Hibernian (Scotland)

Hibernian FC, or Hibs as they are commonly known, is a professional football club based in Leith in the north of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The club were formed in 1875 by Irish immigrants in the Cowgate area of the city, with the name of the club derived from Hibernia, which was the Roman name for Ireland.

Owing to their background, there was initially some sectarian resistance to Hibs competing in Scottish football. Despite this, the club lifted the Scottish Cup in 1886-87 after defeating Dumbarton 2-1 at the second Hampden Park with goals from Willie Groves and Montgomery.

The team went on to defeat Preston North End in a game billed as ‘the Association Football Championship of the World Decider’ before mismanagement left the club homeless and temporarily ceasing to exist in 1891, before acquiring a new ground named Easter Road, located on Albion Place, which was opened in 1893.

Hibernian became members of the Scottish League in 1893-94, winning promotion in 1894-95. At the same time, the club passed a rule that players no longer needed to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society. Hibs finished third in their First Division debut season, which was backed up with a runner-up place the following season.

In 1895-96, the club were defeated in the only Scottish Cup Final to be played outside Glasgow, as their arch-rivals Heart of Midlothian triumphed 3-1 at New Logie Green in Edinburgh. A goal from Andy McGeachan was enough to beat hosts Celtic to win the 1901-02 Scottish Cup for the team managed by Dan McMichael. Little did 'Hibees' fans realise that it would be the last Cup triumph for well over a hundred years.

In 1902-03, the club were crowned as champions of Scotland for the first time as David Reid topped the scoring chart. The team lost out in the Scottish Cup final in 1913-14, going down 4-1 to Celtic after a replay. There would be further disappointments in 1922-23 and 1923-24 with final defeats in the Scottish Cup, 1-0 to Celtic and then 2-0 to Airdrieonians, until the team and club had a succession of seasons without challenging for honours.

However, the period after World War II would prove to be one of the most successful in the club’s history as they became one of Britain’s foremost clubs under manager Hugh Shaw. The 'Famous Five' forward line of Willie Ormond, Bobby Johnstone, Eddie Turnbull, Gordon Smith and Lawrie Reilly all scored over one hundred goals for the club.

The old Easter Road Main Stand

Hibs went down 2-1 to Aberdeen in the 1946-47 Scottish Cup final as well as ending as league runners-up, but there was no mistake a year later as the club were crowned league champions, before coming second in 1949-50. The 1950-51 season would see the league crown return to Easter Road, as well as ending as losing finalists after a 3-0 defeat to Motherwell in the League Cup final. 

The league crown was retained in 1951-52 for a side of which only Ormond cost a fee, coming in from Stenhousemuir, while the others all came from youth or junior football. The likes of Bobby Combe and Eric Younger played valuable parts in the glory years as Hibs ended as league runners-up in 1952-53 before becoming the first British club to play in European competition in 1955-56, as Chelsea were deterred from entering the European Cup.

The Hibees reached the semi-final stage, where they were defeated by Stade Reims before going down 1-0 to Clyde in the 1957-58 Scottish Cup final. The club also had some decent runs in the Inter City Fairs Cup in the 60s with Napoli and Barcelona amongst their scalps, as Walter Galbraith took over as manager in 1961.

Jock Stein arrived as manager in March 1964, staying in the post for a year before moving on to Celtic as he was replaced by Bob Shankly. Third places in Division One in 1967-68 and, along with a 6-2 League Cup final hiding from Celtic in 1968-69, were as good as it got until the appointment of Willie MacFarlane as manager.

His side finished third in 1969-70 before being replaced by Dave Ewing, who stayed for a year when former player Eddie Turnbull took up the post in July 1971. His team would be labelled as 'Turnbull's Tornadoes'.

They lifted the League Cup in 1971-72 with a 2-1 win against Celtic, which was avenged when the Celts won the Scottish Cup final 6-1 before Hibs inflicted a 7-0 win over Hearts in the league at Tynecastle the following year, which can be enjoyed here. The team went on to finish as league runners-up in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

Peter Cormack, Peter Marinello, Jimmy O'Rourke, Alex Cropley, John Brownlie and Pat Stanton, along with the goals of Alan Gordon, were amongst those who starred in a fine period for the club.

