Hibernian The Life and Times by Tom Wright sampler

tom wright was taken to his first game at Easter Road aged nine in 1957
and has just celebrated 60 years supporting the club. Now retired after many
years running a picture framing shop in the city he is now the official club
historian and a member of the Hibernian Historical Trust, a supporters-led
initiative whose aims are to protect, preserve and promote the proud history
of the club. He is also the author of The Golden Years: Hibernian in the
Days of the Famous Five, Hibernian: From Joe Baker to Turnbull’s Tornados,
Leith: A Glimpse of Times Past and co-author of Crops: The Alex
Cropley Story and Hibs Through and Through: The Eric Stevenson Story.

Hibernian
The Life and Times of a Famous Football Club
TOM WRIGHT

First published 2017
isbn: 978-1-912147-20-5
The author’s right to be identified as author of this book under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988 has been asserted.
The paper used in this book is recyclable. It is made from low chlorine pulps
produced in a low energy, low emission manner from renewable forests.
Printed and bound by Ashford Colour Press, Gosport
Typeset in 11 point Sabon by Lapiz
© Tom Wright 2017

5
Contents
Introduction9
Chapter One: The Early Years 10
Football: A Global Game 10
In the Beginning 11
The Edinburgh Association Cup 13
Scottish Cup Success 14
World Champions 19
Chapter Two: Rebirth 24
From the Ashes 24
Another Scottish Cup Success and a first League Title 27
Harry Rennie 31
The 1902 Cup Winning Side 33
Bobby Atherton 35
A Move to Piershill 37
Dundee Hibernian 39
The Tragedy of James Main 42
Hibs and the Great War 47
Chapter 3: Another Great Side 51
Willie Harper 51
Foreign Shores 54
The Development of Easter Road 56
The Celebrated side of the 1920s 60
A Wembley Wizard 63
Jimmy McColl 67
Chapter Four: A New Beginning and the War Years 70
Harry Swan: A man ahead of his time 70
Willie McCartney and Hugh Shaw 74
The Second World War 78
A Quite Extraordinary New Year’s Day Derby 80
The Summer Cup 81
Gordon Smith 84

6 hibernian
A Pleasant Afternoon at Easter Road 86
A Challenge from the East 88
Chapter Five: Renaissance 92
A Return to Near Normality 92
A Groundbreaking Trip to War-Torn Czechoslovakia 99
A Brush with Authority 101
The Return of Official Peacetime Football 102
Enter Eddie Turnbull, Willie Ormond and Bobby Johnstone 103
A Record Equalling Transfer Fee 106
The First Post-War Scottish Cup Final 108
Chapter Six: Halycon Days 113
League Champions 113
A New Matchday Programme 116
The Famous Five 117
The Men Behind the ‘Five’ 121
Lawrie Reilly 128
The Edinburgh Select 131
A Record Attendance 136
The Easter Road Halt 139
Three Penalties in the Same Game 140
A Marathon Cup Tie and the League Cup Final 142
Consecutive League Titles 146
Chapter Seven: New Horizons 151
The Gordon Smith Testimonial 151
The Hospital Broadcast Organisation 153
The Coronation Cup 154
The Road to Rio 156
Reilly Goes On Strike 161
Let there be light 164
The Harp Controversy 168
The European Cup 170
Chapter Eight: The Transitional Period 177
The Unofficial Floodlit League 177
The Last Hibs Player to Win the Scottish Cup 179

contents 7
Joe Baker and the Missing Goal 182
Four Goals for Baker at Tynecastle 185
A Fairs Cup Fiasco 188
Baker and MacLeod out – Baker and MacLeod in 195
Chapter Nine: Back from the Brink 199
The Severe Winter of 1962–63 199
A Fight Against Relegation and the Fan Who Could Take No More 202
Pat Stanton 206
Jock Stein, Real Madrid and a Historic Treble 210
An Epic at East End Park 216
A Record Home Victory 219
Hibs First Official Substitute 220
See Naples and Die 221
Chapter Ten: The League Cup and a Pleasant
Afternoon at Tynecastle 225
Turnbull’s Tornados 225
An International Incident 232
George Best 237
Hands Off Hibs 240
The Team That Would Not Die 246
Franck Sauzee 248
Chapter Eleven: At Last 251
They’ve Only Gone and Done It 251

