P
MIXU PAATELAINEN (1967 -
Former player Paatelainen was the man chosen to succeed John Collins as Hibernian manager. Appointed in early 2008 Paatelainen was, like Collins, a former player, but crucially he had previous managerial experience.
Born in Finland Paatelainen had come to Scotland as a player in 1987 from FC Haka. His first Scottish club was Dundee United and he was a great success in Jim McLean’s side but in 1992 he moved to Aberdeen for £400,000. Two years later he was off to Bolton and from there it was on to Wolves. Alex McLeish lured a 31 year old Mixu to Hibs in 1998 and he played a huge part in helping the club gain promotion.
A vital player in Hibs return to the top flight, he entered Hibs hall of fame by scoring a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Hearts in 1999. In 2001 he joined Strasbourg in the French league but a short stay there saw him return to Hibs in 2002 under Bobby Williamson.
He ended his Scottish playing career as a player-coach at both St Johnstone and St Mirren. Then in 2005 he entered management with Cowdenbeath. In his first season he steered them to the Third Division title and this earned him the job of TPS Turku boss in Finland.
A thoughtful and extremely likable player in his two spells with Hibernian he was a popular selection amongst fans.
Born in Finland Paatelainen had come to Scotland as a player in 1987 from FC Haka. His first Scottish club was Dundee United and he was a great success in Jim McLean’s side but in 1992 he moved to Aberdeen for £400,000. Two years later he was off to Bolton and from there it was on to Wolves. Alex McLeish lured a 31 year old Mixu to Hibs in 1998 and he played a huge part in helping the club gain promotion.
A vital player in Hibs return to the top flight, he entered Hibs hall of fame by scoring a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Hearts in 1999. In 2001 he joined Strasbourg in the French league but a short stay there saw him return to Hibs in 2002 under Bobby Williamson.
He ended his Scottish playing career as a player-coach at both St Johnstone and St Mirren. Then in 2005 he entered management with Cowdenbeath. In his first season he steered them to the Third Division title and this earned him the job of TPS Turku boss in Finland.
A thoughtful and extremely likable player in his two spells with Hibernian he was a popular selection amongst fans.
CRAIG PATERSON (1959 -
The son of John Paterson, Craig quickly proved himself to be an outstanding prospect at centre-half and whilst commanding in the air and solid on the ground he also displayed a neat use of the ball.
Craig was signed in December 1977 and made his debut against Dundee in a friendly fixture at Dens Park in February 1978; although his league bow did not come until August 1979. Thereafter he edged his way increasingly into the first team picture.
Capped by Scotland at Under-21 level he was a rock at the heart of the Hibs defence by the early 1980s and was voted Hibernian Player of the Year in 1981. Sadly he left for Rangers in July 1982 for a fee in the region of £225,000, he had played over 100 games for Hibs and would easily have tripled that total had he stayed at Easter Road. It was nevertheless money that cash-strapped Hibs could hardly refuse; and at the time it represented a record fee for the Glasgow club.
He won a League Cup winners badge at Rangers, a Scottish Cup medal at Motherwell and then finished his top rate career at Kilmarnock. An astute observer of the game he flirted with the notion of coaching.
He squeezed in spells with Hamilton, Glenafton and Forth Wanderers before settling on a career in the media as a radio pundit. In his role as Radio Forth match summariser I would bump into Craig in many of the press rooms up and down Scotland and he always had a cheery word. His tales of his career were enormously entertaining. It was little surprise that he was lured to the bigger stage offered by the BBC such was his eloquence and clarity of thought.
Craig was signed in December 1977 and made his debut against Dundee in a friendly fixture at Dens Park in February 1978; although his league bow did not come until August 1979. Thereafter he edged his way increasingly into the first team picture.
Capped by Scotland at Under-21 level he was a rock at the heart of the Hibs defence by the early 1980s and was voted Hibernian Player of the Year in 1981. Sadly he left for Rangers in July 1982 for a fee in the region of £225,000, he had played over 100 games for Hibs and would easily have tripled that total had he stayed at Easter Road. It was nevertheless money that cash-strapped Hibs could hardly refuse; and at the time it represented a record fee for the Glasgow club.
He won a League Cup winners badge at Rangers, a Scottish Cup medal at Motherwell and then finished his top rate career at Kilmarnock. An astute observer of the game he flirted with the notion of coaching.
