Hibernian E-Book

Tom Wright

• Herausgeber: Luath Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 896

Beschreibung

[CDATA[Hibernian Football Club, founded by a group of Edinburgh-based Irishmen and Irish descendents, was born in the Cowgate area of the city in 1875. A team of the people, its long history, heritage and rise to fame has created a tradition and influence that helped shape the game as we know it today. In Hibernian: The Life and Times of a Famous Football Club, Tom Wright looks at Edinburgh's Hibernian Football club from its birth in 1875 to the present day. An anecdotal and personal journey, this volume highlights the many challenges, and lows and highs experienced by the team and its dedicated fans over the last 142 years; exploring the events that shaped the club from both World Wars, Hibs' 'Famous Five' days, the European Cup and the Scottish Cup win in 2016.]]

Leseprobe

First published 2011

ISBN: 978-1-912387-62-5

The paper used in this book is sourced from renewable forestry and is FSC credited material.

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

Printed and bound in the uk by mpg Books Ltd, Cornwall

Typeset in 10.5 point Sabon

© Tom Wright 2011

To my wife Liz and my daughters Caroline and Alison

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword by Pat Stanton

Introduction

Hibernian FC Time Line 1961–1980

Hibernian FC European Record 1961–1980

1 A New Dawn for the Game and the End of an Era at Easter Road (1961–62)

2 Walter Galbraith, a Freak Winter and a Flirt with Relegation (1962–63)

3 Swansong for Harry, a Debut for Pat Stanton and ‘The Big Man’ (1963–64)

4 The Summer Cup and Victory over Real Madrid (1964–65)

5 Shankly, a Glorious Ten Minutes at Tynecastle and a Record Win (1965–66)

6 An Epic at East End Park (1966–67)

7 See Naples and Die, a Debut for Colin Stein and a Four Step Fiasco (1967–68)

8 The First £100,000 Transfer and League Cup Final Disappointment (1968–69)

9 McFarlane In, Marinello and Cormack Out, and a Mystery Bid (1969–70)

10 Tom Hart Takeover, Baker’s Return and a Liverpool Fiasco (1970–71)

11 Turnbull Comes Home and Disaster in the Scottish Cup Final (1971–72)

12 Tornadoes, League Cup Final Success and the Magnificent Seven (1972–73)

13 Enter Joe Harper and Penalty Kick Heartache in Europe (1973–74)

14 A Disastrous Eight Days and Centenary Celebrations (1974–75)

15 Nightmare at Montrose and a (Very) Late Goal at Tynecastle (1975–76)

16 Shirt Sponsorship and Stanton’s Shock Move to Celtic (1976–77)

17 Anglo-Scottish Cup: Victory at Blackburn and Bust-up at Bristol (1977–78)

18 Scottish Cup Final Controversy and an International Incident (1978–79)

19 ‘Best… he couldnae lace ma boots’, Turnbull Resigns and Relegation (1979–80)

APPENDIX 1 Page Reference Guide to Landmark European Games 1961–80

APPENDIX 2 Hibernian FC Player and Manager History 1961–80

Acknowledgements

I have my good friend Phil Thomson to thank for his constant support and encouragement in making this book possible. Thanks must also go to the staff at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh for their endless patience and assistance, to John Fraser and Pat Stanton for their help, and also to Alex Cropley, Neil Martin and Jim McArthur. My main sources have been the Edinburgh Evening News, The Scotsman, the Sunday Mail, the Daily Record and the Evening Times. Also The Scottish Football Book, 100 Years of Hibs (Thomson & Docherty), The Hibees, and Hibernian: The Complete Story, both by John MacKay, Hibernian FC official programmes 1960–80 and many other publications far too numerous to mention. I am indebted to the family of the late Peter Carruthers for the use of several of his photographs. Where necessary, every effort has made to establish the copyright of any image where ownership has been in doubt.

Foreword by Pat Stanton

Watching Hibs as a young boy was a great thrill, never dreaming that one day I would go on to play for the club.

Looking back through the different eras, the deeds of the Famous Five need no elaboration, although as Lawrie Reilly keeps reminding me, that side also had defenders, but some people tend to forget the great Hibs team of the 1960s and the fantastic players such as Willie Hamilton, Neil Martin, Eric Stevenson and Peter Cormack, to name but a few.

I was immensely proud not only to play, but to captain the great Hibs side of the early ’70s, but without doubt it was a great privilege to play for the club during both periods.

Although scores might sometimes be forgotten, many individual incidents remain firmly imprinted on my mind. I can still vividly remember standing on the terracing watching Bobby Kinloch score the famous penalty against Barcelona in 1961. Again, there is the magnificent strike by Bobby Duncan that started the ball rolling in the fantastic victory against Napoli in 1967. Yet another incident that remains clearly in mind is a goal scored by Ally MacLeod in the mid-’70s. Collecting the ball near the halfway line, Ally proceeded to beat several defenders before passing the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net. The goal itself looked quite straightforward, but it was the confidence and technical ability of an exceptional player that made it so special.

The ’60s and ’70s hold many special memories for me, and this book allows all of us, whether old or young, to share them.

Pat Stanton

Hibernian and Scotland

Introduction

THE GOLDEN POST-WAR YEARS of the late ’40s and early ’50s was perhaps the finest period of the Scottish game. During that time Hibernian had burst to the fore displaying a brand of football that thrilled supporters throughout the land. Fronted by the incomparable ‘Famous Five’ forward line of Smith, Johnstone, Reilly, Turnbull and Ormond, then widely recognised as the best forward line ever produced by a Scottish side, Hibs won three League Championships inside a five year period to become the most successful side in the long and distinguished history of the club. During the war years the general public had been starved of football and the post-war clamour for the game saw matches being watched by record breaking crowds and there was no more excitement to be found at a football ground than at Easter Road.

As other Scottish clubs made summer tours to the Highlands or England, Hibs elected to make regular trips either to Europe or Scandinavia. On these tours they normally faced first class sides and it was the reputation earned on the continent during this time that saw Hibs invited into the inaugural European Cup in 1955. By then however, although they reached the semi final of the competition, it was obvious that the great side was past its best. Bobby Johnstone had joined Manchester City earlier in the year, and soon the legendary centre forward Lawrie Reilly would make a premature retiral because of injury. Later Smith would join Hearts and Turnbull retire to take over as trainer leaving Ormond as the last remaining on field member of the magical quintet.

Reilly’s loss was made easier to accept by the emergence of the dynamic Joe Baker who burst onto the scene with spectacular impact in 1957. At that time however, Hearts had taken over the mantle not only as the top side in the city, but the entire country. The arrival of the energetic Baker would give the supporters initial optimism that the great days would soon return to Easter Road, but except for a few isolated highs such as the 4-3 Scottish Cup victory against Hearts in 1958, the record breaking 11-1 victory over Airdrie the following year and a famous Fairs Cup success against Barcelona, the following few seasons would be barren.

By then the huge post-war crowds were but a distant memory. The Hibs support who had grown accustomed to success, were generally less than enamoured by what was being offered on the field but had reluctantly come to accept that the earlier high standards set by the side were no longer achievable. However, although they were not to know it at the time, better days lay not too far ahead.

The start of the 1960s had heralded not only the end of an era at Easter Road, the most successful in the club’s eighty-six year history, but the promise of a new dawn for the game. A wind of change was sweeping through the sport. The archaic retain and transfer system that literally could, and often did, tie a player to the tenure of a club for as long as it desired, would soon be abolished, but it would take a bitter court case between the Newcastle United player George Eastham and the club to finally resolve the matter.

England Under-23 international Eastham had been in dispute with the club for sometime and was keen on a move to Arsenal who were reportedly eager to secure his services at Highbury. Newcastle United however had no desire to lose a player of Eastham’s undoubted capabilities, and this proved the major stumbling block. After a lengthy and acrimonious dispute Newcastle United eventually succumbed and Eastham joined Arsenal for a reported £47,500 fee. Even then the player refused to let the matter rest. Citing a restriction of trade, the matter was referred to a court of law. Ultimately, in 1963 the decision of the court would decide in favour of the player, and the retain and transfer system crumbled to be replaced by the much fairer option clause contract that worked more in the interest of the players.

The maximum wage agreement, which had long been a source of great contention in England, had also been found to be illegal and after a threatened strike by the players, it too would soon be abolished, allowing Johnny Haynes of Fulham to become the first £100 a week footballer. With only a very few exceptions, particularly during wartime, a maximum wage restriction had never been in force in Scotland, only a minimum, but top wages had usually been on par with what could be earned south of the Border. The abolition of the maximum wage in England however would do Scottish clubs no favours. Now, the greatly improved wage structure in England threatened the stability of football in this country by encouraging the better players to move south. The top earners in England at that time could expect to be paid anything from between £25 and £100 per week compared to around the £20 paid to top performers in Scotland, making the temptation of a move south suddenly extremely attractive for many of our better players.

Despite an initial reluctance in some quarters, by now, games under floodlight had become an almost universally accepted practice, and with the growth of competitive European competition, commercialism had awakened to the potential of the big money that could be made from the game.

The perceived threat from the television cameras refused to go away and during an end of season meeting in England, league clubs had voted overwhelmingly against the showing of live televised football the following season except for the Cup Final, international matches, and European games, but only if the latter games took place in midweek. As is now apparent, those with a vested interest in the televising of live football would not be diverted from their aims, and although the change would occur slowly, it would certainly happen.

North of the border attempts had also been made to bring the game out of the shadows of the dark ages. During the summer the football authorities had recommended new contract terms and conditions. It was suggested that from the start of the coming season players would not be allowed to demand a transfer within the tenure of their yearly agreement, only at the end of each season, and so hopefully avoiding situations such as the long running Joe Baker saga of the previous campaign and the disruption caused to the Easter Road side during that time. Transfers would still be allowed during the season, but only if agreed by both the selling and the buying club. Contracts that had previously expired at the end of July would now terminate on 30 June, but more importantly, players who had been placed on the open to transfer list would now have to be paid, as opposed to the previous system that allowed clubs to terminate a players wages the moment he had asked to be placed on the list. Furthermore, it was also recommended that players should receive a larger slice of any transfer fee in a move authorised by the club than at present. The clubs themselves were to benefit by the abolition of the league levy on gate receipts. Only some of the recommendations would ultimately be implemented, but at least it was a step in the right direction. This then was the situation facing Hibernian at the start of the decade.

By then the club was in serious decline, culminating in near relegation in 1963. These were truly defining years for the club and soon an exciting mixture of younger players would emerge from the shadows. They, along with several inspirational signings and led by an ambitious and innovative young manager in Jock Stein, would see the club again challenging for honours, only missing out on the coveted league and cup ‘double’ in the final weeks of the 1964–65 season.

The early ’70s would see the emergence of yet another great side, possibly the club’s greatest ever. Under the leadership of the former ‘Famous Five’ legend Eddie Turnbull and fondly remembered as ‘Turnbull’s Tornadoes’, Hibs would win the League Cup, two Drybrough Cups and also record a historic victory over near neighbours Hearts at Tynecastle on New Years Day 1973. The following few seasons would be more than satisfactory, including yet another League Cup Final in 1974, before a slow and painful slide to relegation in 1980.

Hibernian: From Joe Baker to Turnbull’s Tornadoes is the first book to examine the period in such detail. From Joe Bakers’ transfer to Arsenal in 1961 to Eddie Turnbull’s resignation in 1980 it is all here, the great players, the great games both European and domestic, the financial disputes, the transfers, all the important and sometimes less important but no less interesting off field happenings, and much more.

Because of Hibs great reputation on the continent, I have described all the European games in some detail. For these games I have listed only the Hibs line up except when playing against English sides. Unfortunately I have experienced great difficulty in tracing a definitive list of substitutes for many of these matches and for consistency I have decided to omit them all from the text. For Cup Finals I have included the team line up for both teams. Where possible I have included every player’s first team debut and my apologies for those I may have missed.

In those days, players played for the jersey, games usually took place on a Saturday afternoon; match day hospitality consisted of a cold pie and a cup of lukewarm Bovril, an agent was someone who collected your pools coupon, and European Football a bonus instead of an obsession. I really wonder if the game is any better today.

Tom Wright

October 2011

Hibernian FC Timeline 1961–1980

1961 Joe Baker transferred to Torino, Johnny McLeod to Arsenal.

Willie Ormond joins Falkirk.

Manager Hugh Shaw resigns and is replaced by Walter Galbraith.

