K
PAUL KANE (1965 -
Paul’s father, Jimmy Kane, was on Hibs books briefly before moving to Cowdenbeath in November 1959 without ever having played a league match. Paul on the other hand made over 200 outings as a Hibee and became one of the most popular Hibs players of the modern era.
Kane joined Hibs in 1982 from Salveson BC and as a life-long fan brought up in Leith was delighted to do so. His game contained plenty of energy and sufficient strength to make him as combative a midfielder as any in the Scottish game at one stage.
By 1986 he was part of the Hibs side that lost the League Cup final to Aberdeen 0-3, indeed Aberdeen knocked Hibs out of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage and Kane in later years would say that facing the experienced Alex McLeish, Willie Miller and Jim Leighton came just too soon for a young Hibs team.
October 1987 gave the Hibs daft Paul one of his finest memories. He scored the winning goal at Easter Road as Hibernian defeated Hearts 2-1 and in an era in which Hearts largely held the upper hand it was clearly a special moment.
Kane spent nine seasons at Easer Road before moving on to Oldham and indeed was barely out of the door when the Wallace Mercer take-over bid surfaced. It says much for Paul’s Hibernian leanings that he travelled up from Oldham to help in the ‘Hands Off Hibs’ movement.
From Oldham he journeyed to Alex Smith’s Aberdeen in November 1991 but he left Pittodrie to join Viking Stavanger of Norway in Scotland’s first ever Bosman transfer.
He came back to Scotland when he was 31 and played with St Johnstone then Clyde before retiring in the summer of 2003.having a long-held ambition of completing 20 years in the senior game.
Kane joined Hibs in 1982 from Salveson BC and as a life-long fan brought up in Leith was delighted to do so. His game contained plenty of energy and sufficient strength to make him as combative a midfielder as any in the Scottish game at one stage.
By 1986 he was part of the Hibs side that lost the League Cup final to Aberdeen 0-3, indeed Aberdeen knocked Hibs out of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage and Kane in later years would say that facing the experienced Alex McLeish, Willie Miller and Jim Leighton came just too soon for a young Hibs team.
October 1987 gave the Hibs daft Paul one of his finest memories. He scored the winning goal at Easter Road as Hibernian defeated Hearts 2-1 and in an era in which Hearts largely held the upper hand it was clearly a special moment.
Kane spent nine seasons at Easer Road before moving on to Oldham and indeed was barely out of the door when the Wallace Mercer take-over bid surfaced. It says much for Paul’s Hibernian leanings that he travelled up from Oldham to help in the ‘Hands Off Hibs’ movement.
From Oldham he journeyed to Alex Smith’s Aberdeen in November 1991 but he left Pittodrie to join Viking Stavanger of Norway in Scotland’s first ever Bosman transfer.
He came back to Scotland when he was 31 and played with St Johnstone then Clyde before retiring in the summer of 2003.having a long-held ambition of completing 20 years in the senior game.
HONOURS
League Cup final 1985
SAMMY KEAN (1918 – 2003)
Wing-half Sammy Kean played an influential role in the Hibernian team which won the Scottish League championship in 1948. A native of Dumbarton he made a major contribution whenever he played although his work was often overshadowed by more glamorous forwards in the same team.
Signed from Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in 1938 by Willie McCartney he went on to win international honours with the Scottish League but the war badly disrupted his career.
In 1941, he teamed up with war-time guest player Matt Busby to form one of the strongest half-back lines in Scotland, and Kean always believed the pair’s best performance together was the game when Hibs fought back from 0-2 down to take the Summer Cup from Rangers in 1941. Amongst the interesting items the winning Hibs players received was a specially commissioned recording of the BBC Radio commentary.
Such was Kean’s prowess that he and Tommy McIntyre were the subject of a £10,000 bid from Manchester United before the war … which Hibs turned down.
Never the most prolific of marksmen he did however grab a goal in the Scottish Cup thriller against Raith Rovers which Hibs won 4-3 at Kirkcaldy in 1949, and he had been a scorer from all of 60 yards when Lawrie Reilly made his Hibs debut. A far less happy cup memory was being part of the Hibernian side sensationally ditched from the competition by little Edinburgh City (despite the match having been moved to Easter Road!).
When Willie McCartney died and Hugh Shaw took over as manager at Easter Road, Kean gave up playing and became assistant trainer to Jimmy McColl, and he instilled a great sense of spirit among the squad, according to no less a judge than Lawrie Reilly. By July 1954 he was recognized as the first team coach at Easter Road.
"He was one of the great characters of the game and I personally never saw him in a bad mood," recalled Reilly. "He was a super person to have around on the training ground and every morning I couldn’t get into training quick enough. He was a real bundle of fun.
In 1957 Kean moved to Dundee and went on to help coach Bob Shankly’s championship-winning team of 1962. By 1965 Sammy was persuaded to take over the reins at Falkirk but his stint there was not a success and he moved on to resume coaching duties at Partick Thistle.
Signed from Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in 1938 by Willie McCartney he went on to win international honours with the Scottish League but the war badly disrupted his career.
