Did Hibs fans travel to European/overseas games during the 50s/60s and early 70s?

[G B Young]

The thread about the Everton v Hajduk Split game being aired for free on YouTube made mention of our own European games with Split in the early 70s and that it was unlikely any Hibs fans travelled to the away leg.

Got me wondering whether during what was very much our golden era of European involvement, did many (or any) fans travel to the away legs of such games? I know plenty will have gone to away ties v Leeds and Liverpool but I'm talking about the games v illustrious opponents such as Barcelona, Roma, Red Star, Valencia, Porto, Napoli, Hamburg, Sporting Lisbon, Juventus etc ie the ones which involved leaving the UK. Be great to hear from anyone who DID go. Must have felt like a very novel experience.

Also, is it possible that any fans travelled on our close-season trips to Brazil and the USA/Canada in the 50s and 60s??

I'm guessing the fact cheaper flights didn't really become an option until the 70s/80s was a major factor in whether fans could travel in numbers.

[G B Young]

Article from WSC outlines the logistical/financial difficulties for fans travelling pre 1970:

http://www.wsc.co.uk/features/13362-a-history-of-england-s-travelling-support

Curious accompanying photo, seemingly showing two Rangers fans keeping watch over Celtic supporters having a kickabout?!

[Famous Fiver]

I never got any further than Porty.

Had never heard of Barcelona far less know where it was.

[HIBBYSTU T]

My Uncle and two of his mates traveled to split on a ferry.I had the away programme but lost it over the years.

[blackpoolhibs]

We went to Strasbourg early 70s, there were not many Hibs fans at that game that I remember. We went by car, that was our first trip abroad to see Hibs if you discount England. :greengrin

FFS just checked the date and it was 1978, could have sworn i was a lot younger than 18?

[Mr White]

We went to Strasbourg early 70s, there were not many Hibs fans at that game that I remember. We went by car, that was our first trip abroad to see Hibs if you discount England. :greengrin

FFS just checked the date and it was 1978, could have sworn i was a lot younger than 18?

Have you seen the extended highlight footage of that game on youtube?

[blackpoolhibs]

Have you seen the extended highlight footage of that game on youtube?

No, not seen any of that. Will have a search later, it might bring some memories back, as i have little memory of the game, just the journey and the digs we had? :greengrin

[SkyeHibs]

We went to Strasbourg early 70s, there were not many Hibs fans at that game that I remember. We went by car, that was our first trip abroad to see Hibs if you discount England. :greengrin

FFS just checked the date and it was 1978, could have sworn i was a lot younger than 18?

There was a bus that left from the Hibs club on the Sunday evening before the game and arrived back in Edinburgh on the Friday night. It was quite an experience!

[NthCarolinaHibs]

There was a bus that left from the Hibs club on the Sunday evening before the game and arrived back in Edinburgh on the Friday night. It was quite an experience!

Aye,I was on that bus..never got to Strasbourg till the Tuesday evening..St Giles branch...twas some journey..£42 return..

[G B Young]

No, not seen any of that. Will have a search later, it might bring some memories back, as i have little memory of the game, just the journey and the digs we had? :greengrin

Home leg (crowd looks brilliant!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niptlVsVBEw

Away leg (packed crowd again):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gBCZQwaL2o

Plus some sort of analysis programme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGM8rgTx-e4

[G B Young]

Don't know if this is from Hibs TV but here's footage of our European Cup semi-final v Stade Rheims and the Fairs Cup clashes with Barca. Anyone at these??:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s38PCDdV_mw&list=PLSv9gmYmmt8ra-l9s26PHydAEjqEw8ETL&index=2

[SkyeHibs]

Aye,I was on that bus..never got to Strasbourg till the Tuesday evening..St Giles branch...twas some journey..£42 return..

I was a 17 year old laddie, the trip was quite an education! I remember the first thing we did when we got there was to find a place to stay. It was quite a night out on the Tuesday night and can remember seeing the players in the town, if I remember rightly they had been to the cinema.