1963 Hibs narrowly avoid relegation with victory against Raith Rovers at Kirkcaldy on final day of the season.

1964 Jock Stein becomes manager at Easter Road.

Hibs win the Summer Cup, beating Aberdeen after a third game play-off. The final game is postponed until the following season after an outbreak of typhoid in the Grampian city.

Chairman Harry Swan plans to expand the Easter Road Stadium to accommodate the Commonwealth Games.

Famous 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in friendly match at Easter Road.

1965 Bob Shankly replaces Jock Stein as manager.

Record home win against Hamilton.

1966 Covered enclosure behind the Albion Road End opens on 1 January 1966.

1967 Italian side Napoli, including the great Dino Zoff, are beaten 5-0 at Easter Road in the second leg of the Fairs Cup.

Hibs lose 4-1 in the first leg in Naples making the return game a mere formality… or so they think.

1968 Colin Stein becomes Scotland’s first £100,000 transfer.

1969 Hibs lose 6-2 to Celtic in the 1968–69 season League Cup Final.

Bob Shankly resigns as Hibs manager and is replaced by Willie McFarlane.

1971 McFarlane sacked and replaced by Dave Ewing.

Former favourite Eddie Turnbull returns to Easter Road as manager after a successful spell as the manager of Aberdeen.

1972 Hibs lose 6-1 to Celtic in a disastrous Scottish Cup Final.

Bench style seating installed in the ‘Shed’ at the Albion Road End of Easter Road Stadium.

Birth of ‘Turnbull’s Tornadoes’ as Hibs defeat Celtic the following season in both the Drybrough and League Cup Finals.

1973 Hibs defeat Hearts 7-0 in the now famous New Year’s Day game at Tynecastle.

Hibs win the Drybrough Cup for a second time, defeating Celtic 1-0 after extra time.

Both ends of the main terracing at Easter Road Stadium are fenced off on the advice of the police to prevent trouble occurring when opposing fans traditionally changed ends.

1974 Hibs are defeated on penalties by Leeds United after no-scoring tie at Easter Road in the UEFA Cup.

Hibs lose 6-3 to Celtic in League Cup Final in which Joe Harper scores a hat-trick and still ends up on the losing side.

1975 Hibernian centenary year.

Hearts are defeated 1-0 at Easter Road, the goal scored by Joe Harper in Hibs’ first-ever Premier League game.

1977 Hibs become the first British side to wear shirt advertising.

1979 The Scottish Cup Final against Rangers goes to three games. After two 0-0 draws, Hibs lose 3-2 after extra time in third game.

George Best signed.

1980 Eddie Turnbull sacked as Hibs manager and is replaced by former teammate Willie Ormond.

Hibs relegated for only the second time in the club’s history.

Hibernian FC European Record 1961–1980

Home leg and Hibs’ score first:

1

A New Dawn for the Game and the End of an Era at Easter Road

1961–62

BY THE START of the 1960s it was fairly obvious that Hibernian were in serious decline. Long gone were the halcyon days of the Famous Five during the late ’40s and early ’50s when the club had won three League Championships, lost another only on goal average and yet another by a solitary point, all inside a six-year period. Even the euphoria of securing a famous Fairs Cup victory in March 1961 to reach the semi-finals of the tournament by defeating Barcelona – considered to be one of the best teams in the world – had subsided by the autumn. During the summer Hibs had lost the immensely popular goalscoring phenomenon Joe Baker to Italian club Torino, finally bringing to an end the almost daily disruption of enquiries regarding the player’s future from a host of major clubs, both in England and abroad. In just under four seasons at Easter Road, Baker had scored 162 goals in all games, reaching the century mark before he was 21 years of age, a truly incredible statistic. It was painfully obvious that his goalscoring talents would be badly missed in the seasons ahead.

Still reeling from the disappointment of losing cult hero Baker, the Hibs fans were stunned to learn at the start of the 1961–62 season that a bid in the region of £40,000 from Arsenal for the rapidly improving Johnny McLeod had been successful. As the Easter Road players prepared for the coming season, McLeod travelled south to join his new colleagues at Highbury. McLeod, the only ever-present during the previous season, had improved out of all recognition as the campaign progressed. Winning his first full cap in the Wembley debacle against England in April when Scotland were humiliated 9-3, still the highest-ever scoring game between the two sides, he had kept his place for the games against the Republic of Ireland at Hampden and Dublin, and Czechoslovakia in Bratislava. After leaving Easter Road, McLeod would not feature in the full international set-up again.

By now, Willie Ormond, the last remaining on-field member of the illustrious Famous Five, was also determined to leave Easter Road, rejecting several attempts to re-sign him for the following season, his 16th in a green and white jersey. The player’s continued refusal meant that the club had now lost three influential figures almost in one fell swoop, leaving the side severely weakened, a fact not lost on the remaining players and the fans.

Sporting stylish blue tracksuits acquired during the summer trip to Italy, the players, minus transfer rebel Ormond, arrived for pre-season training in mid-July to be faced with the traditional opening day run around Arthur’s Seat. Apart from Ormond, international full back John Grant was the only other regular yet to sign a new contract – he would put pen to paper later in the week. Recent additions to the staff included Tom McCreadie from Port Glasgow, Tony McGlynn from Edinburgh Thistle, Brian Marjoribanks from Airth Castle Rovers, and provisional signings Alex Cameron and Bobby Duncan, both from Edinburgh Juvenile side St Bernard’s.

Rumours had been circulating that Hibs were interested in signing former Third Lanark player Ally McLeod from Blackburn Rovers, possibly as a replacement for Ormond. Although this had been vigorously denied by the club, now, only a few days before the start of the new season, the intense newspaper speculation was over. The future Scottish international manager was signed from the English First Division side for a fee of around £6,000, just in time for the 1960 FA Cup finalist to join his new colleagues for the remainder of the pre-season training. McLeod had been one of the first victims of the recently abolished maximum wage agreement. One of nearly 200 players who had threatened strike action unless the new wage structure was implemented, the player had been reassured by earlier public statements from manager Jack Marshall that McLeod was such an important member of the Blackburn staff that he would have absolutely no hesitation in doubling his £20-per-week wage if ever the restrictions were lifted. McLeod was furious to discover that England internationals Ronnie Clayton and Brian Douglas were being offered £40 per week and another two players £35, while his wage had been increased to only £25. A heated meeting with the manager ended in McLeod being placed on the transfer list. Several Scottish clubs indicated an interest in signing the player. McLeod himself was keen to join part-time Airdrie but wanted to remain full-time, and decided to accept Hibs’ offer of £28 per week. A late, improved offer of £35 per week to stay at Blackburn was rejected by the player who had already agreed to join Hibs and commendably refused to go back on his word. In his autobiography, McLeod revealed that he had also been contacted by the Stoke City manager Tony Waddington who wanted him to supplement a secret big-name signing he was about to make, McLeod on one flank and the mystery player on the other. The skilful but often ungainly McLeod confessed that he couldn’t quite visualise himself on one wing with the great Stanley Matthews gracing the other.