He squeezed in spells with Hamilton, Glenafton and Forth Wanderers before settling on a career in the media as a radio pundit. In his role as Radio Forth match summariser I would bump into Craig in many of the press rooms up and down Scotland and he always had a cheery word. His tales of his career were enormously entertaining. It was little surprise that he was lured to the bigger stage offered by the BBC such was his eloquence and clarity of thought.
HONOURS
Scotland Under-21 (2)
Scotland Under-21 (2)
JOHN PATERSON (1926 - 2000)
Born in Colchester, England, ‘Jock’ worked as a representative for a brewery firm and was a versatile defender, capable of playing either centre-back or left-back. Signed from Penicuik Thistle in 1944 he was capped by the Scottish League against Wales in 1953 and it was probably only the strict rules concerning eligibility based on place of birth that denied him a full Scotland cap.
Playing first team football from 1948 through to 1960 there is little doubt that Jock was one of the great Hibernian servants. He was an ever present in both the 1951 and 1952 championship winning sides and in all played in a staggering 283 league games for Hibs.
There was a degree of stability in the Hibs defence at this time and Paterson’s fitness served him well. He did not venture into the opposition half too often hence the distinction he has that no outfield player played as many games in Hibs colours without scoring a single goal.
Jock’s debut came on December 11, 1948 in an away league match at Falkirk. Peter Aird, Hugh Howie and Simon Waldie had all tried the number five jersey earlier in the season but the introduction of Paterson alongside Sammy Kean and Archie Buchanan suited Hibs well and the introduction a couple of weeks later of Jock Ogilvie further strengthened what was already a strong rearguard.
He spent a couple of seasons with Ayr in the early sixties but it is a Hibee that he will always be remembered. The great newspaper man of the 1950s – Jack Harkness – once famously described Paterson as “The Rock of Gibraltar in a green and white jersey”. Jock’s son Craig (see above) continued the family tradition by becoming Hibernian centre-half and captain in the 1970s.
There was a degree of stability in the Hibs defence at this time and Paterson’s fitness served him well. He did not venture into the opposition half too often hence the distinction he has that no outfield player played as many games in Hibs colours without scoring a single goal.
Jock’s debut came on December 11, 1948 in an away league match at Falkirk. Peter Aird, Hugh Howie and Simon Waldie had all tried the number five jersey earlier in the season but the introduction of Paterson alongside Sammy Kean and Archie Buchanan suited Hibs well and the introduction a couple of weeks later of Jock Ogilvie further strengthened what was already a strong rearguard.
He spent a couple of seasons with Ayr in the early sixties but it is a Hibee that he will always be remembered. The great newspaper man of the 1950s – Jack Harkness – once famously described Paterson as “The Rock of Gibraltar in a green and white jersey”. Jock’s son Craig (see above) continued the family tradition by becoming Hibernian centre-half and captain in the 1970s.
HONOURS
League Cup final 1950
League Cup final 1950
PENALTIES
Down through the years Hibernian, like most clubs, have had their share of drama with penalty kicks. The following is not an exhaustive list but looks back on some of the highs and lows from the 8 yard mark.
1950: A match against Celtic at Easter Road on February 4th turned into a penalty festival. Referee Jack Mowat awarded no fewer than four penalties. Three of them were for Hibs and each and every time Eddie Turnbull converted thus achieving that rare feat of a hat-trick of penalties. Hibs won the game 4-1 and Turnbull scored all four Hibs goals. Remarkably Celtic’s goal was a penalty too, converted by Collins, but only on a re-take. He had scored first time around but was asked to take the kick again as a Celtic player had encroached into the penalty area. In a quite exhausting afternoon Hibs played much of the game with ten men as goalkeeper Tommy Younger was stretchered off.
In 1975 John Brownlie missed from the spot against Liverpool in the 80th minute of a UEFA Cup tie at Easter Road. Although Hibs won the game 1-0 their lead was too slender to protect on Merseyside, so perhaps John’s spot miss was crucial. A few years earlier Joe Davis missed a spot-kick in a UEFA Cup tie against Hamburg.
In early 1947 Hibernian had dreadful problems converting penalties. On January 2nd against Queens Park Eddie Turnbull missed (a kick that denied him a hat-trick). Two days later Morton were the visitors to Easter Road and Turnbull missed another one, but Hibs earned a second spot kick which Gordon Smith also missed.
