls, Dixie was

a real handful a scavenger of goals. He always caused us pro-

blems. The funny thing is that when he played for Motherwell and I

played for Airdrie, we regularly faced each other in Lanarkshire

derbies and I usually kept him pretty quiet.

Black adds, Celtics big game experience was crucial. They had

played in a lot of finals including two European Cup Finals. Thiswas our first Scottish Cup Final.

John Blackley says, I wouldnt say there was a fear of Celtic but

we were definitely a bit apprehensive. John Brownlie agrees: We

gave Celtic a lot of respect that day. Looking back, we probably

respected them too much.

Brownlie goes on, I know I wasnt at my best that day. At one

stage I tried to head the ball back to Jim Herriot from the half way

line which wasnt a great idea. We were playing in front of over

100,000 fans and the occasion probably got to us a bit.

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Alex Edwards has strong views on most things and the possible

existence of a fear factor among the Hibs players at Hampden that

day is no exception. Edwards is in no doubt that there wasnt, at

least not on his part. He says, In 1968, I had gone to Parkhead withDunfermline and knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup less than a

year after they had won the European Cup in Lisbon so I certainly

wasnt scared of them.

Alex Cropley had missed the final as he was still recovering from

his broken ankle. He was in the dressing room at Hampden with his

teammates though and remembers well the air of disappointment.

What sticks in his mind most of all is John Blackley hurling his losers

medal across the room and shouting, Thats no good to me. To this

day, Alex cant remember if Blackley retrieved his medal afterwards.

The hurt among players and supporters was deep and heartfelt

because both groups knew that the team was capable of much,

much better. For the captain and his teammates, it was a long

journey home. As Pat Stanton recalls, It was a very quiet coach on

the way back to Edinburgh. In fact I felt numb and despondent for

days afterwards. We had been given the chance to make history butwe hadnt taken it. Then my thoughts began to turn to what we

could do to make things up to the fans.

Jim Black remembers coaches Wilson Humphries and John Fraser

consoling the players after the game. The manager held his fire until

the Monday morning when the team reconvened at Easter Road.

Eddie had a simple message for us on the Monday morning. It was

Well be back. Eddie Turnbull was probably hurting more than most but he

remained defiant. He stated after the game that Hibs hadnt come

close to doing themselves justice. Unlike some of his players, Turn-

bull was convinced Hibs performance had been adversely affected

by anxiety. He said, I was worried before the game because the

players were white-faced and apprehensive. There was no self-

belief. When I had come back to Hibs, it was clear that the players

were scared of Celtic. Most teams were at that time because they

were so good. I wasnt having that and I thought that I had got them

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believing in themselves. I was obviously wrong though. Their fear

of Steins team at that stage was so deep seated that I hadnt

managed to completely remove it. Turnbull went on to declare

that Hibs would be back at Hampden soon and that next time theywould win.

Alex Edwards overheard his boss talking to the press after the

game. He says, I heard Eddie Turnbull telling the reporters that we

would be back. I totally agreed with him as we had too many good

players not to be back.

The managers determination and confidence rallied the clubs

support who reflected on the old saying that its always darkest

before the dawn. As the pain and embarrassment of the humiliation

from the Hoops began to recede and thoughts began to turn

towards season 1972-73, no-one could have realised just how

prophetic Eddie Turnbulls words would turn out to be and just

what glories would lie in wait for Hibernian Football Club in the

months ahead.

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Part One

A P P R O A C H I N G A D A T E W I T H D E S T I N Y


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Chapter 1

A P R O MI S E K EP T

As the pain of the punishment inflicted by Celtic began to ease, Hibs

fans started to look ahead to the forthcoming season 1972-73 with

optimism. They knew that they had good side which hadnt done

itself justice at Hampden in May. The players felt the same. Skipper

Pat Stanton spoke for the whole team when he said, We are aware

that we did not play to our potential in the Scottish Cup Final. We

have a lot more to offer than we showed that day. The resultflattered Celtic. The teams are much closer than that scoreline

suggests. We feel were as good as Celtic and we intend to prove it.

