On Saturday 17 July 1999, several London Hibs members, including Kevin Robertson, Mike McSherry, John Smith, Scott Drummond and John Leslie made it to see Hibs take on Koge of Denmark in their penultimate match of the pre-season tour. Firstly, we have Kevin Robertson's report and below, German based Hibby Pete Cowan files his recollection of events.

KOGE 2 HIBS 2

I've just got back. Decent result but not a performance to put fear into the hearts of our premier opponents. The play was easily broken up by a bunch of young Danish eager beavers. A couple of the players looked absolutely knackered, Sauzee shouted up to the DIGGLER that he was "KAPUT". Not inspiring.

KOO overall deserved a win. McLeish wanted a good workout and he got it for his playersand got it.The DANES were warm hosts and fed the players and the fans in the club house afterwards. They are such good people.The 30 of us that were there, had an impromptu penalty shoot out and then went to the club house for a few beers and free food. The KOGE chairman made a warm courteous presentation to HIBS, Alec responded for Hibs and paid respect to the fans. Russell Laptapy left early from the dinner which is bit worrying given the speculation surrounding him at the moment. A few others promised to join us later in Copenhagen for a couple of beers.

SURREAL MOMENTS

Late yesterday evening (Saturday), walking along the main drag near Tivoli gardens in our distinctive rig out comprising a Kilt and a Brazilian lookalike London Hibs top we were hailed by a couple of drunken guys with two girlies accompanying them. They were none other than Mixu and Stuart Lovell, Mixu was singing and cuddling the six of us and was well and truly hammered, he promised to join us a little later. Fat chance. Queuing for a bar a few metres later, we were told no you can't come in you have sports tops on. Quick as a flash bordering on genius, one of our number said that's because we are a touring football side over from Scotland. The doorman stood back assessed us briefly and said "Yah, your managers is inside". Astonished we walked in, four of our members are over 20 stone -  professional athletes?

Later the Diggler and Sauzee were in the bar chatting up some teenage Danish totty, getting nowhere. At this point it was 5am this morning. I leave you with this snippet from much earlier in the evening while in the Dubliner speaking with West Brom players (who had earlier been beaten by ODENSE), we were chatting away and all of sudden they got up to go away, even though they had played their last game. I asked them why they were leaving so early, the response a telling one - "We have a 2am curfew". Anyway great time had by all. Warm friendly people and the team looking sharp in patches and developing a good team spirit. Looking forward to seeing Pete Cowan's foties when they come on list. Congratulations to John Scott and Kathryn as the Hibs support grows by another one.

Kevin (back in London in dire need of a sleep)

From our correspondent (aka Pete Cowan)

Not many people know this, but you have me to thank for the equalizer on Saturday. But more on that later...

I drove up from Kiel on my own; original plans that the whole Cowan family would make a weekend of it were changed at short notice, they headed off to Scotland and I took the E47 north. As I landed on Danish territory I did something I'd always wanted to do - stuck the scarf out the car window and sped along the Motorway. After about 5 minutes the constant knocking of the scarf against the car-roof was drowning out my Disco tape so I hurriedly called the experiment to a halt. Reaching Koge around 1.30 I headed directly for the Stadium and parked. There was plenty of space. As I came round the back of the stands I literally bumped into the Hibs squad heading for the pitch. Took the opportunity to congratulate Yogi for signing for another year, welcomed Dirk Lehmann to the club in faltering German, and reminded Russell Latapy to get his finger out if he wanted me to run the Edinburgh Marathon for his Foundation.

No sign of any other fans, but as I walked around the stadium I saw 4 of them in the famous green: to protect the innocent let's call them K, A, M and J (although their names are Keith, Alan, Mark and John). Introductions over, we decided to head for the social club in the Grandstand. And there we met several other Hibs fans, plus those Hibs players not in the squad for the game (Yogi, Dirk, etc.). Standing on the balcony, Carlsberg in hand, overlooking the pitch, the sun overhead, surrounded by Hibbees, all was well with my world.

Then the London Hibbees arrived, resplendent in kilts and yellow Brazil-lookalike tops. It was nice to put some names to faces (Kevin & Mike McSherry).Eventually the game began and I strolled round the stadium taking photos, drinking in the atmosphere, enjoying the weather. Confession time - this was the first time I had ever seen Hibs play outside of Scotland. The match was no classic, reports have already been posted. I was perturbed to see Hibs play in yellow I have to say, not exactly our most lucky strip. Perhaps they were just using it out before replacing it with the alleged Dortmund second strip.

Thoughts: why did the guy from the Evening News spend the entire match on his mobile? Just before Pat McGinlay was subbed on I shouted over to him: "Pat, just a wee thank you for that very important goal you got on the first of January 1998!". He laughed. And what do you know, up he pops at the death to make it 2-2. Glad I put the idea in his head.

Ballgirl?

After the match ended a few of us piled onto the pitch for a penalty competition. John "not Noakes" Leslie pulled on a pair of Ollie's gloves and stood between the posts. The Koge groundsman sort of growled at us to get off his pitch but we completely ignored him. Canny mind the name of the winner, but I was surprised to notice that the guy in the Panathinaikos (green) strip was the Other Berlin Hibby, the one I met the week I left Berlin. Small world right enough.

After the penalty competition it was back up to the social club where we regaled (I refuse to use "entertained") all and sundry (Koge fans, Koge players, Hibs players etc.) with a rundown of Best Hibbee Songs. Probably the most popular one being that new favourite:

"Russell Latapy / He makes me happy
He comes from Trinidad And Tobago
Alan Shearer/ He may be dearer
But don't take Latapy away."

Didn't notice what RL thought of it.

My one memory of the post-match was me standing in the loo when Alex McLeish stands next to me with one hand holding his mobile and the other holding something else. I was going to offer to hold it for him but I remember my Mum telling me never to hold another man's phone, you never know where it might have been.

The drive up to Copenhagen was a grin, A. proving that he had the navigation skills of a lemming and the rest of us thinking of evil places we could deposit the sleeping J. On the ferry to Sweden was the best suggestion but somehow we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. And then it was off to Copenhagen. An eye-opener. No doubt a place to avoid in January but surely heaven on earth on a sunny July day. Interesting to see that some Danish politician had recently passed a law banning Danish women from wearing clothing which covered their breasts. Or so it seemed.

Last memory of the Saturday night was bumping into Alex Marinkov and Fabrice Henry in a pub in NyHavn. Fabrice just has to be the most serious-looking bloke on the planet. I had a word with Alex about this and he told me that everyone remarks on that but he can't help it, he just comes from Paris! If Fabrice manages to do to his old pal Gilles Rousset at the first derby match of the season what he told us he wants to do to him, you're in for an entertaining game. Shame you can't send sign-language as an attachment to email, but believe me, he knows the importance of beating the Jambos.Sight of the night was one of the London Hibbies still rooted to the spot outside the Scottish pub where we'd left him about 5 hours previously. You know who you are (although you probably didn't then).

Pete