9
Introduction
this book is not intended to be a chronological history of Hibernian Football
Club, but rather a personal journey through the years highlighting many
of the personalities, major events and sometimes less important but no less
interesting happenings at the club during this time, often in more detail than
before. There have been so many milestones in the chequered history of the
football club that it would be an impossible task to include them all, and
the events covered are not intended to be definitive but purely an eclectic
selection of some of the incidents that have helped shape Hibernian since its
humble beginnings.
Formed by a group of Irishmen and descendants of Irishmen in the Cowgate
area of the city, from the very start Hibs were a team of the people.
Often at the very forefront of Scottish football, a rich seam of tradition, heritage
and drama has coursed through its veins during the past 142 years as
it led the way in many of the developments that would help shape the game
as we know it today.
The book covers the period from the birth of the club in 1875, through
the tragedy of James Main, both World Wars, the halcyon days of the
Famous Five when Hibs took the football world by storm, the advent of
floodlit football, the European Cup, Turnbull’s Tornados and the Hands off
Hibs campaign, right up to the historic Scottish Cup win in 2016, and much
more, my personal bias regarding the immediate post war period obvious.
All the photographs in the book, except where indicated, are from
my own personal collection. Every effort has been made to locate image
copyright holders and to trace sources of media quotes.
Tom Wright

10
Chapter One: The Early Years
Football: A Global Game
for well over a thousand years many different forms of football have been
played in this country. Thought to have originated in China, the game is said
to have been copied by the Turks, Greeks and eventually the Romans who
are believed to have introduced it into Britain during the first century. The
first recorded mention of football in Scotland was in 1424 when King James
I banned the game because it interfered with archery practice. Later there
would also be opposition from religious institutions who considered that
the playing of the game of football or golf on a Sunday violated the Sabbath
and dissuaded some from attending the sermons. Records also exist showing
that two footballs were delivered to Stirling Castle during the time of Mary
Queen of Scots, and what is thought to be the oldest football in the world
dating from around 1540 was discovered in the rafters at the castle during
renovation work in the 1970s.
Played under various regulations or codes, by the 18th century efforts
were being made to ban the rough and often violent village games that were
described as being played by angry mobs that often ended in broken limbs,
and it was only when the College or Cambridge rules were devised in 1848
and later the formation of the Football Association in 1863 that the game
as we know it today finally began to evolve. The change came about mainly
because many of the colleges in England were keen to compete against each
other but as each played under its own distinct rules, arranging games had
proved difficult. One exception was the college at Rugby who refused to
adopt the new regulations, deciding to continue with the former handling
and kicking code, and it is from here that the early origins of the game we
know today as rugby flourished.
The first Scottish football team to play under the new association rules
was Queens Park who were formed in 1867. Unbeaten for several years
they had also supplied all 11 Scottish players for the world’s first official
international against England at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow in 1872.
With around 4,000 spectators attending the game its popularity north of

chapter one: the early years 11
the border was secured almost overnight and the Scottish Football Association
was formed the following year, ten years later than their English
counterparts.
Recent research at the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden suggests
that the world’s first football club was formed in Edinburgh in 1824 by John
Hope, a student at Edinburgh University, but although similar, this game
was played under rules different to what is accepted today.
Association football however quickly became the most popular sport
in the country particularly in Glasgow and the West of Scotland. In Edinburgh,
Rugby remained the established game, but on 27 December 1873,
two founding members of the Scottish Football Association from Glasgow,
Queens Park and Clydesdale, who saw themselves as missionaries spreading
the new code, played an exhibition game at Raimes Park in Leith watched
by a crowd of around 400 spectators. Situated between Newhaven Road
and Craighall Road, at that time Raimes Park was the playing fields of the
Royal High School and would change its name to the present Victoria Park
to commemorate the Queens Golden Jubilee in 1887. Many who watched
from the sidelines that historic afternoon left to form their own sides and
soon several had sprung up in the city playing under the new association
rules such as Hanover, Thistle, Brunswick, St Andrews, the Third Edinburgh
Rifles who by coincidence had a connection with the same John Hope mentioned
earlier, and later Hibs and Hearts.
From its humble beginnings the popularity of the game in this country
would quickly gather momentum and soon it had spread to many other
parts of the world due mainly due to the British trading influence around the
globe, military personal stationed throughout the Empire and expats working
abroad and would finally develop into the multi-million pound industry
that we know today. Unfortunately, although we would teach the game to
the world, we were not wise enough ourselves to listen, and soon we, the
masters of game in this country would soon be overtaken by the pupils.
In the Beginning
the great irish potato famine of the mid-1800s, which also affected
several parts of Scotland, the south of England and northern Europe, led to
a shortage of food and eventually mass starvation and death for many. It is
thought that the airborne disease originally arrived in Ireland from America
transported in the holds of ships visiting Europe, and it is estimated that
from an Irish population of around eight million at the time, almost one