Celtic were 6-3 winners in the 1974-75 League Cup final, before the Premier Division was introduced in 1975-76, with Hibs finishing third. The poor record in finals continued as Rangers lifted the Scottish Cup 3-2 in a second replay in 1978-79 against the team, including Hibernian record league appearance holder Arthur Duncan.

Turnbull was sacked in April 1980 as the team were eventually relegated despite a few appearances from George Best, with Willie Ormond having a short spell in charge before being replaced by Bertie Auld, who led Hibs to the First Division title at the first time of asking.

Former playing heroes Pat Stanton from 1982 to 1984 and then John Blackley until 1986 had spells as manager with Hibs, losing 3-0 in the 1985-86 League Cup final to Aberdeen before Alex Miller arrived in the managerial hot seat in November 1986 at the start of a ten-year tenure.

Performances gradually improved after a long succession of bottom third finishes, although the club were found to be performing far worse off the pitch. Hibs were close to bankruptcy in 1990, at which point Hearts owner Wallace Mercer tried to merge the two clubs.

Easter Road in 1985

The fans set up a ‘Hands Off Hibs’ campaign, convincing Kwik Fit owner Sir Tom Farmer to buy a controlling interest in the club despite having no interest in football. In 1991-92, Hibs won the League Cup with a 2-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic with a side including veteran midfielder Murdo MacLeod.

The team returned to the final of the same competition in 1993-94, where they went down 2-1 to Rangers. The team finished third in the 1994-95 Premier League season before Jim Duffy replaced Miller in December 1996, with the goals of Darren Jackson cheering the Easter Road faithful.

Alex McLeish was appointed as manager in February 1998, but couldn’t save his side from relegation. The team returned to the top flight a year later as First Division champions. Kenny Miller’s goals helped Hibs to third place on their Premier League return.

2000-01 saw another defeat in the final of the Scottish Cup as Celtic won 3-0, with McLeish moving to Rangers shortly after to be replaced by popular former player Franck Sauzée. His disastrous three-month spell ended when Bobby Williamson was brought in. While the new man was unpopular with fans, youngsters such as Derek Riordan, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, and Garry O'Connor got their opportunity in the team. 

Hibernian went down 2-0 to Livingston in the 2003-04 League Cup final before the appointment of manager Tony Mowbray. The former Middlesbrough player was popular with the style of play he employed as he led the side to third place in 2004-05 before heading off to West Bromwich Albion in October 2006, when he was replaced by John Collins.

Collins’ side thumped Kilmarnock 5-1 with goals from Rob Jones, along with pairs from Abdessalam Benjelloun and Steven Fletcher, to lift the 2006-07 League Cup before he resigned owing to a lack of funds to strengthen the side. Mixu Paatelainen arrived as his replacement before he was replaced by John Hughes in June 2009.

He was given funds to buy Liam Miller and Anthony Stokes as the team qualified for the Europa League for the 2010-11 season. However, after a poor start and a first-round elimination, Hughes was sacked to be replaced by Colin Calderwood, who himself lasted just over a year in the hot seat.

Pat Fenlon was recruited from the Irish side Bohemian in November 2011. Hibs managed to avoid relegation at the end of the season and also reached the 2011-12 Scottish Cup final, where their hoodoo continued following a 5-1 defeat to Hearts. Fenlon went about rebuilding his side in readiness for the 2012-13 season.

Hibs reached the Scottish Cup Final in 2012-13, but the long losing run continued as Celtic defeated them 3-0. Fenlon resigned as manager in November 2013 to be replaced by Terry Butcher. The appointment turned out to be a disaster. The team went thirteen games without a win at the end of the 2013-14 season, to land themselves in the relegation play-off against Hamilton Academical. 

Accies went through after a penalty shoot-out at Easter Road to dump Hibs into the newly named second-tier Championship. Alan Stubbs replaced Butcher in the summer of 2014 and was faced with another rebuilding job with the playing squad. Hibs finished in second place in the 2014-15 season but lost out in the play-offs to Rangers, to be resigned to another campaign at the second level of Scottish football.

