Lift over Mister ?

[DanishJohn]

Apologies if this is has already been covered but thought it worth to share.

At Christmas I got a book called Lifted Over The Turnstiles - Scotland's Football Grounds in the Black & White Era.
The Author is Steve Finan and published by DC Thomson.

The chap tried to get his hands on photos that have never been seen before. Some great Hibs pictures. Don't want to spoil it for anyone wanting to buy but 1954/55 season first game against Hearts at ER , going into Dunbar End and there you see it in all it's glory above the turnstile The Harp .

A great run around all the grounds of Scotland but the one thing I was struck with, was judging by the grounds and the stories Hibs might have been behind the Old Firm but they were above the Hearts or Aberdeen !

Don't take this as a reason for buying !

[Lago]

Apologies if this is has already been covered but thought it worth to share.

At Christmas I got a book called Lifted Over The Turnstiles - Scotland's Football Grounds in the Black & White Era.
The Author is Steve Finan and published by DC Thomson.

The chap tried to get his hands on photos that have never been seen before. Some great Hibs pictures. Don't want to spoil it for anyone wanting to buy but 1954/55 season first game against Hearts at ER , going into Dunbar End and there you see it in all it's glory above the turnstile The Harp .

A great run around all the grounds of Scotland but the one thing I was struck with, was judging by the grounds and the stories Hibs might have been behind the Old Firm but they were above the Hearts or Aberdeen !

Don't take this as a reason for buying !

1954/1955 season was probably when I first started going to senior football with my Father, he was a keen Ayr Utd supporter so it was Somerset Park and yes I got lifted over, but what I also remember at this time of the year was all the old boys in their flat caps, the smell of pipe tobacco and the half bottles being passed back and forth as they wished each other a Happy New year. Nice memories of a different age.

[ozhibs]

1954/1955 season was probably when I first started going to senior football with my Father, he was a keen Ayr Utd supporter so it was Somerset Park and yes I got lifted over, but what I also remember at this time of the year was all the old boys in their flat caps, the smell of pipe tobacco and the half bottles being passed back and forth as they wished each other a Happy New year. Nice memories of a different age.

I could definitely smell the pipe smoke coming from the old North stand at ER

GGTTH

[gbhibby]

Remember the days when the wee guys would stand beside the turnstile and ask for" a lift over mister" Got a few lift overs myself .

[BILLYHIBS]

‘Lifted over turnstiles’ is now available in 3 volumes

Was lucky enough by sheer chance to get a commemorative headstone over where the old turnstile would have been for the old North Enclosure in memory of my old man where he lifted me over many a European night

I can still smell the baccy, pish and stale beer

Many’s a laugh wi the one liners Subs warming up ‘Sit doon Hamilton’ ‘ You come and stand here beside me’ The footstompers chanting ‘Hibees, Hibees’ above us

[Mick O'Rourke]

Jimmy O'Rourke said to me "stoap asking fur lift overs,Michael .yer gein me a red face"
"James.how is me getting a lift over,gein ye a red face?"
Goodness sake .Michael,yer 18 next month !

Times when some could not get a lift over,was to vault the turnstile and nash up the stairs if the polis were aboot.
Or swiftly double up wae someone as the turnstile clicked open.

[DanishJohn]

1954/1955 season was probably when I first started going to senior football with my Father, he was a keen Ayr Utd supporter so it was Somerset Park and yes I got lifted over, but what I also remember at this time of the year was all the old boys in their flat caps, the smell of pipe tobacco and the half bottles being passed back and forth as they wished each other a Happy New year. Nice memories of a different age.

A couple of gems of Somerset Park. Pictures and stories. Ayr v Motherwell SC 1951. 22152 shoehorned into the ground.

[ronaldo7]

The drenchlightling from the Easter road pylons was a sight to behold. 👍

[SON OF PADDY]

‘Lifted over turnstiles’ is now available in 3 volumes

Was lucky enough by sheer chance to get a commemorative headstone over where the old turnstile would have been for the old North Enclosure in memory of my old man where he lifted me over many a European night

I can still smell the baccy, pish and stale beer

Many’s a laugh wi the one liners Subs warming up ‘Sit doon Hamilton’ ‘ You come and stand here beside me’ The footstompers chanting ‘Hibees, Hibees’ above us

That would be Jimmy Marriott,he always started it off allegedly? 🤔😉

[Pretty Boy]

I bought the 1st volume for my Grandad a few years back and enjoyed having a look through it myself.