As usual the Edinburgh Select charity match heralded the start of the new season. Burnley, who would finish the season in second place to Alf Ramsay’s runaway First Division leaders Ipswich Town and runners-up in the FA Cup, were the visitors to Easter Road. The star-studded English side included future Scottish international goalkeeper Adam Blacklaw, Welsh cap Alec Elder, veteran Jimmy Adamson, the up-and-coming England prospect centre forward Ray Pointer and 1966 England World Cup squad member John Connelly. Before the game the charities selection committee was faced with an unusual dilemma in choosing a centre forward. In the past it had normally been a straight choice between Lawrie Reilly or Willie Bauld, and more recently Joe Baker or Alec Young. Reilly had now retired and Baker and Young had moved on. With no obvious candidate, the selectors plumped for the veteran Bauld, then a far from automatic first choice for Hearts. The days of the fixture attracting crowds of over 40,000 were now well in the past and half that number watched Burnley stage an impressive comeback to win 7-4 after trailing two goals to four at the interval.

On the Monday evening at Easter Road the public trial match between the first and second teams gave the fans an early opportunity to assess the players who would perhaps be in contention to replace McLeod and Baker. Both Jim Scott and Malcolm Bogie, who had lined up alongside Baker in the Scottish Schoolboy side that had faced England at Goodison in 1954, were the obvious candidates to replace McLeod. Bobby Kinloch, who had famously scored the winning goal against Barcelona only a few months before, but had otherwise made only occasional appearances in the first team, seemed the most likely candidate to lead the line.

It was around this time that Scottish international Willie Ormond finally ended a distinguished 15-year career at Easter Road. Ormond was allowed to join home-town side Falkirk, then in the Second Division, on a free transfer, leaving trainer Eddie Turnbull as the last surviving member of the celebrated Famous Five still at the club. The outside left, who had won three League Championship medals and six full caps during his time in Edinburgh, had been the only one of the magical five to cost the club a transfer fee when he was signed from Stenhousemuir in 1946, and as a reward for his loyal service, he was granted a free transfer which would allow him to gain financially from the move.

In the League Cup, a section comprising St Johnstone, Celtic, Partick Thistle and Hibs, was surprisingly won by the Perth side managed by former Rangers goalkeeper Bobby Brown. Joe Baker, back home on a short visit from Italy, watched the Easter Road game against Celtic from the trainers’ bench and saw his replacement Bobby Kinloch score twice to give his former teammates a share of the spoils. However, two victories, two defeats and two draws, with a 3-0 reverse at Ibrox in a league match, were early indications that it would again be a long, hard season at Easter Road. At least there was the anticipation of European competition.

During the summer the Easter Road directors had been hopeful that Hibs would again be invited to take part in the Fairs Cup, but they, like the fans, were well aware that the 6-0 humiliation by Roma in the previous year’s semi-final play-off would do little to enhance their prospects. On the other hand, city rivals Hearts, now free of European Cup commitments, felt that they had a good case for inclusion in place of Hibs, who had already represented the city in the tournament. Earlier, the Fairs Cup committee had requested that each member association recommend the sides to be included in that year’s competition, but the SFA steadfastly refused to become involved, leaving each club to make its own application. Both Edinburgh sides were accepted. Competitive European football was gathering momentum, and Barcelona were now joined by both Valencia and Español as the Spanish representatives for the forthcoming tournament. Until then, in Spain, only Real Madrid and Barcelona had seen the merits of European competition, but now a fresh wave of enthusiasm for inter-country football was sweeping through the entire continent.

Hibs chairman Harry Swan’s reputation as an extremely competent legislator was firmly established, not only in this country but much further afield, and no sooner had he arrived in Basle for the Fairs Cup draw, than he found himself co-opted onto the organising committee as the third British member on the panel alongside Sir Stanley Rous and Birmingham City chairman Robert Dare. Hibs, in Group C, were drawn against Portuguese side Belenenses in the opening round. Hearts, in Group D, would face St Gilloise from Belgium. After the draw, Swan was pleasantly surprised to be approached by representatives from Barcelona who promised, by way of apology for the disgraceful actions of some of their players in the earlier Fairs Cup match at Easter Road which had ended amid scenes of utter mayhem, that home and away friendly fixtures could be played at the expense of the Spanish club. The suggestion was welcomed by the Hibs chairman, a firm believer in the benefits of European football, but the Catalan club’s heavy fixture commitments made it difficult to arrange dates.

Little was known about Belenenses but there was little doubt that they would provide a serious challenge. Portuguese football was on the ascendancy, with the ‘unknown’ Benfica sweeping aside all challengers, including Hearts, to lift the European Cup at Wembley the previous March by defeating Hibs’ Fairs Cup opponents Barcelona 3-2 in the final. The blue-shirted Belenenses shared the city of Lisbon with Benfica and Sporting, and had an impressive record against their more famous neighbours.

Making their first ever visit to Britain, Belenenses arrived in Edinburgh the day before the match and held a brief training session at the ground that evening. It was noticeable that several of the players, particularly the four black stars, were not overly impressed with the cold and blustery Scottish weather.

As before, the rules of the tournament allowed the use of a substitute goalkeeper in the case of injury, but again Hibs would be handicapped by the SFA regulations that foolishly still refused to recognise such a move. The Easter Road side appealed for the ban to be lifted but the appeal fell on deaf ears.

Because the Portuguese season had not yet started, it was felt that Belenenses would almost certainly be well behind the fitness level and match practice of the Scots, but this notion was quickly dispelled when the visitors raced to a well-deserved three-goal lead inside the opening 26 minutes of the match.