12 hibernian
million would die as a result of starvation and disease. The vast majority of
the Irish rural population were poor, depending on the potato as their staple
diet, and the shortage of food ultimately caused great hardship. With
little or no food many were left with no other option but to move abroad,
some making their way to North America and even Australia, the greater
majority however making the short journey to nearby England, Scotland
and Wales.
Under the influence of Father Hannan at St Patrick’s Church in the Cowgate,
in the summer of 1875 Hibernian Football Club was formed by a
group of Irishmen, or descendants of Irishmen, living in the Cowgate area of
the city whose family’s had earlier made their way to Scotland to escape the
‘Great Hunger’. Playing in a local park, the players called the team Hibernian
after the Roman name for Ireland, adopting the traditional Irish green
as their colours. The club’s first recorded game took place on Christmas Day
1875 at the Meadows, a large patch of open public land in the south of the
city against a side that were destined to become their greatest rivals, Heart of
Midlothian. Although their opponents had played with only eight men for
the first 20 minutes or so they still managed to record a slender 1-0 victory
over the Irishmen.
An initial attempt to join the recently formed Edinburgh Football Association
was rejected as the new club were not already members of the Scottish
Football Association, but on applying to that body they were refused
admission on the grounds that the association was for Scotchmen not Irishmen.
Soon however, after a petition had been signed by some of the more
prominent players in the Edinburgh area including some from Hearts, reason
would prevail and the new side was eventually allowed to join both
organisations. Unfortunately, acceptance had come too late for them to be
involved in that seasons Scottish Cup competition but they had been allowed
to take part in the Edinburgh Association Cup competition, losing 2-1 to a
side called Thistle in the first round.
The club was now using St Mary’s school in Lothian Street as changing
rooms on match days and also the church institute in St Mary’s Street for
their meetings. Early minutes would suggest that Hibs were now a sectarian
club, but a passage taken from the Scottish Sport newspaper dated Tuesday
22 January 1889, seems to contradict matters. The unsigned letter in reply
to an article in the previous week’s publication stated:
The difference between Celtic and Hibs 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.

chapter one: the early years 13
In the reply, the correspondent, who unfortunately was not named but was
credited as being a valued friend of the newspaper, wrote:
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 Protestants and members of the
team. No enquiry as to religion was ever made but the fact that
the club were 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 were admitted as members of the club.
The Edinburgh Association Cup
now accepted as members of the Edinburgh Football Association, Hibs
first took part in the Association Cup in October 1876, a knock-out tournament
that had been inaugurated only the previous year and contested also
by sides from East and West Lothian, the Borders and Fife. Losing 2-1 to the
previous year’s winners, Thistle, in the opening round at the Meadows, the
game ended, according to contemporary reports, in controversial circumstances.
In the early days it was not unusual for spectators to encroach inside
the touch lines, often making it almost impossible for the referee to confirm
whether a ball was in or out of play. With just a few minutes of the game left
to play, Thistle were leading when Hibs appeared to have scored an equalising
goal claiming that a spectator had kicked a ball that had seemingly
already crossed the goal line back into play, the furious appeals for the goal
to stand waved aside by the referee. The decision was heatedly contested but
to no avail, and immediately after the game an official letter of complaint
was sent to the Edinburgh fa who later rejected Hibs protest, insisting that
the referee’s decision must be upheld at all times regardless of circumstances.
The following season after a 3-1 victory over Hanover in the first round,
Hibs would once again come face to face with Thistle in the semi-final of
the competition, the game ending this time in a convincing 4-0 victory in
their favour. They would now face Hearts in the 1878 final, the first meeting
in a cup final between two sides that were destined to become fierce rivals
for the next 140 years. It would take 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 Powburn, then
the home ground of the 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers. Regardless of the

