This is how it felt (Napoli 29 11 1967)
I’m missing my “This is how it feels” gig almost as much as I’m missing the football itself! Inspired by various threads and posts on the MB, I’ve decided to offer up my personal recollections of games from the past, starting with that stunning 5-0 win over Napoli in November 1967. I confess I’ve used some information from other sources, if only to jog my memory but the essence of this offering (and more to come if they’re wanted) is me getting a tad nostalgic!
I was in my mid-teens when Hibs faced what most thought was an impossible task in overcoming a 4-1 deficit against a very talented Napoli. From the Evening News at the time, only manager Bob Shankly seemed upbeat, insisting the tie was far from finished. Italian teams were famous for their Catenaccio approach to games they didn’t want to lose. Essentially, Catenaccio is best described as being the Italian word for sit deep and defend with your life. That’s not a literal translation but that’s what Catenaccio amounted to.
On a misty evening I made my way to Easter Road. I was on my own as my sister had decided that if my 10 year old brother was going, she was taking him and somehow they ended up in the centre stand. No such luxury for me as I fully intended to take up my usual spot under the shelter of the cow shed at the FF end of the ground.
Approaching the stadium I could not believe the crowds outside waiting to gain entrance. I thought to myself that if I joined that queue I’d never get in for the kick off so I sneakily removed my scarf, stuffed it under my jacket and walked to the fans queueing nearest the turnstiles. Ignoring the suspicious glares of many fans I walked towards a guy I barely knew and said in a loud voice “There you are, I’ve been looking for you” before rambling on as he looked at me warily and wondered what the hell had just happened. Anyway, my trick worked and I was in before kick-off, taking my place in the cow shed where singing a general mayhem was pretty much guaranteed.
With the fans in full voice, Hibs exited the tunnel to a huge roar. As I watched the Napoli players it struck me how fit and strong they looked, especially the central defenders. Later they would demonstrate their strength by using their physicality to boot anyone wearing green and white.
Hibs went at them from the start and in just five minutes took the lead in quite stunning fashion. Bobby Duncan robbed the ball from an opponent, strode forward and battered a shot towards goal. When the ball zoomed over the keeper’s head and hit the back of the net the cow shed erupted with bodies flying everywhere. Years later, Pat Stanton told me the players ribbed Duncan about the goal, telling him it was just a poor attempt at a cross but Bobby stuck to his guns and insisted he meant it. I believe him but I’m not sure I agree that he was inside his own half when he hit it! It was probably a good thirty five yards though and as the years passed that distance grew longer in the telling of the story.
In what I assume was an attempt to put Hibs in their place the Italians hacked men down at every opportunity and the Spanish referee Antonio Rigo was a busy man. The visitors clearly didn’t understand the mentality of these Hibs players as every time they were hacked down they got up and went at it again. It was now 4-2 on aggregate and not long before half time the deficit was further reduced when Stein’s shot was not held by goalkeeper Zoff and wee Pat Quinn raced in to fire the ball home, prompting further mayhem behind the goals.
In the second half, Hibs were shooting down their beloved slope and ten minutes in a lovely cross by Alex Scott witnessed Cormack hanging in mid air as he bulleted a header past Zoff. Once the excitement had calmed down it dawned on me that it was now 4-4 on aggregate but that didn’t last long because two minutes after Cormack’s goal, Pat Stanton smashed the ball past Zoff and the Italians promptly lost the plot. Senor Rigo had been a bit lenient to that point but an horrific challenge by Girado on Eric Stevenson saw the Napoli man sent off, and rightly so. Hibs were through now if the visitors failed to score but just to make sure, Colin Stein fired a fifth goal in the dying embers of the game.
What a night, what a result and what a performance. Even my sister was impressed!
Forgive me for not rating the players. They were all a ten anyway!
Hibs: Wilson, Duncan, Davis, Stanton, Madsen, McGraw, Scott, Quinn, Stein, Cormack and Stevenson (Eric, not Lewis).