Most importantly of all, Eddie Turnbull was convinced that his

players were a match for anyone and better than most. He con-

sidered that stage fright had played a part in the capitulation to

Celtic and he had a score to settle with the Parkhead men. Turnbull

also had no intention of being dominated by Celtics mightymanager, the great Jock Stein. He said, Stein likes to intimidate

people but he wont intimidate me. I had the better of him as a

player and I intend to do the same as a manager.

Turnbull recalled how, during his days as Aberdeen manager,

Stein had brought Celtic to Pittodrie on the back of a long un-

defeated run. Aberdeen had brought that run to an end and after the

match, the Celtic boss had said to his opposite number, You

wouldnt have played like that if you had been up against blue

jerseys. Turnbull took great exception to this remark pointing out

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that he had little time for either member of the Old Firm and liked to

beat them both.

Now the Hibs boss was on a revenge mission. He wanted to go

back to Scotlands national stadium and leave it bearing silverware.He had promised the Hibs support that this would happen. Neither

the fans nor their manager could have guessed just how quickly

Eddie Turnbulls prophecy was about to come true.

In the early 1970s there were only two leagues in Scotland the

First Division and the Second Division. There were eighteen teams

in each league. Season 1972-73 saw the introduction of a new

competition sponsored by the brewers Drybrough. The four top

scoring teams from each league from the previous season would

take part in the Drybrough Cup.

Eddie Turnbull displayed confidence in his squad by making no

major summer signings. Hibs began their Drybrough Cup cam-

paign in comfortable style by defeating Montrose 4-0. Not only was

the result convincing but the performance was impressive. Mon-

trose kept their goal intact for half an hour but once Johnny

Hamilton had notched the opener, the floodgates opened. Furthercounters from Stanton, Gordon and Duncan could easily have been

added to as Hibs ran their opponents ragged.

This took the Hibees through to a semi-final match-up with a

Rangers team which had just won the European Cup Winners Cup.

Captained by John Greig, this was a strong Ibrox side with their

indomitable skipper joined by such light blue luminaries as the

towering goalkeeper Peter McCloy, midfield powerhouse AlexMcDonald, flying winger Willie Johnston and the former Hibs goal

machine, centre forward Colin Stein.

Easter Road was packed for the occasion and most of those

present expected a really close match. What they got was something

much more one-sided. Turnbulls Hibs were at their irresistible

best.

Alex Cropley was now fully recovered from his ankle break and

teamed up with Edwards to boss the midfield. The two Alexs were

at their very best and Rangers just couldnt cope with them. They

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A P R O M I S E K E P T

also found John Brownlie a handful as the big right back surged

forward time and time again to cause all sorts of problems.

The Hibs fans were rapturous and the stadium rocked with noise

as the greens totally dominated the contest. The superb Stantonopened the scoring and after the interval, the increasingly impress-

ive Alan Gordon added two more, the second of which was a

trademark brilliant header. The final score was 3-0 but it could have

been many more. When Liverpool once beat Swansea 6-0 in the FA

Cup, Bill Shankly famously remarked after the game that Swansea

were lucky to get nil. The same could have been said of Rangers on

that warm August Wednesday night in Leith. Hibs had now beaten

the Ibrox men three times in a row.

So, only three months after he had uttered them, Eddie Turnbulls

words had come true. Hibs were indeed going back to Hampden.

Their opponents would once again be Celtic who had edged out

Aberdeen 3-2 after extra time in a pulsating semi-final at Parkhead.

The Drybrough Cup may not have been an established national

major trophy but it was a prestigious tournament which had caught

the publics imagination. Anyone who doubts that need only look atthe attendance for the final. Over 85,000 fans crammed into Hamp-

den on Saturday 5 August 1972 to witness a classic cup final.

One wonders how Eddie Turnbull and his team felt as their coach

pulled up outside Scotlands national stadium and the players

disembarked to face up once again to the side which only a few

short months before had embarrassed them 6-1 on the same pitch.

Hibs would have been forgiven for harbouring a few doubts aboutwhat lay ahead as they made their way to the dressing room. In fact,

there was no such uncertainty, only a determination to put the

record straight.

Hampden in those days was a massive bowl. When Scotland

played England there at that time, 134,000 supporters would fill the

ground to breaking point. Like most grounds, the majority of its

capacity was given over to terraced standing accommodation.

Because the Old Firm reached so many cup finals, their followers

had their own ends at Hampden. The uncovered end behind one

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goal was given to the Celtic fans and Rangers had the covered

section at the opposite end of the stadium.

The large Hibs support which had retained the faith after its

Scottish Cup Final devastation was packed into the traditionalRangers end. If the Hibees felt apprehensive, it didnt show. In a

display of defiance, they outshouted and outsung their Celtic

counterparts as the teams took the field lead out by referee Bill

Mullan who was a Physical Education teacher from Dalkeith.

Hibs were without the influential Alex Edwards through injury

but the absence of their playmaker did not deter them as they set

about imposing themselves on Celtic from the first whistle. This was

to be no repeat of the faltering start made to the Scottish Cup Final in

May.

Hibs took control immediately and raced into a 3-0 lead. First Celtic

goalkeeper Evan Williams couldnt hold a Pat Stanton shot and Alan

Gordon slotted away the rebound in clinical fashion. Gordon then

converted a Johnny Hamilton cross to double Hibs lead.

The big striker then went in search of his hat trick and might well

have got it if Billy McNeill hadnt diverted his shot into his own net.Three goals ahead and playing superbly, Hibs seemed on easy street

but then events took an unexpected turn. There was a disturbance at

the Celtic end of the ground and their supporters spilled onto the

pitch. Referee Mullan had no choice but to stop the game until the

police brought the situation under control. When the pitch was

cleared and the match restarted, Hibs had lost their concentration

and Celtic surged back into the game.BillyMcNeillmadeupforhisearlierowngoalbygettingontargetat

the correct end of the field. He was, of course, a regular scorer against

Hibs throughout his career. Jimmy Johnstone weighed in with two

more goals and Hibs, having been in cruise control before the break in

play, were grateful to reach full time still in contention at 3-3.

If a survey of those in the ground had been taken after ninety

minutes, the vast majority would have predicted a Celtic victory

after extra time. The momentum was with Steins men and the

outcome seemed inevitable.

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Turnbull and his team had other ideas though. Pat Stanton remem-

bers well how the team felt as their manager addressed them prior to

the start of extra time: Eddie Turnbull had done the footballing

preparation and we were also really fit, says Pat. Our pre-seasonwork was of a very high standard. In Tom McNiven, we had an ex-

ceptional physio and fitness trainer. He was also expert in keeping us

injury free. We were way ahead of our time in the stretching exercises

we did and our stamina and sharpness work was second to none.

Coach John Fraser agrees. The manager had the team match

ready and Tom McNiven had them bursting with fitness and health.

Hibs pre-season training was magnificent and while most folk

would now have made Celtic favourites to lift the trophy, the Hibs

camp felt differently.

Alex Cropley recalls Eddie Turnbull telling his team to sit down

on the Hampden turf. He told us that we were going to go out and

win the match in extra time. I believed him. Defeat never entered my

mind.

Jim Herriot too thought Hibs would pull through. The goalkeeper

says, The competition was played under experimental rules. Theeighteen-yard lines at either end of the pitch had been extended to

cover the whole width of the field. Players couldnt be offside

between halfway and the eighteen yard line. In my opinion, two

of Celtics three goals had been offside under any rules, new or old. I

couldnt see why we shouldnt win it again.

Not everyone in the Hibs squad was quite so confident. John

Blackley recalls, When Jimmy Johnstone equalised just before fulltime, I thought, Oh no, here we go again. Once we got going in

the extra time, though, our fitness saw us through.

The confidence of the majority of the Hibs team proved to be

justified. Jimmy ORourke was on for Johnny Hamilton and he

made his presence felt by scoring one of the goals of his career.