[NthCarolinaHibs]

I was a 17 year old laddie, the trip was quite an education! I remember the first thing we did when we got there was to find a place to stay. It was quite a night out on the Tuesday night and can remember seeing the players in the town, if I remember rightly they had been to the cinema.
I was about the same age..was about impossible to find a hotel there as there was a lot on....ended up brass necking it into a youth hostel, then about ten of us crashed in a room on the Wednesday that the boy Pasty had got...some trip..

[Tomsk]

Home leg (crowd looks brilliant!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niptlVsVBEw

Away leg (packed crowd again):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gBCZQwaL2o

Plus some sort of analysis programme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGM8rgTx-e4


I was at the home leg. Hibs were struggling by this time up front. Other than McLeod we had either honest triers like Higgins or guys who should never have got near a Hibs jersey like Willie Murray and Bobby Hutchison.

We actually had a pretty good defensive set-up with Macnamara, Stewart and Bobby Smith and Des Bremner in front. Strange to see Arthur Duncan at right back.

Hibs finished 5th that season and reached the Scottish Cup final, but the writing was on the wall -- Turnbull failed to strengthen and we were relegated the following season.

[jabis]

Remember having a wee whiskey with the wonderful Tommy Preston.

me "what was it like,scoring at the Nou camp ?"

Tommy "very quiet son....very quiet"

Don't think that their were many away fans then :not worth

[IberianHibernian]

My Uncle and two of his mates traveled to split on a ferry.I had the away programme but lost it over the years.Must have been some trip - bus and Channel ferry to Italy and ferry from there to Split . In the previous rounds we played in Lisbon ( seem to remember reading something about a few Hibs fans seeing us in purple shirts ) and Albania where there`ll have been none as it was virtually impossible for any tourists to enter then .

[G B Young]

Starting this thread has jogged a memory of a now deceased childhood friend who travelled to the away leg of our game with Oesters in the mid 70s thanks to some business connection his dad had with Norway. Just looked it up and we lost 4-1 after winning the home leg 2-0.

[G B Young]

I was at the home leg. Hibs were struggling by this time up front. Other than McLeod we had either honest triers like Higgins or guys who should never have got near a Hibs jersey like Willie Murray and Bobby Hutchison.

We actually had a pretty good defensive set-up with Macnamara, Stewart and Bobby Smith and Des Bremner in front. Strange to see Arthur Duncan at right back.

Hibs finished 5th that season and reached the Scottish Cup final, but the writing was on the wall -- Turnbull failed to strengthen and we were relegated the following season.

I remember that time and I associate it with Celtic also being on the decline under Stein and finishing fifth in the season we beat them 4-1 at ER, with Higgins scoring a double. Footage here (including a furious Stein on the pitch after an invasion by Celtic fans):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcZ0yrTT45c

Rangers also went on a major slide under John Greig and I'm sure they regularly finished outwith the top 3 well into the 80s, until the arrival of Souness. I certainly recall games at Ibrox pulling in less than 10k.

[IberianHibernian]

Starting this thread has jogged a memory of a now deceased childhood friend who travelled to the away leg of our game with Oesters in the mid 70s thanks to some business connection his dad had with Norway. Just looked it up and we lost 4-1 after winning the home leg 2-0.I can remember being at the first leg with quite a small crowd ( maybe 10000 ) . Big crowds only came out for matches against famous opposition which probably attracted neutrals too . Away leg was played on a snow covered pitch and was considered a really bad result as Scottish football was still considered better to that in any Scandinavian countries . Your friend might have been the only Hibs fan at the away match as there were only 9 Hibs fans at Norrkopping ( round before Strasbourg in 1978 ) including one who lived in the town .

[Bishop Hibee]

Article from WSC outlines the logistical/financial difficulties for fans travelling pre 1970:

http://www.wsc.co.uk/features/13362-a-history-of-england-s-travelling-support

Curious accompanying photo, seemingly showing two Rangers fans keeping watch over Celtic supporters having a kickabout?!

The article is quite flawed in saying the Scots defined themselves as "anyone but England". They should have stuck to commenting on the English support. There were plenty Scottish fans at the World Cup in West Germany in 1974, not least servicemen based there and there was of course the legendary band of fans who went to Argentina in 1978. England couldnae be there cause they didnae qualify :wink:

Fair points on the astronomical cost of travel against average incomes.