14 hibernian
obvious disappointment felt on the day, it would turn out to be Hibs last
on-field defeat in the competition for almost ten years.
On Saturday 29 March 1879, 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 played at Union Park, again after a replay.
Successive victories in the finals of 1880 and 1881 competitions against Dunfermline
and St Bernard’s followed, and in recognition of this tremendous feat
the club was allowed to retain the trophy in perpetuity. By this time the reserve
side had also won the Edinburgh Second xl Cup in the 1878, 1879 and 1880
finals and they too were allowed to keep the trophy permanently, the second team
continuing their impressive run of form by winning five of the next six finals.
With the original cup now permanently in Hibs possession, it was replaced by the
Edinburgh fa Shield, now more commonly known as the East of Scotland Shield
and now the third oldest football trophy in the world still to be played for today.
By this time Hibs were widely regarded as the top side in the area, and
except for withdrawing from the 1883 final against Edinburgh University
who were awarded a walkover after the Easter Road side claimed to be
unable to raise a team, they would not suffer defeat in the competition again
until losing 1-0 to West Lothian side Mossend Swifts in the 1888 final at
Tynecastle, a quite incredible record.
For almost 130 years, both the Edinburgh Cup and the Second x1 cup
had been in the protective custody of St Patrick’s Church in the Cowgate,
and until fairly recently had left the premises on very few occasions, once for
the football clubs centenary Celebration Dinner at the North British Hotel
in 1975. However, in a ceremony in the Easter Road boardroom before the
game against Aberdeen on 15 November 2008, both cups were handed over
to the club where at the time of writing they remain on display today.
At one time The East of Scotland Shield had been considered a relatively
important competition, but in later years the final would generally be contested
only between Hibs and Hearts, the fixture normally taking place at
the end of the season. At that time the game usually featured full strength
sides and was keenly anticipated by supporters of both sides, but in recent
years the meetings have declined in importance and the competition is now
competed by the youth teams from both Edinburgh clubs.
Scottish Cup Success
in february 1887 Hibernian became the first club from the East of Scotland
to win the coveted Scottish Cup. The historic success however would turn
out to be clouded in controversy.

chapter one: the early years 15
After an initial struggle, by 1876 the Easter Road side had finally been
accepted as members of both the Edinburgh and Scottish Football Associations
but had been excluded from that years Scottish Cup competition,
probably only because the first round draw had already been made.
Hibs first ever Scottish Cup tie was a 2-1 victory over city neighbours,
Hearts, at the East Meadows in September 1877 after a replay, before eventually
going on to lose to Thornliebank in the fourth round after yet another
replay. Over the following few seasons the club would regularly manage to
reach the latter stages of the competition but it was not until January 1884,
when after again defeating rivals Hearts on the way, they finally reached the
semi-finals for the very first time, the first club from the East of Scotland to
achieve the feat. Unfortunately they would lose heavily to the hot favourites
and eventual cup winners, Queens Park, at Hibernian Park. Again managing
to reach the semi-finals in the following two seasons, only to lose on both
occasions to Renton, they would go a step further in 1887 by qualifying for
the final itself. After victories over Durhamtown Rangers, Mossend Swifts,
a 5-1 defeat of Hearts, and a comprehensive 7-3 rout of Queen of the South
Wanderers at Easter Road, 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. Their opponents in the semi-final were Vale of
Leven, who had a considerable Scottish Cup pedigree having already won
the tournament in three consecutive seasons between 1877 and 1879, and
finishing as runners up on another three occasions. In 1879, Vale had won
the cup only by default, when, after a 1-1 draw in the first game at Hampden,
Rangers had refused to turn up for the replay after the sfa had rejected
a protest that they had scored a legitimate goal in the first game. Ironically,
Vale themselves had failed to turn up for the replayed 1884 final against
Hibs semi-final conquerors Queens Park after the sfa had refused to postpone
the game because two of their players were ill and another attending
a family bereavement. In the circumstances Queens were awarded a walk
over and the cup.
To the obvious and understandable dismay of the huge crowd that had
already assembled outside Hibs’ Easter Road ground before the semi-final
against Vale of Leven, the game was cancelled just before the kick off on
account of the pitch being unplayable due to frost. When it did eventually
go ahead a week later, the Easter Road grandstands were filled to capacity,
the supporters occupying every available vantage point inside the ground in
eager anticipation of an exciting contest.
After a tense start by both sides the visitors eventually took the lead
but two goals by the popular Willie Groves and another from James