The far from happy Hibs fans were not slow to show their displeasure and soon jeers began to echo around the ground. Somehow, the home side managed to pull themselves together and up till the interval the Portuguese goal was put under ever increasing pressure, but without a breakthrough. Goalkeeper Pereira, who would later play against England in the 1966 World Cup semi-finals, had been called upon to produce near miracles to defy Hibs on several occasions, and in the final few minutes of the first half surpassed himself by making at least seven stops, three in the incredible class, to defy the marauding green-shirted attackers.

Whatever manager Hugh Shaw had to say to his players during the break, it certainly worked and in the second half they displayed a resolution and conviction that had been sadly lacking in the opening 30 minutes of the game. A Hibs defence that had earlier looked unsteady and unsure was now in a dominant and uncompromising mood, winning every ball and tackle. With Hibs resorting to the time-honoured Scottish punt up the park, the uncomfortable Belenenses defenders found themselves under severe and constant pressure and it was no surprise when Fraser glanced home a header from a Stevenson cross a few minutes after the restart.

Within a quarter of an hour the scores drew level when Fraser scored his second of the night with another header, before captain Sammy Baird scored one of the cheekiest penalties ever seen at Easter Road. Eric Stevenson, even this early in his career displaying an obvious talent for winning penalties, was brought down inside the box by full back Castro. Then, on his run up to the ball, Baird suddenly checked his run, allowing the keeper to commit himself fully before gently rolling the ball into the other side of the goal, leaving Pereira completely stranded.

From then until the final whistle, Hibs might well have scored more as their powerful play at times threatened to swamp the Portuguese side, but desperate defending allowed the visitors to hold out and there was no more scoring.

Three goals behind at the interval and seemingly beaten, Hibs had climbed off the ropes to record a credible, or incredible draw at the end of the 90 minutes, cheered on by a vocal 20,000 crowd who encouraged their favourites to a quite amazing comeback. An exceptional display had compensated for a dreadful start. In the second half every Hibs man had been a hero, working tirelessly to make such a fantastic recovery possible, and even after the equalising goal the Edinburgh side could well have scored more. Johnny McLeod, back in Edinburgh to recover from a leg injury received while playing for Arsenal the previous Saturday, watched the game from the stand. It had not been a particularly happy time for both of the recently transferred big-money signings. Apart from the injury to McLeod, only the previous day Joe Baker had been sent off late in the match after scoring twice against Lanerossi.

FINAL SCORE: HIBERNIAN 3. BELENENSES 3.

FAIRS CUP 1ST ROUND (1ST LEG), MONDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 1961, EASTER ROAD.

HIBERNIAN: SIMPSON, HUGHES, MCCLELLAND, BAXTER, GRANT, BAIRD, SCOTT, STEVENSON, FRASER, GIBSON, MCLEOD.

Although the season was only a few weeks old, the impressive form of right back John Grant had again caught the eye of the selectors and the defender was included in the Scottish League side that faced the League of Ireland in a scrappy 1-1 draw at Hampden the following week. Scottish centre half Billy McNeill of Celtic had endured yet another particularly depressing 90 minutes, the latest in a number of poor performances in the dark blue of Scotland, leaving one newspaper reporter to comment, ‘The selectors had been patient in persisting with the young centre half with an eye to the future.’ It was a loyalty rarely granted to a player outside either half of the Old Firm.

During the next few weeks Tony McGlynn and Brian Marjoribanks, both called up only at the beginning of the season, made their first-team debuts, in Marjoribanks’ case a scoring start in a 4-2 defeat by Hearts. It was the Gorgie side’s first home win over their Edinburgh rivals for four years, but enough to relegate the Easter Road side to 16th in the table – third-bottom. Hardly ideal preparation for the forthcoming trip to Portugal!

Hibs’ heavy defeat at Tynecastle by their bitter rivals did little to inspire Scottish confidence in the task ahead, particularly on learning that Belenenses had defeated Barreiro 5-1 in a league match on the Sunday.

For the Fairs Cup tie, manager Shaw gambled on a packed defensive formation that relied heavily on the counter-attack to see them through to the next round and the tactics paid off handsomely. Scott and Fraser were both in magnificent form, their swift breaks repeatedly troubling the home defence, but in John Baxter, Hibs had the game’s outstanding player. Taking advantage of the numerous long clearances from defence, Baxter proved a constant menace. Scoring his side’s opening two goals, the inside left was desperately unlucky not to score more. Only tremendous goalkeeping by Pereira prevented him from adding to his tally. At no time did Belenenses promise to recapture the form of the first half-hour in Edinburgh, and their weary attack ran out of steam early in the second half, after repeatedly failing to breach Hibs’ defensive cover.

The scores were level at the break, but with 29 minutes remaining Baxter took advantage of a mistake by Pereira to shoot into the empty net, and from then on, it was all Hibs. Stevenson scored a third with a neat header after 74 minutes and from then until the end, goalkeeper Pereira had again to be at his best to prevent his side from conceding even more goals.

The Portuguese press were generous in praise of the Edinburgh side. Lisbon’s Diáro de Noticias thought Hibs ‘had played like a single unit from goalkeeper to left wing, with special credit given to Baird, Scott, Fraser and Baxter’. The report ended by underlining that ‘the local team had lacked the stamina of the visitors, whose play had furnished exuberant proof of the value of speed’.

FINAL SCORE: BELENENSES 1. HIBERNIAN 3.

FAIRS CUP 1ST ROUND (2ND LEG), WEDNESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 1961, RESTELLO STADIUM.

HIBERNIAN: SIMPSON, GRANT, MCCLELLAND, DAVIN, EASTON, BAIRD, SCOTT, STEVENSON, FRASER, BAXTER, MCLEOD.

Despite the exciting win in Portugal Hibs were still languishing at the wrong end of the table, and a 4-0 defeat on the Saturday by Dundee United, promoted from the Second Division only two seasons before, did little to change the situation. The Tannadice grandstand was undergoing renovations, with the players changing away from the ground and arriving ready to play, but in no way could this be used as an excuse for the heavy defeat.

The following Saturday, Willie Ormond was given a rapturous reception by the Hibs fans on the veteran’s first appearance back at Easter Road since his transfer. The supporters were not so appreciative 90 minutes later, however, after two goals by the outside left gave Falkirk a well-deserved point in the 2-2 draw. Also in the Bairns line-up that day were former Hibs player Alex Duchart, and Jimmy Murray who had recently been signed from Hearts. Hibs right back John Fraser, who had played alongside Ormond many times in the past, found the tricky outside left an extremely difficult opponent on the day, but had too much respect for his former teammate to resort to any questionable tactics.

