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Goal Crazy - 1985/86 started
with a bang
Even during periods when Hibs
fans had little to shout about have come moments of magic. One such period
came at the start of the 1985/86 season, and this was recalled by Stuart
Crowther in an edition of the TANEHSH fanzine which itself gave birth to
Hibs.net
THE GREATEST TIMES of all for
most Hibernian fans happened around early January 1973. If however these
were the greatest of all, then a good candidate for the craziest of them all
came in the early months of the 1985/1986 season.
When Brian Rice walked out of
Easter Road on 1 August 1985, carrying with him his boots and giving no
indication of where he was going, I often wondered if he knew that he was
walking away from the beginning of the daftest two months in Hibs history!
Brian was in fact on his way to Nottingham Forest, leaving the door open for
the arrival on 6 August of one of the important bit-players in the
forthcoming drama, Steve Cowan, who joined us from Aberdeen for £45,000.
Indeed it was against
Aberdeen that the first chapter unfolded, when Hibs travelled to Pittodrie
for the opening game of the season against the Champions. The 3-0 defeat
that day was typically no reflection on the play, Hibs having put up an
excellent performance in what was a first-class advert for Scottish
football. The star of the show that day was 18-year old Gordon Hunter, who
played Eric Black out of the game.
The following Wednesday, an
Edinburgh Select side beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in front of 10,000 fans at
Tynecastle, goals coming from Willie Irvine and John Robertson - it is often
thought that this select side, which also contained representatives from
Meadowbank Thistle but for the most part were Hibs and Hearts players, gave
Wallace Mercer his daft idea of 'merging' the two Edinburgh clubs.
Hibs were next up in the
League against Rangers at Easter Road. The side put plenty of effort into
the game, but little else! Two league games played and two defeats, albeit
from Aberdeen and Rangers. Perhaps though the 6-2 drubbing handed out to
Hearts on the same day by St Mirren was the reason Mercer postponed his
plans for a few years at least! The silly season was just about to begin
however, as on the evening of August 21 Hibernian went goal crazy, hammering
six past Cowdenbeath without reply in the Scottish League Cup. Steve Cowan
opened his account with a hat-trick, with Gordon Durie adding another two
and a magnificent 20-yard shot from Ally Brazil completing the rout.
Gordon Hunter - played Eric Black out of the game at Pittodrie
The should have given Hibs
the confidence needed to get some points on the board? Not a bit of it.
Goals from Joe McBride and Paul Kane were not enough at Easter Road the
following Saturday to avoid a 3-2 defeat at the hands of St Mirren. So it
was back to Wednesday Night Fever again, as Hibs took fellow Premier League
side Motherwell apart at the seems and handed out a 6-1 thrashing. This was
after going behind at that, but a Durie hat-trick assisted by two more from
Cowan and one from McBride saw Hibs through to a meeting with Celtic.
Confidence had to be high now, surely some league points were coming....
No. Into September and a 2-1
defeat on the 2nd at Tynecastle was described by John Blackley as Hibs
'worst performance yet'. I remember describing it in somewhat stronger
terms in the pub that night. Back to Wednesday night football again, and
Hibs clash against Celtic in the cup. To many, this was the greatest Hibs
game ever witnessed, and it is not difficult to see why. Everything
happened that night before 15,500 very fortunate souls. Luck was with
Celtic in two minutes, when a Mo Johnston speculative shot from 30 yards
took a deflection past Alan Rough. Celtic went for the throat, but Hibs held
out well and after half an hour equalised when Cowan met a perfect Durie
cross and headed powerfully into the net. Eight minutes later, Hibs were in
front through a Durie header, only for Provan to equalise 3 minutes after
that.
In the second half Harris
came on for Collins, and within 4 minutes had put Hibs ahead again, when he
rounded Bonnar and stroked the ball into the empty net. The lead only lasted
a minute this time, as Mo Johnston rose to head home a Provan cross, making
the 90 minute score 3-3. Roy Aitken put Celtic in front after 98 minutes,
but Hibs refused to give in, and Durie scored a glorious equaliser 10
minutes later. In a pulsating penalty shoot-out, the sides were still level
after the first five penalties apiece, and so it came down to sudden death.
Steve Cowan stroked his home, and Pierce O'Leary skied his kick over the
bar. Hibs were through, and the side that night is worthy of recording:
Rough, Sneddon, Brazil, Fulton, Rae, Hunter, Weir, Munro, Cowan, Durie and
Collins. Subs: McKee and Harris.
John Collins - a Hibs youngster set for great things
Surely now, Hibs had the
confidence to go and put some points on the board. Three days after the
epic cup tie, Celtic returned to Easter Road on league duty, and the crazy
Hibs league side capitulated completely, going down 5-0. The World Cup
provided a respite for Hibs, when on September 10 a 1-1 draw in Cardiff
against Wales saw Scotland through to the 1986 finals. This was also the
evening that Jock Stein died, so it is perhaps fitting that two of the sides
whom he had so proudly taught to play attacking football had produced 13
goals between them in the week before his death.
On September 14 Hibs returned
again to league business at Dens Park, but yet again they simply could not
turn their midweek form into Saturday afternoon points, and lost 1-0 to
Dundee. The position was now played 6, lost 6, and Hibs were bottom of the
Premier League some 4 points adrift of Motherwell, and five away from Hearts
and Clydebank. Hibs did not play on 21 September, but you just knew that
when Hibs met Rangers in the first leg of the Skol Cup semi-final on
September 25, they would play brilliantly. And so it was, as Hibs turned in
a fine performance in front of 19,500 at Easter Road, with new signing from
Sunderland Gordon Chisolm netting, and Gordon Durie adding a second. Alan
Rough chipped in with a penalty save from Ally McCoist, which proved vital,
as Hibs were to go on and lose 1-0 in the second leg at Ibrox.
This crazy period in
Hibernian history was to draw to a close on the last game in September, when
on the 28th Hibs turned in what was probably their worst performance of the
season so far. The midfield was totally inept and forwards just
non-existent, and the defence could just as easily have stayed at home. At
least, all bar Ally Brazil, as incredibly he scored what was to prove to be
the winning goal!
Postscript:
Hibs went on to Hampden for
the Skol Cup Final, but lost 3-0 to Aberdeen. A harrowing season was to
follow, which eventually saw the departure of John Blackley, but Hibs
comfortably escaped relegation in the end. This was largely due to the
efforts of Alan Rough. |