16 hibernian
Montgomery were enough to seal Hibs entry into the Scottish Cup final – or
so it was thought.
It was only after the game that the Edinburgh side discovered that their
opponents had sent an official letter of protest to the sfa claiming that the
Edinburgh side had infringed the rules by fielding an ineligible player, namely
Willie Groves, who according to them was a professional player which in
those days was very much against the rules.
Unlike in England where professionalism had been embraced since
1885, at that time Scottish clubs were still banned from paying players more
than their basic expenses, although it was widely recognised that this illegal
practice was widespread.
Hibs now found themselves involved in a controversy that could well
have cost them the Scottish Cup. The basis of this Vale of Leven protest was
that Hibs had paid the 17-year-old Leith born inside forward, Willie Groves,
an apprentice stonemason to trade, more than just the accepted payment in
lieu of time lost from work; indeed, according to evidence from a private
investigator named Mason, who had been paid to follow the player, he had
been paid up to four times as much. A somewhat ludicrous part of Vale’s
protest had also been that Groves, and several other Hibs players, had eaten
breakfast and dinner in a local establishment, paid for by the football club.
Just days before the final against Dumbarton was due to take place, an emergency
meeting of the sfa committee was called to investigate the matter, but
it remained unresolved and another meeting was convened, but incredibly
this would now not take place until after the final itself.
In Edinburgh, preparations for the big game went ahead as planned, the
event, as could be expected, creating great interest in the city. It is said that
many Irish ‘navvies’ had walked all the way to Glasgow for the game and
at kick off there were just under 15,000 enthusiastic supporters inside the
ground, an attendance that had previously only been equalled on a couple
of occasions for a cup final.
At that time Second Hampden was home to Queens Park, but with internationals,
particularly the games against England, starting to attract huge
crowds, the ground would soon be considered too small for the ambitious
side and they would move to the present Hampden Park in 1903. After the
departure of Queens Park, Third Lanark would take up residence at the
ground, renaming it Cathkin Park after their previous home, and would
remain there until Thirds, founder members of the Scottish League in 1890,
folded in 1967.
The unfortunate Hibs centre forward Jeremiah or ‘Jerry’ Reynolds
would miss the final after being injured the previous week in a game against

chapter one: the early years 17
St Bernard’s, his place in the forward line taken by Patrick Lafferty. Reynolds
would be transferred to Cowlairs near the end of the season, joining
Celtic in 1889 after a short spell with Carfin Shamrock, and was a member
of the Parkhead sides first ever Scottish Cup winning team in 1892 before
moving to English First Division side Burnley, ending his career with Mossend
Swifts. Coincidentally, John Madden the Dumbarton centre forward
who faced Hibs in the final, would later join Reynolds in the first Celtic
side to savour Scottish Cup success before spending more than 30 years in a
coaching role in Czechoslovakia.
At that time Dumbarton were a strong and skilful side. Winners of the
Scottish Cup just a few years before, in the eyes of many they had every right
to be considered strong favourites to lift the trophy for a second time. Their
side contained several current Scottish internationals including goalkeeper
James McCauley and would prove to be formidable opponents. McCauley,
known as ‘The Prince of Goalkeepers’, was the only player at that time to
have been capped by Scotland at full international level as both an outfield
player and goalkeeper. After consecutive losing appearances in the final,
Dumbarton had finally won the competition in 1883 when they defeated
Vale of Leven after a replay. On the inauguration of the Scottish League
in 1890, they would win the first two league championships, sharing the
first with Rangers, before disappearing into relative football obscurity in the
lower leagues.
On Saturday 12 February 1887 the teams took the field at Hampden
to contest the 14th Scottish Cup Final. Hibs won the toss and allowed
Dumbarton to kick off, playing into a strong wind. The treacherous underfoot
conditions made good football difficult for both sides but the west coast
team had the better of the early exchanges, claiming a goal that was rightly
chalked off on account of the ball going outside the goalposts which at that
time were still without nets. Although fiercely contested by both sides the
game had provided little in the way of goalmouth action and the first half
ended goalless.
The second period started much the same as the first with chances at a
premium at either end, but on the hour mark Dumbarton took the lead when
inside left Aitken fired a strong shot past Tobin in the Hibs goal. Using the
strong wind to their advantage the ‘Sons’ now appeared content to hang on
to their slender lead but not to be outdone, the Edinburgh side started to take
control of the game and Clark levelled things midway through the half much
to the delight of the huge travelling Hibs support. With only a few minutes
of the game remaining both sides reinforced their determination to settle the
issue, and a great jinking run by Groves ended with Lafferty scoring Hibs

18 hibernian
second goal despite Dumbarton’s vain appeal for offside. It was the goal that
would give Hibs the Scottish Cup for the very first time – or so it was hoped.
After a celebratory dinner accompanied by congratulatory speeches in
the St Mary’s Halls in the east end of Glasgow, the triumphant Hibs players
made their way to Queen Street Station for the return trip to the Capital. It
is said that, as the Hibs secretary, John McFadden, was leaving the St Mary’s
Halls with the team before making his way back to Edinburgh, he was overheard
telling a group of Glasgow based Irishmen that they should emulate
Hibs success by raising a team of their own in the city. They were words that
would come back to haunt both McFadden and Hibs when the soon to be
established Glasgow Celtic would have a major part to play in the temporary
demise of the Edinburgh club just a few years later.
However, back in the capital the result of the cup final had been greeted
with tremendous enthusiasm and a huge crowd was waiting at the Waverley
Station to greet the victorious team on their arrival back in the city later
that evening. All the way up Waverley Bridge, along the east end of Princes
Street into the North Bridge and finally down the High Street, the route was
packed with jubilant crowds, many waving banners, before the players, led
by a couple of bands, finally entered the Institute in St Mary’s Street where
the celebrations would continue well into the night.
Hibernian: Tobin, Lundie and Fagin, McGhee McGinn and McLaren,
Lafferty Groves Montgomery Clark and Smith.
Dumbarton: McCauley, Hutchison and Fergus, Miller McMillan and Kerr,
Brown Robertson Madden Aitken and Jamieson.
However, the reconvened meeting to decide Vale’s appeal and Hibs fate was
still to be held, and on the Tuesday, just three days after the final, Vale of
Leven’s protest went before the committee for a second time. Both parties
presented a strong case in a heated debate that went on for some time but in
the end the committee again remained split down the middle. Six had voted
for Hibs, six against, the remainder still undecided. Another vote was taken
which once again failed to settle matters and this time it was left to the casting
vote of the chairman who after some deliberation came down on the side
of Hibs, thereby officially confirming the Easter Road side as Scottish Cup
winners for the very first time.
One month to the day after their Scottish Cup success, Hibs defeated
Hearts 3-0 in the final of the Edinburgh fa Shield at nearby Powderhall. Yet
another win against their great rivals, this time by a 5-2 margin in a friendly,
was followed by a more emphatic 7-1 victory in the final of the Roseberry