In October 1996 managerless Hibs defeated Rangers 2-1 but they were greatly aided by Rangers star Brian Laudrup missing a twice taken spot kick. He smashed his first effort off the crossbar but was allowed a retake … which Jim Leighton promptly saved.
Perhaps the most famous penalty miss against Hibernian came in the 1997 league play-off match against Airdrie at Broadwood. Having won the first leg 1-0 at Easter Road, Hibs conceded a first minute goal in the away leg and then had a penalty award against them. Fortunately Steve Cooper, the Airdrie centre-forward, scooped the spot-kick over the crossbar. Given that Cooper had scored an own goal in the first leg he was in some ways Hibernian’s savior. Hibs ultimately won the second leg 4-2 and the tie on a 5-2 aggregate.
Andy Walker and John Collins, who both had Hibs connections in their career, were part of the Celtic side that defeated Hibernian in a Scottish Cup semi-final. The award of a penalty to Celtic brought an undignified fight for the ball to take the kick. Walker won out only to see Jim Leighton save the spot kick.
In October 1976 Hibs beat Ayr 3-2 at Somerset Park in a match with three penalties. Hero of the day was Hibs keeper Mike McDonald who saved ex-Hibee Johnny Graham’s spot kick to ensure victory.
PENALTY SHOOT-OUTS
Hibernian have been involved in their fair share of penalty-shoot out drama. Although Hibs lost in their first taste of a penalty finale they have fared well since. To date they have been involved in six penalty deciders with the following outcomes:
UEFA Cup, November 7 1973 ; Leeds United 0 Hibernian 0
(Hibernian lost 4-5 on penalties)
Pat Stanton missed the first kick of the ten taken when he smashed his effort off the post. To compound Pat’s misery Cropley, Blackley, Bremner and Hazel all score and thus his miss proves crucial. He had scored with a penalty in the preceding match against Clyde.
Pat Stanton missed the first kick of the ten taken when he smashed his effort off the post. To compound Pat’s misery Cropley, Blackley, Bremner and Hazel all score and thus his miss proves crucial. He had scored with a penalty in the preceding match against Clyde.
Scottish League Cup, September 4 1985: Hibernian 4, Celtic 4
(Hibernian won 4-3 on penalties)
This proved to be a marathon affair. The game ended 4-4 after extra time and 120 minutes of pulsating football. The penalty shoot-out ended all-square at 3-3 after the first ten spot kicks. Alan Rough had saved from Roy Aitken and Peter Grant, but Ally Brazil and Gordon Rae had failed for Hibs. Steve Cowan made it four-three as the match entered a sudden-death phase and fortunately Pierce O’Leary missed the sixth Celtic penalty.
This proved to be a marathon affair. The game ended 4-4 after extra time and 120 minutes of pulsating football. The penalty shoot-out ended all-square at 3-3 after the first ten spot kicks. Alan Rough had saved from Roy Aitken and Peter Grant, but Ally Brazil and Gordon Rae had failed for Hibs. Steve Cowan made it four-three as the match entered a sudden-death phase and fortunately Pierce O’Leary missed the sixth Celtic penalty.
Scottish League Cup, August 22 1989: Hibernian 0, Clydebank 0
(Hibernian won 5-3 on penalties)
Scottish League Cup, August 31 1993: Partick Thistle 2, Hibernian 2
(Hibernian won 3-2 on penalties)
Scottish Cup, January 28 1997: Aberdeen 0 Hibernian 0
(Hibernian won 5-3 on penalties)
Pat McGinlay, Shaun Dennis, Ian Cameron, Brian Grant and Kevin Harper all converted their penalties in this Scottish Cup Third Round tie. Jim Leighton in the Hibs goal saved Joe Miller’s kick, and had earlier saved that by Duncan Shearer only for the referee to order a retake.
Pat McGinlay, Shaun Dennis, Ian Cameron, Brian Grant and Kevin Harper all converted their penalties in this Scottish Cup Third Round tie. Jim Leighton in the Hibs goal saved Joe Miller’s kick, and had earlier saved that by Duncan Shearer only for the referee to order a retake.