Hibs reached the play-offs in 2015-16, defeating Raith Rovers before Falkirk ended any dreams of promotion. However, their biggest reward came at Hampden when Rangers were defeated 3-2 as the club lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1902, as two Stokes goals were added to by a David Gray stoppage time winner.

Click here to see Hibs fans celebrate with their Proclaimers anthem, Sunshine on Leith, after joyous celebrations and a long pitch invasion. Stubbs' side also reached the League Cup final, losing 2-1 to Ross County before he departed to take the Rotherham United job, with Neil Lennon taking his place in June 2016 before the goals of Jason Cummings helped Hibernian to the 2016-17 Championship title.

Hibs finished fourth on their Premiership return before Lennon departed in January 2019 to be replaced by Paul Heckingbottom, whose side ended fifth in 2018-19 before the appointment of Jack Ross as manager in November 2019. The Hibees were sitting in fifth place when the 2019-20 season ended early owing to the outbreak of COVID-19. 

It saw Hibs reach the Scottish Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to St. Johnstone. Ross took the side to the League Cup final in 2020-21, going down 2-1 to Celtic before the manager was dismissed. Shaun Maloney had a four-month stint in the hot seat before being replaced by Lee Johnson. He took the team into Europe, but he was shown the door a few games into the 2023-24 campaign. 

Nick Montgomery became the Hibees' new manager. Former Cup final hero David Gray replaced him in May 2024, transforming things markedly as Hibernian finished third.

Hibernian FC will play in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025-26 season.

My visits

Tuesday 29th January 2013

I was staying in Edinburgh for a few days' break, to be joined by my Dad on Tuesday evening, which left me to my own devices during the day. Never shy of adventuring and visiting new grounds and clubs, I marked out a plan of attack. 

Our hotel near the junction of London Road and Leith Walk was only a fifteen-minute walk away at most, but I started my tour for the day just down the road at Meadowbank Stadium, where Edinburgh City were residing.

I got the occasional view of the stands of the stadium as I walked down London Road, before cutting through several streets and walking up Easter Road itself, and then into Albion Road, which had a fine programme shop which was unfortunately closed. I had been close to attending a Hibs game ten days earlier while up north with my pal Karl. 

We were staying in Glasgow, but our first choice of Saturday games was Hibs v Dundee, as Edinburgh was less than an hour on the train. Unfortunately, the threat of snow meant a re-adjustment of our plans, so we ended up having a very enjoyable afternoon at Greenock Morton v Livingston instead.

I more or less gave up gaining access as I got to the locked high gates of Easter Road. None of the corners were open, and there weren't even any large enough gaps to take photos. I was about to give up when I walked to the south end of the stadium and saw some men chatting inside through a small gap in the corner. 

Noticing that the padlock was open by the gate, and after wondering whether I'd land in bother, I pulled the gate open and attracted the attention of one of the men. He turned out to be kind, getting on in years, who said it wouldn't be a problem taking some photos and commented on just how many people they met who wanted to do similar. 

When I told him I was from Scarborough but lived in London, he seemed happy as he'd experienced holidays in the past by the sea, and his daughter also lived in London. I went up near the corner flag to take in the scene and take some photos of the modern all-seater stadium. 

To the goal to my right was the two-tiered South Stand, which housed the away fans. Once, this was an open terrace with views of Arthur's Seat in the distance behind it. The new stand had been put up in the mid-90s, as had the similar Famous Five Stand at the other end. To the left was another two-tiered construction, the West Stand. 

Built in 2001 to replace the old stand and paddock, the two sections were divided by a row of corporate boxes. This stand also contained all the players' facilities and the directors' box. Finally, on the far side was The East Stand, which was a large single tier of seats, where once a covered terrace stood.