chapter one: the early years 19
Charity Cup, confirming Hibs’ reputation not only as the best side in the
city, but in the entire country.
A few months after defeating Dumbarton, Hibs’ Easter Road ground
would be the venue for Scotland’s 5-1 victory over Wales, Willie Groves
scoring his side’s fourth goal in his one and only international during his
time at Hibs. It was the first time that a ground outside of Glasgow had been
used for a full Scottish international match.
World Champions
in 1887 preston north end were generally regarded as the best side in
England, having recently taken over the mantle from Blackburn Rovers. At
that time Britain was just beginning to export Association football to all corners
of the globe, and consequently, with little on offer in serious competition
from outside these shores, the English public could perhaps be excused
for believing that North End was then the best side in the entire world.
Similar to many other football teams at the time Preston had been formed
originally as a cricket club in 1863, eventually embracing athletics, rugby,
and in 1879, Association football. In 1881 it was decided to concentrate
solely on the association game and quickly began its rise to prominence.
Their growing reputation was temporarily tarnished after being found guilty
of offering illegal payments to players after a fa Cup tie against Upton Park
in 1884, and they were subsequently disqualified from that year’s competition.
Although Accrington had suffered a far more serious fate the previous
year by actually being expelled from the fa after similar allegations, the
Preston manager, Major William Sudell, pleaded guilty to the offence by
openly admitting to making illegal payments to players in an effort to create
the best side in the country. The fact that many players were then being paid
was an open secret, and the incident would eventually lead to the acceptance
of professionalism in England, Preston becoming the first club in the country
to openly embrace the paid ranks in 1885.
At that time the English side had at least six Scottish players on their
books, and even the famed English international centre forward John Goodall
– then regarded as the best in the country – had learned his trade north
of the border. It was no surprise to learn therefore that Preston were said
to play the typical ‘Scottish Style’ of passing rather than the dribbling game
that was prevalent in England at that time. The popular Jimmy Ross, nicknamed
the ‘little demon’, lined up at inside right alongside Goodall and
would undoubtedly have represented Scotland had the Scottish selectors
at that time not refused to recognise anyone playing outside these shores.

20 hibernian
Between 1884 and 1888, Ross would score over 250 goals from just 220
games while forging a creative and highly successful partnership with centre
forward Goodall. Another Ross, Edinburgh born Jack, who had honed his
skills playing on the Meadows, was described at the time as the most accomplished
full back in the entire country when he was signed from the capital
club Hanover, and had been one of the first Scottish players to further his
trade south of the border.
Between August 1885 and April 1886, Preston had established an amazing
unbeaten run of 64 games, winning 59, scoring an unbelievable 318
goals while conceding just 60. Although failing to match this incredible feat
during the 1886–87 season, they remained a formidable side losing only
at the semi-final stage of the fa Cup after a 3-1 defeat by West Bromwich
Albion.
In Scotland, Hibs had only recently won the Scottish Cup, the first east
coast side to win the coveted trophy and were then generally accepted best
side in this country. By now they had settled at a permanent home at the first
Easter Road which was situated only a few 100 yards from the present stadium,
the win against Dumbarton a few months before projecting the club
to national prominence.
In the summer of 1887 Preston North End had embarked on a three
game pre-season tour of Scotland. A friendly match between the sides had
been arranged for Easter Road the previous season but had been cancelled
due to Preston’s cup commitments. Now quite obviously a game against the
current Scottish Cup holders would be an even more attractive proposition,
and on Saturday 13 August the teams lined up at Easter Road.
Hibs’ season had not started well. A humiliating 8-2 defeat in a friendly
match against Queen of the South Wanderers in Dumfries had been closely
followed by a 6-0 defeat by Renton in Glasgow and the Hibs supporters
would not have been overly confident of victory against the celebrated Preston
North End. However, just a few days before facing ‘Proud Preston’, a
modicum of respectability had been salvaged with a 2-1 win at Easter Road
against English side Stoke City, who like Preston had also been on a pre-season
tour of Scotland.
As could perhaps be expected, the game against what was considered to
be the top side in England created great interest and excitement in the Capital,
and a crowd of between six and seven thousand, then the largest gate at
Easter Road, crammed into the ground. Both Grandstands, one just recently
erected, and every available vantage point was packed full of excited spectators
all eager to watch what was already being billed in the press as an
unofficial ‘World Championship’ clash.