As part of the Joe Baker transfer deal during the summer, Torino had agreed to play a friendly match in Edinburgh. The opportunity to see both Baker, who was made captain for the evening, and Scottish international Dennis Law, a £100,000 signing from Manchester City, drew a crowd of 26,000 to Easter Road on Monday 16 October 1961. Only a few days earlier, Torino had faced Law’s former side Manchester City at Maine Road losing 4-3. Baker had scored all three Torino goals and had greatly impressed the watching Manchester United manager Matt Busby. Brother Gerry, who would soon join Hibs, scored City’s winning goal.

At Easter Road, even the genius of Law was not enough to prevent Hibs from running out deserved 2-0 winners in a game that was a welcome relief from the frustrations of a dismal league campaign. Unfortunately for the supporters, who were keen to see their former hero in action, Baker proved a huge disappointment. Unable to shake off the attentions of Easton throughout the entire 90 minutes, there was little sign of the skills of old, the only flash of fire from the Englishman coming when he briefly faced up to Easton after he had been fouled, before walking away with a broad smile on his face.

In an unsuccessful attempt to improve the side’s dismal league form, Shaw made five changes for a home game against Third Lanark, including the introduction of the diminutive Ian Cuthbert who was making his first start for the league side. The youngster, signed the previous season from Edina Hearts, soon demonstrated a big heart with his tireless running. He also packed a good right-foot shot, but it was asking far too much of the confident teenager to make a difference all on his own. As it was, two uncharacteristic mistakes by the normally reliable goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson, who had earlier made several tremendous saves, allowed Thirds to leave Edinburgh with both points after a 3-1 win. The frustration of the Hibs fans, disgruntled at the team’s poor league results and performances, came to the surface and there was almost constant barracking and slow handclapping, aimed in particular towards Kinloch and Preston who seemed genuinely unsettled by the abuse.

In his Monday column in the Evening News, ‘Outlook’ was of the opinion that:

Hibs could well do without the rounds of slow handclapping that accompanied the defeat by Third Lanark. No doubt the people responsible will pass themselves off as Hibs supporters, but the team can well do without this type of support.

A great number of fans took exception to the article, and several letters were received defending the behaviour. A fan, using the nom de plume ‘one of these types’, responded:

The writer forgets that ‘these types’ as he calls them, the sort of fan who support the club through hail, rain, and shine, are bitter now, as they watch the ghost of a once great side playing such doleful stuff week after week.

Many others defended their actions, one suggesting that the Hibs management should also receive the slow handclap for their team selection each week.

At the draw for the second round of the Fairs Cup in Switzerland, Hibs had been paired against Red Star Belgrade, at that time the most successful side in the former Yugoslavia. Founded by students in 1945 during the dying days of the war, Red Star had since won the League Championship six times, the cup five times, and were the best supported side in the country. Continental competition certainly held no fears for the Iron Curtain team, which had taken part in the European Cup several times, only just failing to qualify for that year’s competition.

Before the game there was an almighty boost for Hibs when it was announced that four of the Yugoslav side’s top players had been transferred almost in one fell swoop. The legendary Vladimar Beara, and Branco Zebel, who had won 125 Yugoslavian caps between them, had been transferred to German side Aachen, with the 29-times capped Kostics transferred to Lanerossi in Italy. Yet another player had joined an Austrian side. Even without these players, Red Star remained formidable opponents. Because of the strict Yugoslavian immigration regulations then in force, Hibs had applied for more entry visas than were actually needed in case of a late injury to one or more of the players, and there was to be disappointment for Jim Scott when he became the unlucky player to be excluded from the party that made its way to Belgrade. Thirteen players, including, as usual, only one goalkeeper – a situation that would be thought ludicrous nowadays – left from Edinburgh on the first leg of the journey to Yugoslavia.

As they set out early in the Monday morning from Easter Road, there was no indication of the ordeal that lay ahead. However, at Turnhouse Airport the party discovered that the flight had been delayed for several hours on account of the thick fog that was enveloping the London area. This was only the first in a series of postponements that would see the team arrive at their destination more than 36 hours later. Approaching Watford, the plane was required to circle the airport until the fog had cleared sufficiently to allow a landing, but on arriving at the terminal there was even more disappointment when they were informed that all continental flights had been delayed indefinitely, including their flight to Zurich. After yet another interminable wait they were finally allowed to depart, but conditions over Switzerland made it impossible to proceed any further that evening and the party were taken by coach to a luxury hotel ten miles from the airport. No sooner had the players bedded down for the evening than they were informed that their flight had been rearranged for early morning, which meant a 4.30am rise. The players thought this must be a practical joke but by then most failed to see the funny side. The early morning Trans-Europe express from Zurich took them to Basle where they caught a flight to Vienna. After a further six-hour wait in the Austrian capital, the weary party set off on the final leg of the journey, finally arriving in Belgrade more than a day and a half after setting out.

Ronnie Simpson had been selected as the reserve goalkeeper for the Scottish League side who were due to play the Italian League at Hampden while the Easter Road side were in Yugoslavia, but all appeals by Hibs to secure the goalkeeper’s release for the important European tie had fallen on deaf ears. Consequently, Willie Muirhead took Simpson’s place in Belgrade, and Pat Hughes replaced Sammy Baird who took ill shortly after arriving.

At the state-owned stadium Red Star shared with neighbours Partizan while their own new ground was being constructed on the outskirts of the city, Hibs encountered a side at the very top of their form and were comprehensively defeated. In front of almost 30,000 exuberant home fans the young communist team, which comprised mainly of students, performed like veterans on the day. More alert and sharper than their Scottish counterparts, Belgrade used the ball intelligently, their speedy inter-passing creating constant danger in the Hibs penalty area. Too often, the Edinburgh side relied on individual skill and typical Scottish industry which was no match for the trickery and imagination of their opponents.

Maravic opened the scoring early on with a tremendous 20-yard drive that literally screamed past Muirhead. Midway through the first 45 minutes, a sloppy throw out by the goalkeeper was intercepted by centre forward Melic who had the greatest of ease in putting his side two goals ahead. Three minutes before the interval Sekularac, the best performer afield, threaded a lovely through pass to Melic who gave the Yugoslavs an unassailable three-goal lead. Hibs managed to break out of defence only rarely, but during these sporadic raids into their opponents’ penalty area they twice struck the woodwork, and had Stevenson scored instead of rifling his shot against the post when the score stood at 1-0, the outcome may well have been different.