I said my thank you's, as one of the groundstaff mentioned that it was wise not to ask the same at Tynecastle as they'd lock me in! I went on my way back to Leith Walk and on to my next venue, St Mark's Park, the home of non-league Craigroyston.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 Heart of Midlothian 2 after extra time – Inverness win 4-2 on penalties (Sunday 2nd February 2014) Scottish League Cup Semi Final (att: 12,762)

Once a month, I had a Sunday off work and didn’t have to return until 4.15pm on the following Monday. This offered scope to get to games a bit further away than normal, so I decided it was about time to get adventurous.

Having accumulated enough Reward Points with East Coast Trains for a free ride back from Edinburgh to London, I also booked the 11pm coach for the Saturday night from Victoria to the Scottish capital. My kind workmate John Yorke took me off early so that I could get to my departure time, as I must admit to being a little nervous about what to expect.

Fortunately, the service had lots of space, so I secured a double seat for myself. I took a sleeping tablet and, apart from a comfort break at Woodhall Services on the M1, I knew very little about the journey as I drifted in and out of slumber. We arrived at Edinburgh bus station at 7.30am with the light breaking on a clear, cold and windy morning.

Feeling remarkably good, I set off on a touristy walk over the North Bridge and then up the Royal Mile up to the Castle, before heading down into Grassmarket and back round to the new town via Lothian Road. It was a perfect morning for taking photos, and I felt quite happy with myself as I entered the cold Standing Order. 

I took advantage of the good value Wetherspoon breakfast menu while watching Sky Sports News and listening to England’s final debacle on their tour of Australia. The unlimited filter coffee deal kept me going for a while longer while I perused the papers.

With the match kicking off at 12.15 for TV, it was high time to seek refreshment. Although my room wasn’t ready at the York Lodge B&B on York Place, they kindly allowed me to leave my overnight bag. Continuing along, I was thinking of bars along Easter Road until I saw two gents cut down Broughton Street in Hearts scarves towards the Cask & Barrel. 

The pub's website had stated that they opened at 12.30 on a Sunday, but I just had a hunch that I may have been in luck at one of my favourite pubs. Another fan was outside the shut doors, but he told me that they were about to open at 11am. The beer was just as good as I remembered from my visit a year earlier. 

The Orkney Best glided down like cream. I was in a really good mood when I joined the growing crowds along Brunswick Road, Easter Road and then up Albion Road, where I purchased a good match programme for £3.

My £20 ticket was for the East Stand. There was time to grab a pie and head up to the top row before the teams came out in bright sunshine on Leith. Hearts fans filled the stand I was in as well as half of the main West Stand and the bottom tier of the South Stand. Around 1,500 Caley fans occupied the lower tier of the North Stand. 

Their support was magnificent, as it was not possible to get to the game on the day by public transport from the Highlands. My seat was tremendous with an excellent view of the pitch as well as glimpses of Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags behind the south end. Everyone at the back decided to stand up, which was a good idea on such a cold day.

The first half got underway with Inverness the better side. Gradually, the young Jambos side got to grips, aided by the non-stop tackling of Jamie Hamill. Their keeper Jamie MacDonald made a fine save close to the break when Billy McKay broke through. 

The sides had met the previous season at the same stage and at he same venue. On that occasion, the Edinburgh side won the game after a penalty shootout. Chances were so few after forty-five minutes that there was a real possibility of the same result once again.

I went downstairs at the break to use the facilities and enjoy another pie and a much-needed Bovril as the cold bit. The prices were not cheap. It was only ten pence less for my drink than the pie! Hearts returned following the interval looking good, but Caley went ahead in slightly controversial circumstances. 

It looked like a clearance struck one of their players' hands, but the referee, who upset the Jambos at regular intervals, said no. The ball was rolled into the path of Greg Tansey, who nearly tore the net from twenty-five yards on fifty-four minutes. However, the game changed dramatically on sixty-eight minutes when Caley’s Gary Warren picked up a second yellow card for bringing down a player on the edge of the box. 

The Hearts' fans celebrated as though they had scored. Perhaps they could see into the future, as their side’s training ground set piece saw Jamie Hamill’s shot deflect past Den Brill in the Highlander’s net, to cue total mayhem. Two minutes later, Hearts were awarded another free kick around twenty-five yards out. Hamill stepped up and scored with a brilliant curling shot. The Caley fans stood silently in disbelief.