chapter one: the early years 21
The teams took the field after a ten minute delay caused by the late
arrival of two Hibs players who had encountered great difficulty in making
their way through the large crowd. The home side as expected were at full
strength while the visitors were without three of their regulars, fielding a
couple of guest players in their place. Despite heavy overnight rain, the pitch
itself was in excellent shape and with the overhead conditions also favourable,
the huge crowd settled down to watch what was anticipated to be a
memorable encounter.
Right from the start, the game turned into a highly competitive and hard
fought end-to-end affair, the at times rough play occasionally threatening to get
out of hand. With Willie Groves in particular catching the eye of the large partisan
home support, Hibs took the lead after 13 minutes when James McGhee
rifled the ball past Trainor from long range. Such was the excitement of the
crowd at this stage that the game was held up for some time as the referee struggled
to coax the large number of spectators who had encroached onto the field
at a home corner kick back behind the lines. With Preston now redoubling their
efforts to draw level and the home side intent on adding to their lead, the rough
play continued. Although there were several near things at both ends, particularly
when Groves missed an easy chance for the home side, there was to be no
more scoring before the interval.
After the frenetic pace of the opening period, the start of the second
half was somewhat calmer but this did not prevent Hibs from adding to
their lead three minutes into the half when McLaren finished off a move
started by Groves. This however was merely the sign for Preston to step up a
gear and the visitors pulled one back with 25 minutes remaining when Alec
Goodall headed past Tobin in the Hibs goal. With Preston now well in the
ascendancy, the home side was experiencing great difficulty in repelling the
visitors who hit the post and later the bar, but it was not all one way traffic
towards Tobin’s goal. Hibs appeared to have put the result beyond doubt
when McGhee again beat Trainor in the Preston goal, only to see his strike
rightly ruled out for offside. The much fitter Preston were now well on top
and beginning to show signs of just why they were regarded as the best side
in the country as they stepped up the pressure and the crowd their frenzied
excitement, but there was to be no more scoring. The Scottish Cup holders
had won a famous and memorable victory and unofficial or not, they would
be ‘crowned’ ‘Champions of the World’ in the local press.
The teams that day at Easter Road were:
Hibernian: Tobin, McLaughlin, Lundie, McLaren, McGinn, Gallagher,
Smith, Groves, McGhee, Dunbar and Clark.

22 hibernian
Preston: Trainor (Bolton) Jack Ross, Drummond, Robertson, Ferguson, Weir
(Halliwell) Gordon, Jimmy Ross, J. Goodall, Dewhurst, A. Goodall.
After the game the officials and players of both sides retired to the Albert
Hotel in Hanover Street, where they were entertained to dinner. Later in the
evening there would be the usual after match platitudes by the directors of
both teams, including the promise of a return match at Deepdale. This game
would eventually take place, but not for another 68 years. On 3 October
1955, Hibs defeated the local side 4-0 with goals from Turnbull (2) Reilly
and an own goal by Mattison.
World Champions or not, there is absolutely no doubt that Hibs had
achieved a significant and prestigious victory, a success that did their growing
reputation no harm. Only a few days later Preston would travel through
to Glasgow to face Rangers in a match arranged to inaugurate the recently
opened first Ibrox Park. During the game, the English side were leading 8-1
when the referee was left with no option but to abandon proceedings midway
through the second half after the crowd had invaded the pitch.
For the rest of that season Hibs’ form would be indifferent to say the
least. In the Edinburgh Association Shield, later better known as the East of
Scotland Shield which by this time had replaced the Edinburgh Cup, they
would lose for the first time in nine years when going down to the West
Calder side Mossend Swifts in the final at Tynecastle. After convincing wins
against Broxburn Athletic and Bathgate Rovers in the opening rounds of the
Scottish Cup, they would surrender their hold on the trophy when they were
defeated 3-1 by local rivals Hearts at Easter Road after a third round replay.
In direct contrast, Preston would end the coming season having won 42
consecutive matches, including a cup run that saw them recording a famous
26-0 victory against Hyde which still stands today as the record score in
an fa Cup tie, before losing only narrowly to West Bromwich Albion in
that year’s Cup Final. Preston’s magnificent achievement puts Hibs’ fantastic
victory into far greater perspective. The following season, as a founder
member of the Football League, Preston would win the inaugural League
Championship without losing a game, an incredible accomplishment, and
also the fa Cup without losing a goal, to rightly earn the deserved sobriquet
‘The Invincibles’.
During the following 72 years, the League and Cup double would be
won only once more – by Aston Villa in 1897 – until Tottenham Hotspur
repeated the feat in 1961, but Preston remain the only side to this day to
have won the double without losing a single game.

chapter one: the early years 23
The season after Hibs’ great victory over Preston, this time with the
agreement of both the Scottish and English Football authorities, Scottish
Cup winners Renton would defeat that seasons fa Cup winners West Bromwich
Albion 4-1 at second Hampden to become ‘Champions of the United
Kingdom and the World’.
It would never be played for again.

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