Just minutes after the restart, Maravic scored his own second and his side’s fourth to put the game beyond doubt, and in all likelihood make the return leg at Easter Road in a fortnight’s time a mere formality.

Although the game had been played mainly in a sporting fashion, with five minutes left to play, Jim Easton innocuously tackled inside left Sekularac and to the amazement of the Hibs players the Yugoslav reacted by kicking and punching the centre half to the ground. Before the incident could get further out of hand the referee astounded Easton and his teammates by ordering the Scottish player from the field. Easton, who had never before been booked in his professional career, at first refused to leave the field, only doing so when persuaded by Sammy Baird, who was watching from the sidelines. Both players were pelted by oranges and various other missiles as they made their way to the tunnel. The highly talented Sekularac, who had played for Red Star against Manchester United only a few hours before the Old Trafford side perished at Munich in 1958, was guilty of dishing out rough treatment all afternoon, most of it ignored by the referee, and Easton had particular cause to feel aggrieved at being denied the expected protection of the Austrian official.

Although Hibs had been outplayed for almost the entire 90 minutes, they could perhaps count themselves unfortunate to be trailing by four goals, three of them due to bad goalkeeping blunders. After the game the local press were complimentary to Hibs, always an easy matter after victory. The editor of Politika thought the Scottish side had impressed the Yugoslav fans:

They played well, their passes were precise, and they created several excellent attacks. This was Red Star’s best performance for some time, and the Scots were unlucky to come up against opponents who played with more flair, imagination, combination, and liveliness.

Before leaving Belgrade manager Hugh Shaw somewhat optimistically stated, ‘The score flattered Red Star, with the game hinging on some poor goalkeeping situations. This is not the end. Remember, the next time we will be playing in front of our own fans.’

For goalkeeper Willie Muirhead it was the end, at least at Easter Road. He would not play for the first team again, and would soon be on his way to Canadian side Toronto.

FINAL SCORE: RED STAR 4. HIBERNIAN 0.

FAIRS CUP 2ND ROUND (1ST LEG), WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 1961, JNA BELGRADE.

HIBERNIAN: MUIRHEAD, FRASER, MCCLELLAND, DAVIN, EASTON, HUGHES, STEVENSON, GIBSON BAXTER, PRESTON, MCLEOD.

On the Saturday a goal after only four minutes by Ally McLeod was not enough to ensure victory against Aberdeen, the 1-1 draw leaving Hibs hovering dangerously near the relegation trapdoor. Less than happy at the repeated poor form of the side, the Hibs fans were demanding that some of the £100,000 that had been received from the sale of Baker and McLeod be spent on new players. Chairman Swan countered these demands, saying: ‘If anyone can show me where these players are then I will sign them.’ Even so, it was evident that something had to be done.

On Tuesday 7 November 1961, Hugh Shaw resigned as manager of Hibs, ending an association with the club that stretched back to 1918. Swan announced the bombshell news to the supporters, but no other information was forthcoming from either party except that the manager had offered his resignation at a heated board meeting the previous evening, and that it had been accepted.

For the Easter Road players, however, Shaw’s resignation had not come as a complete surprise. For some time the manager had become increasingly detached from on-field matters, often leaving that side of things to trainer Eddie Turnbull. After 13 years as manager, Shaw was perhaps finding it difficult to sustain his personal motivation, and was not helped by the fact that the great post-war days at Easter Road were now clearly a thing of the past.

Born in Islay, Shaw had joined Hibs from Clydebank Juniors during the closing months of the Great War, quickly establishing himself in the first team. Originally a centre forward, he found his best position as left half in the great side that had contested the 1923 and 1924 Scottish Cup Finals, before joining Rangers in 1926 after a dispute with the club. Moving on to Hearts, East Fife and Leith Athletic, he finally ended his playing days as player-coach at Highland League side Elgin City. Persuaded to return to Easter Road as assistant trainer to Johnny Halligan in 1934, Shaw succeeded Halligan as first-team trainer in 1936, and had been manager at Easter Road since the untimely death of Willie McCartney in 1948. Hugely respected in the game, his abilities had been recognised by the SFA and he had been selected as trainer to several international sides including the Great Britain team that defeated the Rest of the World at Hampden in 1947. In his time as trainer at Easter Road the determined Shaw had studied physiotherapy and modern training techniques, and had used this knowledge wisely after succeeding Willie McCartney in 1948, guiding Hibs to three League Championship wins in five seasons, becoming in the process the most successful manager in the club’s 86-year history.

At Easter Road Hugh Shaw had introduced the then novel practice of encouraging the players to discuss the forthcoming game after they had finished their pre-match meal. Tommy Preston recalls that as an inexperienced newcomer to the first team he was, not surprisingly, reluctant to venture an opinion. Egged on by several of the senior players, he eventually plucked up the courage to have his say, only to be met by the response from some of his teammates: ‘Oh, so you think you are a football player now, do you?’

In the days immediately following Shaw’s shock resignation, Swan took over the manager’s duties but was quick to dispel any notion of taking over on a permanent basis, a statement no doubt welcomed both by players and fans. Determined that the club should have a new manager as soon as possible, Swan insisted that the man selected would be experienced and that the post would not be advertised, a broad hint, according to many, that the candidate might already be at Easter Road in the shape of trainer Eddie Turnbull.

Meanwhile, Evening News columnist ‘Outlook’ paid generous tribute to the former manager:

The quiet man has left Easter Road after 40 years and must not be allowed to leave the Edinburgh soccer scene without a tribute from one of the many sports writers who found it a pleasure to work with him. As a manager he was always approachable, and accepted press criticism in his stride. Quite apart from the many great players spotted and signed by him during his reign, Shaw can claim an unsurpassed knowledge among Scottish managers of the European game. An era has ended at Easter Road, and Shaw can claim, although he would be the last to do so, that he made a notable contribution to the game.

Praise indeed!

Hugh Shaw remained a well-respected figure in the game. Popular with all the players who served under him, he is still mentioned with great affection to this day.

One former player recollects a humorous story involving the ‘Boss’ that clearly took place in more innocent times. After a midweek afternoon match at Pittodrie in the early ’50s, the player concerned decided not to travel back with the official party by train as was the normal practice in these days. Instead he went to a local hostelry for a couple of bottles of stout and was not long in the premises when he was joined by Bobby Johnstone and Willie Ormond, who had also decided to spend a few hours in Aberdeen. There was no riotous drinking session, just a few beers before catching the milk train home. On arriving at Easter Road for training the following morning he was informed by trainer Jimmy McColl that his presence was required ‘upstairs’, where he was confronted by an angry manager and informed that he was being held responsible for leading the two younger players astray. It was made clear that such irresponsible behaviour could not, and would not, be tolerated by the club and that he was to be severely punished. After a period of silence lasting several seconds, the by now very concerned miscreant was notified that the manager was ‘writing to his mother to tell her just what her son had been up to’. It is worth mentioning that Eddie Turnbull had served for several years on the Russian convoys during the war! Shaw could also show his steel when required and often after a particularly bad defeat on the Saturday, the players would be made to pay with a punishing training session on the Monday.

Shaw would not be lost to the game for long. Within days of leaving Easter Road he accepted a two-year contract to take over as manager of Raith Rovers, renewing contact with former Hibs trainer Bill Hunter who had returned to Starks Park a few years before.

Back at Easter Road, several team changes were made for the next match, including the return of John Grant from injury. This, however, did little to improve matters as goalkeeper Simpson conceded seven goals at Motherwell. Fortunately only five of them counted but the 5-1 scoreline meant that Hibs had now slumped to 17th place in an 18-team league, and even deeper into relegation danger. Worse still, unsettled by the recent poor form of the side both Davie Gibson and Jim Scott had requested to be placed on the open-to-transfer list.

For the return leg against Red Star at Easter Road, the acting manager made several changes to the side that had surrendered so dismally at Fir Park, but perhaps the most surprising addition was the inclusion of young Ian Cuthbert, who would be taking part in his first-ever European tie after only one first team outing. As perhaps could be expected, managerless Hibs found the first leg deficit impossible to overcome and they departed the tournament almost without a whimper in front of just 9,000 hardy souls who braved the biting winter cold in the hope of seeing their favourites staging a spectacular fight back against all the odds. Instead, they witnessed a performance that highlighted the fact that the fervour and talent that had characterised Hibs’ play throughout the years had gone. A desperately needed early goal never looked likely to be forthcoming and throughout the 90 minutes it was obvious that the home side had fielded too many inexperienced youngsters to trouble a team with the capabilities of Red Star.

Apart from an opening burst, Hibs were seldom an attacking force, and many supporters had already left the ground when Palincevic scored the only goal of the game with 13 minutes remaining. Bursting free down the stand side touchline, the inside forward left two defenders sprawling in his wake before placing the ball past the advancing Simpson, a signal for the remainder of the dwindling crowd to begin making their way to the exits.

It was an evening of double disappointment for Edinburgh. Hearts, who had overcome Belgian side Union St Gilloise in the first round, were beaten 4-0 by Inter Milan in Italy after a 1-0 defeat at Tynecastle.

After his initial earlier promise against Third Lanark, after just one league game and a place in the line-up against Red Star, young Ian Cuthbert would not play for the first team again and would soon be on his way out of Easter Road.

FINAL SCORE: HIBERNIAN 0. RED STAR 1.

FAIRS CUP 2ND ROUND (2ND LEG), WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 1961, EASTER ROAD.

HIBERNIAN: SIMPSON, FRASER, MCCLELLAND, GRANT, EASTON, DAVIN, STEVENSON, CUTHBERT, PRESTON, GIBSON, MCLEOD.

Hibs’ precarious league position now made it imperative that a new manager was installed as soon as possible. As far as the press were concerned there was only one candidate: Jock Stein. The Dunfermline manager, who had produced near miracles at East End Park in such a short time, remained the clear favourite, but Harry Swan saw former Rangers goalkeeper Bobby Brown, then manager at St Johnstone, as the ideal man for the job. A statement released from Easter Road that Brown was only one of several candidates under consideration and had not actually been offered the position was later found to be untrue. Brown, who was then in the process of building a promising squad at Muirton since promotion to the First Division a little over a year before, had indeed been offered the vacant Easter Road post but had decided to remain in Perth for the time being. It was only then that Hibs turned their attentions to Fife.

Former Celtic centre half Jock Stein had been a revelation at Dunfermline since taking over in 1959. Inheriting a struggling side that seemed destined for relegation, against all the odds he had miraculously arrested the slide to secure the Pars’ First Division survival. Before Stein’s arrival they had managed to win only six of their 28 league matches but unbelievably all six of their remaining games under the new manager were won, including victories over both Stein’s former club, Celtic, and second-placed Kilmarnock. It was the beginning of what would turn out to be a legendary career in management. Making steady progress during the next few seasons, Dunfermline had gone on to defeat Celtic in the 1961 Scottish Cup Final, their first-ever national success, and were in the process of establishing a formidable European pedigree, reaching the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup that season. Stein had already been approached unofficially by the Hibs directors and was said to have been extremely keen to take over at Easter Road, but to his disappointment the Dunfermline directors refused to release him from his five-year contract and Hibs were left to look elsewhere for Shaw’s replacement.

Without a win in their last nine matches, the restless fans were still demanding that new faces be brought in to help steer Hibs to safety. Swan had insisted that no new players would be bought until a new manager was in place, but probably losing his nerve at the perilous league position, Hibs swooped to sign former Motherwell and St Mirren centre forward Gerry Baker, then at Manchester City, for a ‘substantial’ fee believed to be in the region of £25,000.

American-born Gerry, brother of former Hibs favourite Joe, went straight into the side to face St Johnstone at Muirton Park in mid-November. Although failing to score himself, his speed and enterprise brought renewed confidence to the forward line as Hibs recorded an important 2-0 win, their first victory in competitive football for almost two months. Ironically, Joe Baker and Johnny McLeod had now been replaced in the side by Gerry Baker and Ally McLeod.

Baker made his home debut against league leaders Dundee a week later. In front of a 15,000 crowd the home side put up a spirited performance and it was not until former Hibs legend Gordon Smith, who had joined the Angus side from Hearts at the beginning of the season, scored the third goal 15 minutes from the end that the visitors could feel assured of both points.