One thing I always find interesting is you see these images of huge crowds but was that really the norm? As an example Hibs average attendance in 72/73 (officially anyway) was 16100. We had a highest attendance of 40K+ v Celtic (I assume made up by a sizeable away support) but a low of just over 7000. The season before saw a low of 1690 v Motherwell. By 79/80 we had an average of 9564, a high of just over 21K (again v Celtic) and a low v Partick Thistle that barely broke 4 figures.

So what is the truth? I daresay there was a bit of miscounting going on with the aforementioned lift overs and creative accounting but how normal were these vast crowds? The regular or exceptions and those exceptions make the most interesting photographs?

It seems by the 80s, with a few exceptions, football crowds had totally collapsed in Scotland. Even Celtic and Rangers were barely pulling an average of 20K.

[Lago]

A couple of gems of Somerset Park. Pictures and stories. Ayr v Motherwell SC 1951. 22152 shoehorned into the ground.
👍

[Killiehibbie]

I bought the 1st volume for my Grandad a few years back and enjoyed having a look through it myself.

One thing I always find interesting is you see these images of huge crowds but was that really the norm? As an example Hibs average attendance in 72/73 (officially anyway) was 16100. We had a highest attendance of 40K+ v Celtic (I assume made up by a sizeable away support) but a low of just over 7000. The season before saw a low of 1690 v Motherwell. By 79/80 we had an average of 9564, a high of just over 21K (again v Celtic) and a low v Partick Thistle that barely broke 4 figures.

So what is the truth? I daresay there was a bit of miscounting going on with the aforementioned lift overs and creative accounting but how normal were these vast crowds? The regular or exceptions and those exceptions make the most interesting photographs?

It seems by the 80s, with a few exceptions, football crowds had totally collapsed in Scotland. Even Celtic and Rangers were barely pulling an average of 20K.
Crowds of a few thousand were common at Easter Road and Tynecastle. I remember thinking over 10,000 was a decent crowd.
Celtic and Rangers often had quite small attendances early 80's when they weren't winning the League.

[PeeJay]

I bought the 1st volume for my Grandad a few years back and enjoyed having a look through it myself.

One thing I always find interesting is you see these images of huge crowds but was that really the norm? As an example Hibs average attendance in 72/73 (officially anyway) was 16100. We had a highest attendance of 40K+ v Celtic (I assume made up by a sizeable away support) but a low of just over 7000. The season before saw a low of 1690 v Motherwell. By 79/80 we had an average of 9564, a high of just over 21K (again v Celtic) and a low v Partick Thistle that barely broke 4 figures.

So what is the truth? I daresay there was a bit of miscounting going on with the aforementioned lift overs and creative accounting but how normal were these vast crowds? The regular or exceptions and those exceptions make the most interesting photographs?

It seems by the 80s, with a few exceptions, football crowds had totally collapsed in Scotland. Even Celtic and Rangers were barely pulling an average of 20K.

Not sure about "averages" but there were regularly huge crowds at ER from 66 onwards for "big" games against the Hearts, Aberdeen, the OF; Napoli, Liverpool, Leeds and so on - but it was more often just as easy to get lost on that vast terracing in sparse crowds - I was there every Saturday or Wednesday, used to wonder where everyone had gone sometimes ... stopped going in 78/79 - my dad assured me back in the 50s it was "full" every home game ...

[IberianHibernian]

I bought the 1st volume for my Grandad a few years back and enjoyed having a look through it myself.

One thing I always find interesting is you see these images of huge crowds but was that really the norm? As an example Hibs average attendance in 72/73 (officially anyway) was 16100. We had a highest attendance of 40K+ v Celtic (I assume made up by a sizeable away support) but a low of just over 7000. The season before saw a low of 1690 v Motherwell. By 79/80 we had an average of 9564, a high of just over 21K (again v Celtic) and a low v Partick Thistle that barely broke 4 figures.