They created a couple of chances that were wasted, before Josh Meekings totally lost his head and brought down a breaking Hearts man with a premeditated body check. Referee John Beaton showed him a straight red card. It all looked over for his team.

Hearts were within a minute of reaching the final, in one of the worst seasons in their history as they struggled for their very existence. They had a corner but lost the ball. Play switched to the other end, and after a scramble, the ball broke loose to Nick Ross, who somehow bundled it into the corner in front of his admiring fans.

A few seconds after the restart, Mr Beaton blew the final whistle. Hearts players collapsed to the floor in sheer agony. Their manager, Gary Locke, somehow had to motivate them. Whatever he told them didn’t work. His tactics were completely wrong, keeping four defenders against an occasional lone striker. There were too many passes without the wide men getting to the byline past their defender. 

Inverness made nonsense of the numerical advantage as they created better chances. The game would be decided on penalty kicks once again, to be taken at our end. Their supporters were not exactly happy. I learned plenty of phrases as well as the words to “Hearts, Hearts Glorious Hearts”, which was repeated many times.

Hearts went first, but both sides missed their openers. I was not alone in sensing it wasn’t going to be Hearts' day. Thistle did not miss another spot kick, which meant that when Paul McCallum missed, it left Ross Draper to slot home the winner and send Inverness to their first national cup final. It took some time to get out of the stadium. I followed the crowds up Easter Road, forgoing the temptation of the packed pubs to watch the Ireland v Scotland Six Nations Rugby.

I cut across to Leith Walk and then to my room for a siesta and shower, before going out to sample some ales in excellent pubs. I was back home with a large fish and battered burger supper to watch all the highlights on Sportscene at 10pm. The game looked just as dramatic on TV, although the two red cards did seem a little on the harsh side.

Following breakfast the next morning in The Playfair, I was on the 10.30am train, ready for work that afternoon. It had been a brilliant brief visit to a magnificent city and one of the best games I’d seen in ages.

Thursday 29th July 2021

With a couple of days off work, I decided to get out and about as the Covid restrictions were being gradually lifted and take a flight to Edinburgh for a day of walking, followed by some beer in quality pubs.

Upon arrival in Athens of the North, I took the Airport 200 bus to the waterfront at Newhaven, followed by a walk through the district of Leith, which was gradually becoming very trendy and somewhere that could be interesting for nightlife. It was only natural to visit a big football stadium as part of the day. 

Easter Road was all locked up, but I had a good wander around to get some photos and additional exercise. Once done, I headed past Meadowbank Stadium, which was in a state of being demolished and rebuilt. Over the road I went through Holyrood Park and climbed Arthur's Seat. Through a lack of experience, I did it from the north-west. Not the easiest of climbs, but sheer bloody-mindedness got me to the top. 

I descended to the south-west, getting a wonderful view of the Peffermill complex as well as Easter Road. I was relieved to clamber down to the other side in excellent company and have a chat with a friendly stranger who had also managed to reach the peak. My destination was the Cask and Barrel South Side, where three pints of perfect ale and a chat with the excellent Polish barman did the job.

He pulled no punches when explaining the rules and directing punters to a seat. One was unimpressed with his bar stool offering in the window, so he walked out. He had a fantastic mixed accent after spending ten years in the city. The location gave me my first look at the south of the city and the University area, walking to my digs off Leith Walk and adjacent to the North Stand of Easter Road. 

Note to self. Remember, suppers come in huge portions. I couldn't finish the two battered burgers and chips from the takeaway on Nicholson Street. After a siesta, I was off to visit a couple of places recommended by a helpful poster on the Non League Forum. The trendy and intimate St. Vincent Bar was followed by The Cumberland Bar, where I was restricted to outside drinking near last orders.

My old favourite, The Cask and Barrel on Broughton Street, where there was only time for two pints as they were closing for the night, nearly as early as my eyes. I didn’t take much rocking to get to sleep. The following morning, I headed home by plane from Glasgow in time for the Hendon v Arsenal friendly.