Scottish League Cup, August 17 1999: Clyde 2 Hibernian 2
(Hibernian won 5-4 on penalties)
Hibs’ goalkeeper Nick Colgan was making his debut in this match.
Scottish League Cup, February 5, 2004 Hibernian 1, Rangers 1
(Hibernian won 4-3 on penalties)
This was a marvelous example of the tension penalty shoot-outs can induce. Trailing to a goal by Michael Mols Hibs equalized through former Ranger Stephen Dobbie. Both sides then contrived to squander numerous chances and thus the lottery of penalties was required. It was Colin Murdock who became the hero slotting home the winning penalty, but many fans will better remember the animated celebrations of Hibs’ goalkeeper Daniel Andersson. The shoot out is well worth recalling in detail:
Hibs’ goalkeeper Nick Colgan was making his debut in this match.
Scottish League Cup, February 5, 2004 Hibernian 1, Rangers 1
(Hibernian won 4-3 on penalties)
This was a marvelous example of the tension penalty shoot-outs can induce. Trailing to a goal by Michael Mols Hibs equalized through former Ranger Stephen Dobbie. Both sides then contrived to squander numerous chances and thus the lottery of penalties was required. It was Colin Murdock who became the hero slotting home the winning penalty, but many fans will better remember the animated celebrations of Hibs’ goalkeeper Daniel Andersson. The shoot out is well worth recalling in detail:
· Gary Caldwell scores for Hibs
· Arveladze misses for Rangers
· Stephen Dobbie has his penalty saved by Klos
· Andersson saves from Ball as Rangers miss a second penalty
· Hibs miss a second spot kick as Garry O’Connor is denied by Klos
· Rangers score with their third kick through Moore
· 2-1 Scott Brown converts Hibs fourth kick
· 2-2 Nerlinger makes it level for Rangers
· 3-2 Tom McManus scores leaving Rangers requiring to net the last of the ten penalties
· 3-3 Paolo Vanoli sends the tie into sudden death
· 3-3 Disaster for Hibs as Mathias Doumbe hits the bar with his effort
· 3-3 An amazing let off for Hibs as Khizanishvili’s shot is turned onto the bar
· 4-3 Colin Murdock holds his nerve to put Hibs in front for the third time.
· 4-3. Frank de Boer hits the post and Hibernian are into the CIS final.
PENMAN CUP
Hibernian were infrequent participants in the Penman Cup, a competition primarily intended to bring clubs from Fife, the Falkirk area and the Lothians together. St.Bernards were the only team from Edinburgh to win the cup; Hibs last competed in season 1957/58 and lost 3-1 at Falkirk despite a goal by striker Des Fox.
There were few highlights for the Hibees in this tournament, but several low-points. In September 1954, for instance, they were thrashed 3-1 by lowly Alloa at Recreation Park. The Penman Cup had been a gift to football from a Kirkcaldy publican and finally disappeared from the football map in the 1960s.
ANGUS PLUMB
This delightfully named forward joined Hibernian in 1948 from Armadale Thistle. Manager Hugh Shaw could be well pleased with his signing, early in 1949 Plumb scored in five consecutive league games; add three Scottish Cup ties and the record was eight straight games with Plumb on the scoresheet.
Sadly competition was fierce at Easter Road and Angus was perhaps prematurely sold to Falkirk in December 1949. He had played seven league games and scored seven goals, rarely can a player with such an exemplary record have been sold. His debut for Falkirk entered the stuff of folklore as Falkirk traveled to Raith Rovers and lost a 10 goal thriller 4-6!
He did not forgive Hibs easily, scored against Hibs at Brockville in March, and netted for the Bairns within 30 seconds in a thrilling 5-4 Hibs League Cup win (Hibs going on to reach the final against Motherwell in that season). Nevertheless, Angus still delighted Hibs fans from time to time even whilst at Falkirk … most notably by scoring three for the Bairns in a 5-4 win over Hearts in March 1951.
After Falkirk he played with East Fife where he returned a healthy goal haul that included 11 strikes in his first nine games. He wound his career down with a season at East Stirlingshire in the 1957/58 campaign.
His statistics make for most impressive reading. He played 184 Scottish League games and returned 103 goals. In 41 League Cup ties he bagged 33 goals and 15 Scottish Cup ties brought 7 goals. All in all a most accomplished finisher and from a Hibs perspective quite clearly ‘one who got away’.