So what is the truth? I daresay there was a bit of miscounting going on with the aforementioned lift overs and creative accounting but how normal were these vast crowds? The regular or exceptions and those exceptions make the most interesting photographs?

It seems by the 80s, with a few exceptions, football crowds had totally collapsed in Scotland. Even Celtic and Rangers were barely pulling an average of 20K.1979 - 80 was a strange year for our crowds . Hearts in lower division so no Derbies and some tiny crowds at the end of the season since we were relegated with about 5 games to go . One of those games was against Partick Thistle where crowd was under a thousand I think . The previous home game v same oppoosition was George Best`s home debut and there were about 20 000 there . In those days season ticket numbers were very low , maybe as low as 1000 , almost all in the old Centre Stand , so people didn`t turn up for less important matches knowing they hadn`t paid in advance and there was no reason to inflate published crowds like now . Far from it .

[IberianHibernian]

Looking at my copy of Lifted Over The Turnstiles and it seems top tier of old terracing was built after the record crowd of nearly 65 000 in 1950 . I remember being at a match against Celtic with about 47 000 in about 1973 but that was with top tier . Also not getting in to ER for a cup replay against Rangers about the same time with about 50 000 inside . Makes it seem unbelievable there could have been 65 000 without top tier . Wonder how accurate crowd numbers were at ER and other grounds . In book it says Hibs drew up plans to extend terracing behind both goals to make capacity 100 000 . Would have been interesting though as others have said here crowds of 5000 made for no atmosphere at many matches before top tier was removed .
Would have been an alternative to Hampden for cup finals but would still have had a much reduced capacity a few decades later when open bowl stadiums like Hampden became impractical . I went to a match in old Benfica stadium in mid 80s with a crowd of about 15 000 lost in huge open bowl . I suppose it was the same everywhere with big , open terraces .

[zitelli62]

I remember my grandad telling me that the big games he used to join the queue at the old shades bar or whatever it was called in the 50s at the bottom of Easter Road and wind there way up to the ground from there.

[gbhibby]

Looking at my copy of Lifted Over The Turnstiles and it seems top tier of old terracing was built after the record crowd of nearly 65 000 in 1950 . I remember being at a match against Celtic with about 47 000 in about 1973 but that was with top tier . Also not getting in to ER for a cup replay against Rangers about the same time with about 50 000 inside . Makes it seem unbelievable there could have been 65 000 without top tier . Wonder how accurate crowd numbers were at ER and other grounds . In book it says Hibs drew up plans to extend terracing behind both goals to make capacity 100 000 . Would have been interesting though as others have said here crowds of 5000 made for no atmosphere at many matches before top tier was removed .
Would have been an alternative to Hampden for cup finals but would still have had a much reduced capacity a few decades later when open bowl stadiums like Hampden became impractical . I went to a match in old Benfica stadium in mid 80s with a crowd of about 15 000 lost in huge open bowl . I suppose it was the same everywhere with big , open terraces .
My dad was at the game against Hearts when 65k were in the ground,but says there were more in the ground in the home game against Rangers in 51/52 season I think the attendance was given as 55k or thereabouts.
I think there were plans drawn up for the stadium capacity to be increased to 80 to 85k around this time.

[inglisavhibs]

Crowds of a few thousand were common at Easter Road and Tynecastle. I remember thinking over 10,000 was a decent crowd.
Celtic and Rangers often had quite small attendances early 80's when they weren't winning the League.
I started in the sixties but played football on a Saturday, I recall heading down to Easter Road to catch the last half hour as they always opened the gates to let fans out. There were big crowds for Hearts, Rangers and Celtic but small crowds for the rest.

[Alfred E Newman]

I remember my grandad telling me that the big games he used to join the queue at the old shades bar or whatever it was called in the 50s at the bottom of Easter Road and wind there way up to the ground from there.

I was fed those stories as well. I think they are a bit like Bobby Duncan’s goal against Napoli. I certainly joined the queue for the terracing at the bridge on Albion Road for the 1960s Leeds game when the gate was 44000, but I doubt queues ever reached London Road as some of the tales go but I wasn’t there so why spoil the folklore.