[IberianHibernian]

Without meaning to hijack the thread when was the first time there were away fans at Easter Road for European ties except for Liverpool and Leeds though I don`t remember any Leeds fans ? I can remember seeing some Italians buying lots of tickets in a queue at ER for stand tickets for the Juventus match but I think they lived in Scotland .

[Mibbes Aye]

I remember that time and I associate it with Celtic also being on the decline under Stein and finishing fifth in the season we beat them 4-1 at ER, with Higgins scoring a double. Footage here (including a furious Stein on the pitch after an invasion by Celtic fans):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcZ0yrTT45c

Rangers also went on a major slide under John Greig and I'm sure they regularly finished outwith the top 3 well into the 80s, until the arrival of Souness. I certainly recall games at Ibrox pulling in less than 10k.

In the early to mid-eighties, Aberdeen and Dundee United were the teams to watch. The former club that was called Rangers, and Celtc, were also-rans.

The Dons played some spectacular stuff, both in Scotland and in Europe. Dundee United were also great - beating Barcelona home and away in the European Cup.

The former club that was called Rangers picked up in the mid-eighties when they started to get the money but neither of the Old Firm were in any way seriously dominant for the first half of that decade.

[kenny-55]

Travelled by bus with the pentland branch September 1976 to FC Sochaux in France took us about 30 hours to get there ( maybe less 😄) Some trip ended up a great journey as won 1-0 to go to next round Left the Hibs club on the Monday night after a few pre trip pints and no on board toilets in those days just a bucket that was emptied many times down the hatch in the floor of the bus don't think the driver was very chuffed though so aye European travel in the 70's was not luxury and not for the faint hearted ⚽️⚽️⚽️🏆🏆🍺🍺
:flag:

[G B Young]

Travelled by bus with the pentland branch September 1976 to FC Sochaux in France took us about 30 hours to get there ( maybe less 😄) Some trip ended up a great journey as won 1-0 to go to next round Left the Hibs club on the Monday night after a few pre trip pints and no on board toilets in those days just a bucket that was emptied many times down the hatch in the floor of the bus don't think the driver was very chuffed though so aye European travel in the 70's was not luxury and not for the faint hearted ⚽️⚽️⚽️🏆🏆🍺🍺
:flag:

Glad Hibs won after putting yourself through that journey! That's true dedication to the cause.

[Jack Hackett]

Hibs chartered a plane for the 1st leg of the Lisbon Cup Winners Cup tie. The extra seats were offered as a 3 day trip, staying at a hotel in Cascais.

A trio of us ended up at a beachside bar for a pint in the sun, and 3 Hibs players came strolling by. Jim Herriot and John Brownlie for definite and one other... Gimme a break, it was 45 years ago and we got very, very drunk. The players not so much as they weren't there as long as we were, but they had more than one or two. I understand Eddie Turnbull went mental when they eventually got back to their hotel.

The whole thing was a bit of a culture shock for a 21 year old who'd never been out of the UK... From the Casino to the fabulous beach, and the fact that virtually no-one spoke English. The game itself didn't kick off until 10pm, which felt very odd... and they sold booze in the concourse, unheard of in Scotland at the time. The pitch itself was below ground level, so you entered at the top of the stands, which again felt very weird and our seats were slap bang in the middle of the home support in the main stand. When Hibs scored and we stood to celebrate the police got very agitated... this was the season after Rangers fans ran amok in Barcelona so Scots fans had a 'rep'

An absolutely brilliant trip, which I'll never forget... well, most of it anyway :greengrin

[Dashing Bob S]

Been to every single Hibs game home and away ever. Including friendlies and stretching right back to way before I was born at the club's inception. I'd like to see the so-called fans match that.

[Lancs Harp]

Been to every single Hibs game home and away ever. Including friendlies and stretching right back to way before I was born at the club's inception. I'd like to see the so-called fans match that.

As a part time time lord I can confirm this.

I even have a figure called Bob in my Subbuteo stand that has attended every game my Hibs team (number 45) has ever played.

[G B Young]

Hibs chartered a plane for the 1st leg of the Lisbon Cup Winners Cup tie. The extra seats were offered as a 3 day trip, staying at a hotel in Cascais.