Angus was English having been born in Woolwich.
Sadly competition was fierce at Easter Road and Angus was perhaps prematurely sold to Falkirk in December 1949. He had played seven league games and scored seven goals, rarely can a player with such an exemplary record have been sold. His debut for Falkirk entered the stuff of folklore as Falkirk traveled to Raith Rovers and lost a 10 goal thriller 4-6!
He did not forgive Hibs easily, scored against Hibs at Brockville in March, and netted for the Bairns within 30 seconds in a thrilling 5-4 Hibs League Cup win (Hibs going on to reach the final against Motherwell in that season). Nevertheless, Angus still delighted Hibs fans from time to time even whilst at Falkirk … most notably by scoring three for the Bairns in a 5-4 win over Hearts in March 1951.
After Falkirk he played with East Fife where he returned a healthy goal haul that included 11 strikes in his first nine games. He wound his career down with a season at East Stirlingshire in the 1957/58 campaign.
His statistics make for most impressive reading. He played 184 Scottish League games and returned 103 goals. In 41 League Cup ties he bagged 33 goals and 15 Scottish Cup ties brought 7 goals. All in all a most accomplished finisher and from a Hibs perspective quite clearly ‘one who got away’.
Angus was English having been born in Woolwich.
POSTPONEMENTS
Since Hibernian installed undersoil heating very few matches at Easter Road have been cancelled. However, in 1998 a Scottish First Division fixture with St. Mirren was postponed. This was not because of any deficiencies at Easter Road, but rather because the Paisley club had become stuck in a traffic-jam on the M8 near the notorious Glasgow Kingston Bridge. With other events on in Edinburgh that day Lothian Police decided that they could not indefinitely await the arrival of St Mirren in the capital and asked them to abandon their journey. The game was rescheduled and Hibs duly won 4-1.
TOMMY PRESTON
Born in Edinburgh, Tommy played with Juniper Thistle, Edinburgh Thistle and Newtongrange Star before becoming a Hibee in 1953. A very versatile player he could play any of the inside positions, and at one point was a centre-forward replacement for Lawrie Reilly.
Signed by Hugh Shaw, Tommy, who was 5’11½” was given his first team debut in 1954 against Celtic. He played 3 matches at the tail end of the 53/54 season and by his own admission was greatly reliant upon the advice of Sammy Kean during his early days at Easter Road.
At the end of that first season he toured Germany and Czechoslovakia with the club and stood in at centre-forward for the ill Lawrie Reilly. The goals came easily and at the start of the 54/55 season he was a prolific marksman before Lawrie returned to first team duties.
Just how prolific he was is best gauged by the following statistics. He played in six league cup sectional ties and scored 8 goals (amazingly that was not good enough to ensure that Hibs qualified for the quarter final stages). He also scored Hibs opening goal of the league campaign that term when they drew 1-1 at Rangers.
Tommy figured in some magnificent Hibernian matches. High in that list would be the epic Fairs Cup clashes with Barcelona, Tommy himself reckoning that the 4-4 draw Hibs achieved in the Nou Camp was even better than the 3-2 victory at Easter Road in the return leg. No recollection of Tommy could possibly be complete without reference to his 4 goals in an amazing 11-1 away win at Airdrie and he followed up with goals in the 10-2 victory at Partick Thistle just weeks later.
The latter two games came in the 1959/60 season which was a ‘purple’ period for Tommy as he bagged 12 goals in only 17 matches.
A charming man to talk to Tommy once told me that he was more famous in Edinburgh for his non-footballing activities. Sniffing a scent of scandal I asked him more, but the explanation was quite innocent. “An interesting thing that happened to me in my career was doing a bit of modelling. It was for the Ideal Homes Exhibition at Waverley Station and was during the close season. I used to joke that I earned more doing this than I did playing football! It meant my face became well known in Edinburgh because the show was featured regularly in The Scotsman.”
From Easter Road he moved to St. Mirren but that did not last long (he played but a solitary game) and with 228 league appearances for Hibs (with 35 goals) it is understandable that he is forever associated with Hibernian.
Signed by Hugh Shaw, Tommy, who was 5’11½” was given his first team debut in 1954 against Celtic. He played 3 matches at the tail end of the 53/54 season and by his own admission was greatly reliant upon the advice of Sammy Kean during his early days at Easter Road.