In 1941, he teamed up with war-time guest player Matt Busby to form one of the strongest half-back lines in Scotland, and Kean always believed the pair’s best performance together was the game when Hibs fought back from 0-2 down to take the Summer Cup from Rangers in 1941. Amongst the interesting items the winning Hibs players received was a specially commissioned recording of the BBC Radio commentary.
Such was Kean’s prowess that he and Tommy McIntyre were the subject of a £10,000 bid from Manchester United before the war … which Hibs turned down.
Never the most prolific of marksmen he did however grab a goal in the Scottish Cup thriller against Raith Rovers which Hibs won 4-3 at Kirkcaldy in 1949, and he had been a scorer from all of 60 yards when Lawrie Reilly made his Hibs debut. A far less happy cup memory was being part of the Hibernian side sensationally ditched from the competition by little Edinburgh City (despite the match having been moved to Easter Road!).
When Willie McCartney died and Hugh Shaw took over as manager at Easter Road, Kean gave up playing and became assistant trainer to Jimmy McColl, and he instilled a great sense of spirit among the squad, according to no less a judge than Lawrie Reilly. By July 1954 he was recognized as the first team coach at Easter Road.
"He was one of the great characters of the game and I personally never saw him in a bad mood," recalled Reilly. "He was a super person to have around on the training ground and every morning I couldn’t get into training quick enough. He was a real bundle of fun.
In 1957 Kean moved to Dundee and went on to help coach Bob Shankly’s championship-winning team of 1962. By 1965 Sammy was persuaded to take over the reins at Falkirk but his stint there was not a success and he moved on to resume coaching duties at Partick Thistle.
HONOURS
Scottish Cup final 1947
Scottish Cup final 1947
JIMMY KERR (1919 – 2001)
One of the bravest goalkeepers ever to serve Hibernian Jimmy was signed by Willie McCartney in very unusual circumstance. Playing as a 15 year-old in a schools match at Easter Road he was spotted by the club’s hierarchy from the stands. By the time he was 17 he was a Hibernian player.
He played at juvenile level with Ormiston Former Pupils and was capped three times by Scotland at schoolboy level. When Hibs secured his signature they almost immediately farmed him out to Ormiston Primrose.
Tall at 5’11”, and strong with his 12st 2lbs frame, Kerr was highly mobile with a reassuring presence. During the war years he served in the RAF but he managed to play first team football when on leave and he was in the Hibees side that won the Summer Cup final against Rangers in 1941.
A plumber to trade he played in what was quite clearly a different era. Quality Hibs players of his age like Bobby Nutley, Sammy Kean and Arthur Milne worked in the Leith Shipyards during the war, whilst Davie Shaw was a miner and Tommy McIntyre worked away from football as a press photographer!
Jimmy Kerr’s place in Hibernian folklore was assured when he saved a penalty from George Hamilton in the 1947 Scottish Cup final but to no avail as Aberdeen won a Hampden Park thriller 2-1. Earlier in the season he had been charged into the net by Brown of Motherwell and despite furious protests the goal was allowed to stand.
Kerr was the reliable custodian when Hibs won the first of their post-war championships in 1948 but missed two chunks of that season due to having been badly injured against Clyde in September at Easter Road. Prior to leaving as a player to join Queen of the South he was presented with inscribed lighter and cigarette case … a sign of a different era if ever there was one.
Extremely highly thought of by his fellow players, he clearly impressed those who ran Hibernian too for he was invited onto the board long after his playing days were behind him. There was an element of irony in Kerr finally losing his place to understudy Tommy Younger, given that both goalkeepers would sit on the same Board of Directors at Easter Road when Tom Hart was in charge of affairs!
He played at juvenile level with Ormiston Former Pupils and was capped three times by Scotland at schoolboy level. When Hibs secured his signature they almost immediately farmed him out to Ormiston Primrose.
Tall at 5’11”, and strong with his 12st 2lbs frame, Kerr was highly mobile with a reassuring presence. During the war years he served in the RAF but he managed to play first team football when on leave and he was in the Hibees side that won the Summer Cup final against Rangers in 1941.
A plumber to trade he played in what was quite clearly a different era. Quality Hibs players of his age like Bobby Nutley, Sammy Kean and Arthur Milne worked in the Leith Shipyards during the war, whilst Davie Shaw was a miner and Tommy McIntyre worked away from football as a press photographer!
Jimmy Kerr’s place in Hibernian folklore was assured when he saved a penalty from George Hamilton in the 1947 Scottish Cup final but to no avail as Aberdeen won a Hampden Park thriller 2-1. Earlier in the season he had been charged into the net by Brown of Motherwell and despite furious protests the goal was allowed to stand.
Kerr was the reliable custodian when Hibs won the first of their post-war championships in 1948 but missed two chunks of that season due to having been badly injured against Clyde in September at Easter Road. Prior to leaving as a player to join Queen of the South he was presented with inscribed lighter and cigarette case … a sign of a different era if ever there was one.
Extremely highly thought of by his fellow players, he clearly impressed those who ran Hibernian too for he was invited onto the board long after his playing days were behind him. There was an element of irony in Kerr finally losing his place to understudy Tommy Younger, given that both goalkeepers would sit on the same Board of Directors at Easter Road when Tom Hart was in charge of affairs!