A trio of us ended up at a beachside bar for a pint in the sun, and 3 Hibs players came strolling by. Jim Herriot and John Brownlie for definite and one other... Gimme a break, it was 45 years ago and we got very, very drunk. The players not so much as they weren't there as long as we were, but they had more than one or two. I understand Eddie Turnbull went mental when they eventually got back to their hotel.

The whole thing was a bit of a culture shock for a 21 year old who'd never been out of the UK... From the Casino to the fabulous beach, and the fact that virtually no-one spoke English. The game itself didn't kick off until 10pm, which felt very odd... and they sold booze in the concourse, unheard of in Scotland at the time. The pitch itself was below ground level, so you entered at the top of the stands, which again felt very weird and our seats were slap bang in the middle of the home support in the main stand. When Hibs scored and we stood to celebrate the police got very agitated... this was the season after Rangers fans ran amok in Barcelona so Scots fans had a 'rep'

An absolutely brilliant trip, which I'll never forget... well, most of it anyway :greengrin

Great story. Sounds an altogether more elegant affair than the 30 hour bus trip to Sochaux!

[G B Young]

Travelled by bus with the pentland branch September 1976 to FC Sochaux in France took us about 30 hours to get there ( maybe less 😄) Some trip ended up a great journey as won 1-0 to go to next round Left the Hibs club on the Monday night after a few pre trip pints and no on board toilets in those days just a bucket that was emptied many times down the hatch in the floor of the bus don't think the driver was very chuffed though so aye European travel in the 70's was not luxury and not for the faint hearted ⚽️⚽️⚽️🏆🏆🍺🍺
:flag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HItWXibJZnA

[fat freddy]

Without meaning to hijack the thread when was the first time there were away fans at Easter Road for European ties except for Liverpool and Leeds though I don`t remember any Leeds fans ? I can remember seeing some Italians buying lots of tickets in a queue at ER for stand tickets for the Juventus match but I think they lived in Scotland .

I remember a crowd of Rosenborg fans in the centre stand for the game when we beat them 700 nil sometime in the 70's... I can still remember them chanting Ro Ro Rosenborg throughout the match.

[kenny-55]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HItWXibJZnA

My goodness that looks like it was in the 1940's makes me feel really auld
😄
:greengrin

[G B Young]

Footage here of Hibs fans arriving back at Edinburgh Airport after the trip to Videoton. Anyone spot themselves? Great win but what's with the players' tracksuits/shellsuits? Did we not do official team gear in those days??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qpqgVambjc

[pacoluna]

Home leg (crowd looks brilliant!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niptlVsVBEw

Away leg (packed crowd again):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gBCZQwaL2o

Plus some sort of analysis programme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGM8rgTx-e4
That penalty decision was a little suspect😂

[heretoday]

I recall going to Leeds in the mid 70s.

After that experience I stayed home.

[penihibs]

I recall going to Leeds in the mid 70s.

After that experience I stayed home.

Yeah me aswell,was a battlefield all the way back to train station to get the football specials,crazy times.

[GreenT]

Footage here of Hibs fans arriving back at Edinburgh Airport after the trip to Videoton. Anyone spot themselves? Great win but what's with the players' tracksuits/shellsuits? Did we not do official team gear in those days??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qpqgVambjc

That brings back memories. Friends and I took advantage of travelling with the Club on their chartered flight. Seem to remember doing the same to Belgium. Big change from the supporters bus we organised to Sochaux or the bus, train,boat, train to Strasbourg. Worst was having to sleep in the railway left luggage room in Norkopping before and after the game. It was freezing.

[brog]

I went to see Hibs play Maastricht in a friendly in 1970. The Dutch were very welcoming & I engaged in a few pre match sherbets with them in their bar under the stand. I went out to the toilet & bumped into our manager,the bold Willie MacFarlane who took me into the dressing room. Jimmy O looked up & said, F### me boss, surely we're no that hard up! Willie was actually going to put me on the bench as a laugh when I remembered I had left my future missus in the bar. After the game I was chatting with Jimmy & Pat & some Maastricht fans refused to believe I wasn't part of the team. I ended up signing about 20 autograph books as John Murphy, there was a blurry pic of him in the programme. AFAIK we were the only Hibs fans there other than Stewart Brown of the EEN. We won 3-0, temperature was about 100F & we kept bringing players on & off. I think Joe McBride was subbed for the 1st time after about 15 minutes!

[MKHIBEE]

Been to every single Hibs game home and away ever. Including friendlies and stretching right back to way before I was born at the club's inception. I'd like to see the so-called fans match that.

Ha, I remember lifting you over the turnstile at your first match, you didnt even say thank you

[Islington Hibs]

I went to see Hibs play Maastricht in a friendly in 1970. The Dutch were very welcoming & I engaged in a few pre match sherbets with them in their bar under the stand. I went out to the toilet & bumped into our manager,the bold Willie MacFarlane who took me into the dressing room. Jimmy O looked up & said, F### me boss, surely we're no that hard up! Willie was actually going to put me on the bench as a laugh when I remembered I had left my future missus in the bar. After the game I was chatting with Jimmy & Pat & some Maastricht fans refused to believe I wasn't part of the team. I ended up signing about 20 autograph books as John Murphy, there was a blurry pic of him in the programme. AFAIK we were the only Hibs fans there other than Stewart Brown of the EEN. We won 3-0, temperature was about 100F & we kept bringing players on & off. I think Joe McBride was subbed for the 1st time after about 15 minutes!

Stories like that make it all worthwhile

[IberianHibernian]

I went to see Hibs play Maastricht in a friendly in 1970. The Dutch were very welcoming & I engaged in a few pre match sherbets with them in their bar under the stand. I went out to the toilet & bumped into our manager,the bold Willie MacFarlane who took me into the dressing room. Jimmy O looked up & said, F### me boss, surely we're no that hard up! Willie was actually going to put me on the bench as a laugh when I remembered I had left my future missus in the bar. After the game I was chatting with Jimmy & Pat & some Maastricht fans refused to believe I wasn't part of the team. I ended up signing about 20 autograph books as John Murphy, there was a blurry pic of him in the programme. AFAIK we were the only Hibs fans there other than Stewart Brown of the EEN. We won 3-0, temperature was about 100F & we kept bringing players on & off. I think Joe McBride was subbed for the 1st time after about 15 minutes!Was it Maastricht we beat 5v0 at ER in an end of season friendly with Dutch goalie wearing glasses about same time ? You probably were only Hibs fans since not many if any fans seemed to have travelled to competitive matches let alone friendlies till late 70s . There were about 60 Hibs fans at midweek friendly v Sevilla in late 1986 but probably more at friendlies in Brittany and Finland in about 2000 ( ? ).

[brog]

Was it Maastricht we beat 5v0 at ER in an end of season friendly with Dutch goalie wearing glasses about same time ? You probably were only Hibs fans since not many if any fans seemed to have travelled to competitive matches let alone friendlies till late 70s . There were about 60 Hibs fans at midweek friendly v Sevilla in late 1986 but probably more at friendlies in Brittany and Finland in about 2000 ( ? ).

Think we beat Maastricht 3-0 at home as well. We beat Nijmegen 5-0 with Harper scoring all 5.

[IberianHibernian]

Think we beat Maastricht 3-0 at home as well. We beat Nijmegen 5-0 with Harper scoring all 5.Njimegen yes but not sure about Harper . Think it was well before we signed him .

[G B Young]

Njimegen yes but not sure about Harper . Think it was well before we signed him .

According to this he did score all five in that game (and got booed off allegedly!):

http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/forwards/joe-harper

I've always been aware that the Harper signing was a contentious one among Hibs fans despite the fact he scored a stack of goals, but the guy didn't to himself any favours judging by what's written here. Sounds like a right tool with a terrible attitude. 'Dixie Deans was more popular with the Hibs fans than me"?!

[brog]

Stories like that make it all worthwhile

I did have some pix of the occasion. I'll see if I can find them.

[superfurryhibby]

I did have some pix of the occasion. I'll see if I can find them.

Find them Brog, they are valuable social and sporting history. Sounds like you have wonderful memories of supporting the Hibees abroad in the pioneer era;-)

[Iggy Pope]

Njimegen yes but not sure about Harper . Think it was well before we signed him .

Definitely got all 5 v Nijmegen. I got my appendix out that night. Fact.

[BullsCloseHibs]

Recognised a certain Portobello solicitor at Edinburgh Airport there arriving from Budapest, albeit rather younger looking.

[Alan62]

I remember a crowd of Rosenborg fans in the centre stand for the game when we beat them 700 nil sometime in the 70's... I can still remember them chanting Ro Ro Rosenborg throughout the match.

I was at that game aged 12 - and the Juventus game that followed it. I remember being so excited by both games. The Juve game was the first time I'd ever seen a team warming up before the match. A guy beside us in the pouring rain said, 'Look at that lot, they'll be knackered before the game starts." We all know how that ended.

I also remember the previous season being glued to the radio listening to the Hajduk Split match on long wave. The signal kept coming and going and I felt absolutely broken hearted when John Blackley scored the og that put us out.

The only game I ever travelled to was the RFC Liege game in 1989. We drove to the game, leaving Edinburgh about 11pm on the Tuesday night. We got the early ferry over from Dover to Calais then drove across to Liege. After a few pints in the square, we met a guy who was a friend of a friend off a train from Brussels. He took us to his flat and we dumped our stuff there and went off to the game. After the game we went for a few more beers then got up in the morning and drove home.

So never mind the 50s, 60s and 70s, even in the late 80s the cheap travel we all take for granted now hadn't arrived!

[lapsedhibee]

I went to see Hibs play Maastricht in a friendly in 1970. The Dutch were very welcoming & I engaged in a few pre match sherbets with them in their bar under the stand. I went out to the toilet & bumped into our manager,the bold Willie MacFarlane who took me into the dressing room. Jimmy O looked up & said, F### me boss, surely we're no that hard up! Willie was actually going to put me on the bench as a laugh when I remembered I had left my future missus in the bar. After the game I was chatting with Jimmy & Pat & some Maastricht fans refused to believe I wasn't part of the team. I ended up signing about 20 autograph books as John Murphy, there was a blurry pic of him in the programme. AFAIK we were the only Hibs fans there other than Stewart Brown of the EEN. We won 3-0, temperature was about 100F & we kept bringing players on & off. I think Joe McBride was subbed for the 1st time after about 15 minutes!

:greengrin

[Seekyit]

Don't know if this is from Hibs TV but here's footage of our European Cup semi-final v Stade Rheims and the Fairs Cup clashes with Barca. Anyone at these??:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s38PCDdV_mw&list=PLSv9gmYmmt8ra-l9s26PHydAEjqEw8ETL&index=2

Seen these before but thanks for posting again, always enjoyable to watch. Just watched the Belenenses highlights, didn't realise we were 3 down.

Question though, where is the footage of the Stade de Reims game, didn't think there was any?

[sleeping giant]

I went to see Hibs play Maastricht in a friendly in 1970. The Dutch were very welcoming & I engaged in a few pre match sherbets with them in their bar under the stand. I went out to the toilet & bumped into our manager,the bold Willie MacFarlane who took me into the dressing room. Jimmy O looked up & said, F### me boss, surely we're no that hard up! Willie was actually going to put me on the bench as a laugh when I remembered I had left my future missus in the bar. After the game I was chatting with Jimmy & Pat & some Maastricht fans refused to believe I wasn't part of the team. I ended up signing about 20 autograph books as John Murphy, there was a blurry pic of him in the programme. AFAIK we were the only Hibs fans there other than Stewart Brown of the EEN. We won 3-0, temperature was about 100F & we kept bringing players on & off. I think Joe McBride was subbed for the 1st time after about 15 minutes!


Brilliant stuff.

Keep them coming Brog

[Baldy Foghorn]

Footage here of Hibs fans arriving back at Edinburgh Airport after the trip to Videoton. Anyone spot themselves? Great win but what's with the players' tracksuits/shellsuits? Did we not do official team gear in those days??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qpqgVambjc

A 17 year old me is in that coming through airport. Hair and hibs scarf.