At the end of that first season he toured Germany and Czechoslovakia with the club and stood in at centre-forward for the ill Lawrie Reilly. The goals came easily and at the start of the 54/55 season he was a prolific marksman before Lawrie returned to first team duties.
Just how prolific he was is best gauged by the following statistics. He played in six league cup sectional ties and scored 8 goals (amazingly that was not good enough to ensure that Hibs qualified for the quarter final stages). He also scored Hibs opening goal of the league campaign that term when they drew 1-1 at Rangers.
Tommy figured in some magnificent Hibernian matches. High in that list would be the epic Fairs Cup clashes with Barcelona, Tommy himself reckoning that the 4-4 draw Hibs achieved in the Nou Camp was even better than the 3-2 victory at Easter Road in the return leg. No recollection of Tommy could possibly be complete without reference to his 4 goals in an amazing 11-1 away win at Airdrie and he followed up with goals in the 10-2 victory at Partick Thistle just weeks later.
The latter two games came in the 1959/60 season which was a ‘purple’ period for Tommy as he bagged 12 goals in only 17 matches.
A charming man to talk to Tommy once told me that he was more famous in Edinburgh for his non-footballing activities. Sniffing a scent of scandal I asked him more, but the explanation was quite innocent. “An interesting thing that happened to me in my career was doing a bit of modelling. It was for the Ideal Homes Exhibition at Waverley Station and was during the close season. I used to joke that I earned more doing this than I did playing football! It meant my face became well known in Edinburgh because the show was featured regularly in The Scotsman.”
From Easter Road he moved to St. Mirren but that did not last long (he played but a solitary game) and with 228 league appearances for Hibs (with 35 goals) it is understandable that he is forever associated with Hibernian.
HONOURS
Scottish Cup final 1958
Scottish Cup final 1958
PROGRAMMES
The match programme remains a big part of a football day and even the advent of the electronic era hasn’t dampened fans enthusiasm for their programmes. In line with most Scottish clubs, Hibernian did not issue match magazines regularly until after World War Two. They issued 15 issues in the 1946/47 season and in the following season issued in all bar one match
The large format programmes of the 1950s were classics in their day and are now highly sought after by collectors. Edited by Magnus Williamson they were renowned not only for their artistic qualities but for the authoritivness of the lively text. They were the first in Scotland to utilise photography in a powerful way and the striking cover images were commented on favourably by fans up and down the country. First produced in the 1949/50 season, Issue Number 1 was for a League Cup match against Falkirk. Clearly they were best sellers in their day and the club capitalized on success and issued programmes for reserve matches too.
Equally praised were the Hibernian Handbooks which were brought out around the same time and reviewed the season past whilst previewing the forthcoming campaign. They were produced throughout the 1950s to great critical acclaim. Programmes and handbooks from this era fetch high prices today and three in particular are eagerly sought after – the Willie McCartney Testimonial programme, the Gordon Smith Souvenir programme and the European Cup semi-final issue for the game against Stade Rheims.
Although Hibs programmes haven’t collected many awards in the modern era the Easter Road issue did win the First Division ‘Programme of the Year’ Award in 1998/99.
The large format programmes of the 1950s were classics in their day and are now highly sought after by collectors. Edited by Magnus Williamson they were renowned not only for their artistic qualities but for the authoritivness of the lively text. They were the first in Scotland to utilise photography in a powerful way and the striking cover images were commented on favourably by fans up and down the country. First produced in the 1949/50 season, Issue Number 1 was for a League Cup match against Falkirk. Clearly they were best sellers in their day and the club capitalized on success and issued programmes for reserve matches too.
Equally praised were the Hibernian Handbooks which were brought out around the same time and reviewed the season past whilst previewing the forthcoming campaign. They were produced throughout the 1950s to great critical acclaim. Programmes and handbooks from this era fetch high prices today and three in particular are eagerly sought after – the Willie McCartney Testimonial programme, the Gordon Smith Souvenir programme and the European Cup semi-final issue for the game against Stade Rheims.
Although Hibs programmes haven’t collected many awards in the modern era the Easter Road issue did win the First Division ‘Programme of the Year’ Award in 1998/99.
