The Edinburgh Reporter December 2021

SPORT
23
Green and white
Ian Jacobs
knuckle ride
New book by super-fan Colin Leslie
takes us through the highs and lows
at Easter Road during the 1980s
By JOHN HISLOP
STRUGGLING TO find a suitable
Christmas gift for the Hibs’ fan in
your life? Look no further. A new
book, Bestie to Beastie to Belgium,
is an absorbing account of a “green
and white knuckle ride” through
the 1980s, written by lifelong fan
Colin Leslie.
Why would any right-minded
Hibs’ supporter want to go and
dredge up the 1980s, asks the
author. No frills, no trophies,
precious few derby wins and
an alarming slide towards
near extinction.
That question is answered
in fine detail with tales of George
Best, arguably the finest footballer
to grace the beautiful game, the
golden generation of youngsters,
Collins, Weir, Hunter, Kane,
May, Roughie and Goram, and
Stevie Archibald who signed
from Barcelona after turning
down Liverpool.
The 1985 League Cup run
beating both sides of the Old Firm,
losing to Dundee United in the last
game of that season when a goal
60-miles away sparked mayhem in
the East Terracing, the battle of
Easter Road when Graeme
Souness’s multi-millionaires started
their journey, and European nights
returned to Leith.
The author has captured these
memorable days perfectly, and after
reading late into the night my
confused wife asked me in the
morning: “Who is Miller and why
must he go?”
Having watched Eric Stevenson,
Peter Cormack, Peter Marinello, Joe
McBride and Joe Baker grace the
Easter Road turf in the 60s and the
“best brand of football the world’s
ever seen” from the Tornadoes in
the 70s, then Keith, Franck and
Russell in the 90s, it’s easy to
dismiss the Trainspotting decade
but looking back, it wasn’t that bad.
As a football book aficionado
I am more than happy to
recommend this to fans of
all persuasions.
Colin told The Edinburgh
Reporter: “The Eighties may have
been tough to watch for Hibs fans,
particularly the derbies, but it was a
period of characters and characterbuilding.
I started off the decade
being lifted over the turnstiles at
Easter Road as a primary school kid
and finished the decade in my late
teens with a boozy trip to Belgium
following Hibs to Liège.
“There were plenty of great
memories, drama and classic
matches in between. It’s been a
pleasure to return to those
formative years and to speak to the
players who were my heroes, from
Gordon Rae to John Collins to
Mickey Weir. These guys gave their
all for Hibs and gladly gave their
time to contribute their insight to
this book.
“It’s also been a pleasure to
include so many stories from the
supporters - they were and continue
to be the lifeblood of Hibs and their
recollections prove that while the
Eighties were less than glorious,
they were rarely dull.”
Having lived through that decade
I have to agree - it was the
“George” Best of times, it was
the worst of times.
The book is available to pre-order
and order from the
Bestie2Beastie2Belgium website
and will be available in the
Hibernian Club Store from
Tuesday 14 December, when
the home fixture will be played
against Dundee.
Howzat! MES in UK cricket top 20
THE MARY Erskine School,
(MES) has been awarded a
place in the UK’s top 20
all-girls schools for cricket,
in The Cricketer Schools
Guide 2022.
The school has one of the
largest cricket programmes
for girls in Scotland, with over
160 girls playing the game.
It began in 2015 when PE
teacher, Pippa Johnston,
asked Cricket Scotland for
their help in starting a
sector-leading cricket
programme for girls in
the school.
Kirsty Nicholson, MES
Head, said: “We are
absolutely delighted. Cricket
is a popular sport among the
girls and our partnership of
dedicated staff and former
pupils has proved to be a
powerful one, giving every
girl the chance to learn and
enjoy cricket. We are deeply
proud of those pupils that
have represented their
country but the real success
is the sheer number of girls
who are now taking part in
this great sport.”
Extension for
Paul Hanlon
HIBS CAPTAIN Paul Hanlon has agreed a
contract extension that will run until the
summer of 2024.
The central defender is approaching
500 games for his boyhood favourites
after making his debut for the club on 12
January 2008, against Inverness
Caledonian Thistle in The Scottish Cup.
Signed from Hutchison Vale as an
attacking midfielder, he scored plenty of
goals in youth football, but he was
converted to a defender after he joined
Hibs.
His performances earned him 21 caps
for Scotland’s under-21 side and he was
named captain for the 2013 UEFA
European Under-21 Championship
campaign.
In 2016 he scored “that” goal at
Tynecastle to secure a replay and went
on to help the club win The Scottish Cup
for the first time in 114 years.
Hanlon received his first call-up to the
senior Scotland squad in November
2017, for a friendly match with the
Netherlands and was recalled to the
squad in October 2020. He made his full
international debut in a 1–0 win against
the Czech Republic.
He was named club captain following
the retirement of “Sir” David Gray.
Hanlon said: “I’m absolutely delighted.
Talks moved forward when CEO, Ben
Kensell came in and I’m really glad it’s
over the line.
“When I was younger, my main aim
was to just play for Hibs, which I’ve
managed to do, and everything else has
been a bonus. I’m delighted to represent
and play for my boyhood club for a
number of years.
“I feel like I’m coming into my peak
years as a central defender, and hopefully
more is still to come. It’s an honour to be
captain of this club and hopefully I can
be a successful one.”
Head coach, Jack Ross added: “It’s clear
to everyone how much this football club
means to Paul and equally how
important he is to this team.
“Paul is an outstanding professional
and sets standards on a daily basis by
how he trains and conducts himself.
“He is continuing to develop his
leadership qualities by having the
responsibility of club captaincy and I am
delighted that he will remain part of our
continued future progress.”