Picking up a pass from Stanton, ORourke advanced towards the

Celtic goal. Its best if Jimmy tells the rest of the story himself: When

I got to about thirty yards out, I looked around for someone to pass

to. Everyone was marked so I decided that I might as well let fly. I

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caught the ball perfectly and it screamed into the roof of the Celtic

net. What a goal. What a feeling.

Most Hibs fans had been disappointed that ORourke had

been left out of Hibs starting line-up. Despite his obvious talentand total commitment to the Hibs cause, Eddie Turnbull never

seemed totally convinced that the little goal machine in green

should play every week. When they stopped celebrating it,

most Hibees may have reflected that Jimmys wonder goal

had proved a point. The player himself was not thinking along

those lines: I was just glad to have scored for the Hibs, says

ORourke. I didnt always understand it when I was left out but

all I could do when I played was give everything for the team and

try to score goals. No-one could ever doubt that that is exactly

what Jimmy did whenever he pulled on the green and white

jersey.

Hibs were holding on to their 4-3 lead as the Drybrough Cup

Final neared its conclusion. When Arthur Duncan picked up the ball

in the Celtic half, the Hibs supporters urged him to take it to the

corner flag to use up some time. Arthur initially had the same idea.He says, My idea was to run down the clock but that wasnt really

my style of play.

I decided to take on Danny McGrain. I went past Danny and

came along the goal line. I could have crossed it but decided to have

a go even though it wasnt the best of angles. It was, in fact, an

extremely acute angle but Duncan was never a man for the ortho-

dox. As the fans in the Hibs end of the ground roared cross it,Arthur took a shot and the ball ripped into the Celtic net. It was 5-3

and game over.

What a victory and what a riposte to Celtic after the Scottish Cup

Final. Rarely, if ever, had Jock Stein seen anyone score five goals

against his magnificent team but Hibs had achieved this feat and

done so in style. Three months earlier the Hibernian faithful had

made their way morosely from Hampden as Celtic had gone up to

receive the cup. Now they raised their voices and their green and

white scarves as Pat Stanton held aloft the Drybrough Cup.

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John Brownlie feels that winning this final was pivotal in the

development of Hibs at that time: Winning that trophy was

massive. It really boosted our confidence. After the disappointment

of losing the Scottish Cup Final, to beat Celtic so soon afterwardsand score five goals in the process really put us on a high.

Jim Black remembers Jimmy ORourkes special goal to this day:

Jimmys goal was a beauty. It flew in from thirty yards. When that

hit the net, I knew we were going to win. John Brownlie still reflects

with a smile on Arthur Duncans clincher. It was typical Arthur. We

were in the 120th minute and most players would have been looking

to waste time but not Arthur. All he was thinking about was scoring

a goal. Danny McGrain dived in on him and Arthur went past him

and fired it home. It was a great goal.

Eddie Turnbull had delivered on his promise in double quick

time. That was impressive but what was even more impressive was

the way in which he had done it. Hibs had put on a superlative

display. They had combined skill and style to outplay a great team.

They had also displayed the character which some thought had

been lacking three months previously.When Johnstone had made it 3-3 just before the end of normal

time, Hibs hearts could have sunk and their heads could have

dropped. To the players great credit, neither of these things hap-

pened. Prepared for extra time by an outstanding pre-season train-

ing regime and fortified by their managers words of wisdom, they

had stood tall and triumphed.

For Eddie Turnbull, there was justification for the confidence hehad displayed in his team but the manager had no intention of

resting on his laurels. Turnbull and his players had only just started.

The next few months had magical events in store.

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Chapter 2

L E A G U E C U P G L O RY

If you were a 50-year-old Hibs supporter in 1972, life would have

been pretty good. Born just after the First World War, you might

well have seen a bit of action in the latter part of World War Two.

After the end of this conflict, though, things had definitely looked

up.

By the time you were thirty, the National Health Service was well

established and Hibs had won the league three times in five years.On either side of your fortieth birthday, your favourite team had

taken care of the Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Barca

had been put to the sword by a team of attackers w

The Game on New Year’s Day by Ted Brack

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