PROMOTION
Hibernian have been promoted to the top flight on three occasions. 1933 saw the club bounce back from a disappointing relegation in 1931. They had been well adrift of the promotion spots in 1932 but made up for that one year later. Although not the highest scorers in the division they had by far the meanest defence and this paid dividends.
It was a good season as the club also reached the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup only to lose to Hearts after a replay. However, the league campaign was an odd one with two East of Scotland clubs – Armadale and Bo’ness – dropping out of the league altogether. Given that Hibs had beaten Armadale 8-2 and Bo’ness 7-0, before those clubs disappeared, their winning margin at the head of the table might have been even bigger had those results not been expunged.
It was a good season as the club also reached the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup only to lose to Hearts after a replay. However, the league campaign was an odd one with two East of Scotland clubs – Armadale and Bo’ness – dropping out of the league altogether. Given that Hibs had beaten Armadale 8-2 and Bo’ness 7-0, before those clubs disappeared, their winning margin at the head of the table might have been even bigger had those results not been expunged.
Scottish Second Division
P W L D F A Pts
Hibernian 34 25 4 5 80 29 54
Queen of South.. 34 20 9 5 93 59 49
Dunfermline A 34 20 7 7 89 44 47
Stenhousemuir 34 28 6 10 67 58 42
If there was frustration that it took two seasons to bounce back to the top berth in the 1930s, then modern fans must be extremely grateful that in both 1981 and 1999 Hibs have sprung back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
The 1981 promotion campaign had an inauspicious start when Hibs lost their opening league fixture 1-0 to Raith Rovers at Easter Road. However, they countered that with five straight victories and rarely looked back, indeed only nine matches were lost all season and they had clear daylight between themselves, Dundee, St Johnstone and Raith come the season’s end.
Whilst the 15 goal haul of Ally MacLeod was crucial, it was arguably the fact that six experienced players (Duncan, Paterson, Callachan, McArthur, McNamara and Rae) missed only 12 games between them that counted most.
Scottish First Division
P W L D F A Pts
Hibernian 39 24 9 6 67 24 57
Dundee 39 22 8 9 64 40 52
St. Johnstone 39 20 11 8 64 45 51
Raith Rovers 39 20 10 9 49 32 50
Motherwell 39 19 11 9 65 51 49
Ayr United 39 17 11 11 59 42 45
Hamilton A 39 15 7 17 61 57 37
Dumbarton 39 13 11 15 49 50 37
Falkirk 39 13 8 18 39 52 34
Clydebank 39 10 13 16 48 59 33
East Stirlingshire 39 6 17 16 41 56 29
Dunfermline A 39 10 7 22 41 58 27
Stirling A 39 6 11 22 18 48 23
Berwick Rangers 39 5 12 22 31 82 22
Hibernian 39 24 9 6 67 24 57
Dundee 39 22 8 9 64 40 52
St. Johnstone 39 20 11 8 64 45 51
Raith Rovers 39 20 10 9 49 32 50
Motherwell 39 19 11 9 65 51 49
Ayr United 39 17 11 11 59 42 45
Hamilton A 39 15 7 17 61 57 37
Dumbarton 39 13 11 15 49 50 37
Falkirk 39 13 8 18 39 52 34
Clydebank 39 10 13 16 48 59 33
East Stirlingshire 39 6 17 16 41 56 29
Dunfermline A 39 10 7 22 41 58 27
Stirling A 39 6 11 22 18 48 23
Berwick Rangers 39 5 12 22 31 82 22
In 1999 Hibernian again found themselves playing outside the top league. This time they won their title with considerable style. They finished out of sight of their would-be challengers and the side lost only three games, although there was considerable surprise again when the first home game of the season (at home to lowly Stranraer) was lost.
But that defeat apart the season was a stroll and at one point the club won 13 consecutive league matches, a new Hibs record. Stars of the campaign were not hard to find but Russell Latapy and Franck Sauzee in particular were able to exert a huge influence and were clearly playing a stage beneath their talents. The goals of Stevie Crawford, Pat McGinlay and Mixu Paateleinen were hugely important.
From losing to St Mirren in Paisley on September 12th, 1998 until being defeated by Clydebank at Dumbarton in March 1999, Hibs played 22 league games without tasting defeat. Promotion was clinched away to Hamilton (fittingly Latapy scoring both in a 2-0 win) and celebrated at home to Falkirk on the last day of the season.
Scottish League First Division