Matches that never were: Madrid v Hibs, 1956 EC Final (Guardian feature)

[Franck is God]

Check out this article in the Guardian, not bad company for a pretty special team

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/feb/26/joy-of-six-matches-never-were (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/feb/26/joy-of-six-matches-never-were)

[jacomo]

Good spot.

I love Hibs.

:thumbsup:

BTW, anyone game to post this on kickback? :wink:

[Sylar]

Quick question:

Why the hell were Aberdeen adversed to floodlights?

[Part/Time Supporter]

Quick question:

Why the hell were Aberdeen adversed to floodlights?

Because they thought they were going to be put in a sheep dip?

:dunno:

[LHWM]

"The Joy of Six: matches that never were" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/feb/26/joy-of-six-matches-never-were)

A what if?

[tbfhibs]

Maybe thought floodlights were flames. Burning sheep.......

[BarneyBreslin]

Glad I found this. Great wee read.

[One Day Soon]

Boy does that bring on a warm glow.

And it has the added bonus that when I try to imagine anything even remotely similar being written about the Pornstars I just can't stop laughing.

[thebakerboy]

Great find mate absolutely loved it and no sign of a jambo anywhere:notworthy:

[sunshine1875]

Must have been written by a Hobo - to mention Hibs as possible European Champions and failing to mention the Yams.

Good to read this unbiased review of our best ever football team.

Also good to see Hibs mentioned on the Wikipedia European Cup page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Cup_and_Champions_League_records_and_stat istics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Cup_and_Champions_League_records_and_stat istics)

[H18sry]

2. Real Madrid v Hibernian, 13 June 1956

Hibernian's post-war front Five of Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Eddie Turnbull, Lawrie Reilly and Willie Ormond weren't famous for nothing. Between 1948 and 1953, they won three Scottish titles and were pipped at the death to another two, all the while playing the most attractive and innovative football in Britain. Smith, Johnstone, Turnbull, Reilly and Ormond knew each other's games inside out and interchanged freely, their relentless attacking now described by those lucky enough to see it as a precursor of Total Football.

Matt Busby was a particular fan, and would often take his Manchester United side up north to play in hotly contested friendlies; Hibs once returned the favour by thrashing them 7-3 in front of a 70,000-strong testimonial crowd assembled for Smith in 1952. They were also enticed over to Brazil in 1953, to be showcased three times at the Maracana. Their credentials were not in question – and that reputation earned them an invitation to the inaugural European Cup. (The Scottish champions of 1955, Aberdeen, were overlooked because of their notorious aversion to floodlights, a prerequisite for the fledgling midweek competition. The Dons refused to play Hibs under the Easter Road floodlights until the end of the decade, believing the home side had an unfair advantage).

Hibs hit the ground running in their first European match. While Real Madrid needed a last-minute equaliser to salvage a draw at Servette, and Milan lost 4-3 at home to Saarbrucken, the Scots went to German champions Rot-Weiss Essen and thrashed their hosts 4-0. Turnbull, Reilly and Ormond got on the scoresheet, while Smith was denied in the final seconds when the referee blew for full-time before the ball had crossed the line. However, while Madrid and Milan were sides on the up, Hibs were on the way down: Johnstone had left for Manchester City the previous summer, and Raymond Kopa's Reims were too strong for them in the semi-final (although at 1-0 down away in the first leg, they were looking good for an equaliser until a last-minute defensive mistake led to a second and effectively killed the tie).

"The European Cup came a couple of years too late for us, or we'd have certainly won one," said Smith, a couple of years before he died in 2004. Even so, having given Reims – who were 11 minutes from beating Madrid in the final before losing 4-3 – a battle in the semi, there's no reason to think Hibs' remaining Famous Four couldn't have seriously troubled the eventual champions, for whom defence was never a strong suit.
:thumbsup::thumbsup: