The Golden Years: Hibernian in the Days of the Famous Five

Product Information

During their early years at the ground Hibernian were only renting Easter Road. The Edinburgh council had plans to develop the area and so the club refused to put any money into it; at one point the club even considered moving to Aberdeen. In 1922 a 25-year lease was agreed, meaning that the club’s owners decided to invest in its development. They built a new Main Stand and also raised terraces on the other three banks. If you look up the word LEGEND in a dictionary you are very likely to find the following definition: Someone or something very famous and admired, usually because of their ability in a particular area. Those words pretty well sum up the Hibernian forward line Smith, Johnstone, Reilly, Turnbull and Ormond that played together in the 1940’s and 50’s and which would collectively become known to Hibs fans and indeed football fans the world over as The Famous Five. Next Dundee would beat Sporting Lisbon, then Anderlecht before facing AC Milan. With the final that year to be played at Wembley, many have commented that if it weren't for a cruel semi-final draw, Dundee might have been the first British club to lift the European Cup. If it had been the case it would have been Ayshire's Bob, not Bill, Shankly to be associated with British club success in Europe.

a b c d e f g Hannan, Martin (20 May 2001). "Whose grass-roots are the greener?". Scotland on Sunday. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 4 January 2016 . Retrieved 9 March 2020. Before the Taylor Report demanded that the stadium be all-seated, Easter Road had vast banks of terracing on three sides, which meant that it could hold crowds in excess of 60,000. [108] The record attendance of 65,860, which is also a record for a football match played in Edinburgh, [109] was set by an Edinburgh derby played on 2 January 1950. [108] [110] Such vast crowds were drawn by the success of the Famous Five. [110] In the summer of 1965, some 19 years after his senior career had started, Johnstone retired from playing professional football. Spectator sports". Edinburgh: Inspiring Capital. City of Edinburgh Council. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011 . Retrieved 24 February 2010.Scotland FL Players by Appearances". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club . Retrieved 27 November 2011. Hibs choose Sauzee". BBC Sport. 14 December 2001. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017 . Retrieved 23 February 2010. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No.

Gordon Smith (25 May 1924 – 7 August 2004) was a Scottish footballer. He is the only player to have won a Scottish league championship with three clubs: Hibernian, Heart of Midlothian, and Dundee. Smith also represented Scotland and the Scottish League XI. There’s no parking at the stadium and there are also parking restrictions in place that you’ll have to be wary of if you drive there. These clubs were pioneers gaining valuable playing and managerial experience and it was their early triumphs that would lead the way to the later successes of Celtic (European Cup winners in 1967) and Rangers (Cup-Winners' Cup winners in 1972). David Tanner column: Scottish Cup final and Brendan Rodgers' arrival at Celtic, Sky Sports, 16 May 2016 Smith believed that an operation could cure the injury. [4] Smith paid for an operation on the offending ankle himself, and then he signed for Hearts. [4] He was to enjoy immediate success at Tynecastle, winning both the league and the League Cup in his first season with the club. [4]Hibernian players have been capped at full international level for 27 different national teams, with 68 Hibernian players appearing for Scotland. [191] Hibernian rank fifth amongst all clubs in providing players for Scotland, behind the Old Firm, Hearts and Queen's Park. [192] James Lundie and James McGhee were the first Hibs players to play for Scotland, in an 1886 British Home Championship match against Wales. [193] Lawrie Reilly holds the record for most international caps earned while a Hibs player, making 38 appearances for Scotland between 1949 and 1957. [193] In 1959, Hibs forward Joe Baker became the first player who had not previously played for an English club to win a cap for England. [193] A Brief History of Football Kit Design in England and Scotland". Historical Football Kits. Dave Moor. May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008 . Retrieved 24 February 2010. My personal Hibs Hero. Along with Lawrie a toss-up for the best Hibs striker of them all. Joe was world-class, make no mistake. Lightening-fast, a cannonball shot with both feet and a superb header of the ball in spite of his modest height. A feisty attitude on the pitch also made this man the complete centre-forward. A great man off the pitch to boot. Scotland manager Gordon Strachan said Reilly was one of the genuine greats of the game and one of his father's big heroes.

The Saints drawn together in exciting semi-final match-up, Scottish Football Association, 26 April 2021 It’s not clear who first coined the phrase ’Famous Five’ in relation to those Hibs men but whoever that individual was they could scarcely have known that more than fifty years later the phrase, like the legend of the players themselves, would still be instantly recognisable by the Easter Road faithful and many football fans beyond. Butcher bemoans Easter Road semi". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 19 November 2004 . Retrieved 30 October 2011. The second leg against Reims at Easter Road was attended by 45,000 spectators. Sadly Hibs were defeated by a Reims side inspired by the great French footballer Raymond Kopa.Of his seventeen international caps, probably the most memorable was scoring on his debut, a 3–2 win against England at Wembley in which Lawrie Reilly also scored. From Scotland's 22-man 1954 World Cup squad, Scotland decided to take only 13 of the 22 to the finals. Johnstone was in the 13 but withdrew through injury. Staying at home on reserve were the likes of Bobby Combe and Jimmy Binning. George Hamilton was also on reserve but travelled after Johnstone's withdrawal.