The Old Main Stand

[Speedway]

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Attachment 23442

The old stand in 1927 when it was three years old.
My uncle in natty polo neck training gear and an advert for the Green Dispatch on the stand!

What a picture that is!

For young 'uns looking in who may be confused with all this west north south nonsense, here's a quick guide.

Where our two tier West Stand now is, there was once a two tier 'Main' or 'Centre' stand. An Archibald Leitch design, the lower section was terracing until the late 80s and the upper part was bench seating. This bench seating was split into three sections. The North Wing (next to what is now the Famous Five) The South Wing (next to what is now the south stand) and the Centre-Centre. To confuse things further, you sat down in the 'stand'.

Where the FF is was once a terraced then benched 'North Enclosure' or 'Cowshed'.

What is now the east always was but it used to be terraced then bench seated then bucket seated.

What is now the South Stand has always been the away end but used to be called the Dunbar end.

The posh rich folk did indeed sit in the centre stand and were taunted from the east with songs like 'They the real fairweather fans, sitting in the centre stand'.

Yes we used to taunt our own fans.

Going back further, it was the only place to get a good view of the game without getting p1ss wet through.

It did indeed become an eyesore but as a kid, it looked massive.

[greenginger]

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Haha, yes always loved to see Alloa associated with Hibs. Pity we don't brew any beers in the are anymore on the scale we used to. Couple of breweries left that's all. But that's a whole other debate

I remember drinking a few pints of McLays 90 shilling ale in days gone by. I think the Beehive in the Grassmarket stocked it for a while.

Lethal stuff !

[Tomsk]

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What a picture that is!

For young 'uns looking in who may be confused with all this west north south nonsense, here's a quick guide.

Where our two tier West Stand now is, there was once a two tier 'Main' or 'Centre' stand. An Archibald Leitch design, the lower section was terracing until the late 80s and the upper part was bench seating. This bench seating was split into three sections. The North Wing (next to what is now the Famous Five) The South Wing (next to what is now the south stand) and the Centre-Centre. To confuse things further, you sat down in the 'stand'.

Where the FF is was once a terraced then benched 'North Enclosure' or 'Cowshed'.

What is now the east always was but it used to be terraced then bench seated then bucket seated.

What is now the South Stand has always been the away end but used to be called the Dunbar end.

The posh rich folk did indeed sit in the centre stand and were taunted from the east with songs like 'They the real fairweather fans, sitting in the centre stand'.

Yes we used to taunt our own fans.

Going back further, it was the only place to get a good view of the game without getting p1ss wet through.

It did indeed become an eyesore but as a kid, it looked massive.

You didn't mention the Enclosures, the standing bits in front of the stand.

[Biggie]

It's always good to reminisce, and hear so many remember the stamping of the feet and "hibees, hibees".....takes me back.
Looked huge when I was wee, but don't recall being in it very often tbh, was always in the east terracing against the walkway railing so I got a good view.....
Remember a game against Clyde and we got a penalty and Pat Stanton was on 2 goals and the North stand started "wee want Paddy" stamp stamp, "we want Paddy"...…..needless to say Stanton stepped up and slotted it home for his hat-trick and a 5 nil win.
Gonna greet now.....

[Alfred E Newman]

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My Dad rabbits on endlessly about the 'good old days' of supporting Hibs when, in his rose tinted memory, we played in front of 50,000 people every week.

I'm thinking of having this photo printed, put in a frame and hung on his living room wall.... just to shut him up!

If you look closely you will see that the cowshed is jam packed. Some of the best days in there were days like the picture when it was bucketing rain and almost all the crowd was squashed under it!

[ancient hibee]

And of course we’re kicking downhill.

[Liberal Hibby]

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I'm not sure, Billy. I think it's mid 60s.

Isn't it a bit later than that? If it was mid 60s then would the cooshed/cave have been built? And I would also think there would be far more hats/caps on display.

[Killiehibbie]

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Aye, there are many stories about tasting sessions. The blue glasses are so you can't see the colour of the liquid. We use them for samples in the whisky industry as well. Only nosing though, no tastings. Distillers are not savages like the brewers🥃🥃🥃

You should've been at the disgorging in Kilmarnock, not much nosing in there.
Some of the stories about the old days, 50's 60's, you wonder how they ever made it to the pub after work.

[weecounty hibby]

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You should've been at the disgorging in Kilmarnock, not much nosing in there.
Some of the stories about the old days, 50's 60's, you wonder how they ever made it to the pub after work.

I know. I started in 85 and even then it was common for folk to be pissed at work, and I mean really pissed, not just a ripple or two. Some of the stories makes you wonder how there weren't deaths on a weekly basis. Until about 79/80 they used to get two official drama a day. And they weren't 1/5 of a gill!!!

[Killiehibbie]

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I know. I started in 85 and even then it was common for folk to be pissed at work, and I mean really pissed, not just a ripple or two. Some of the stories makes you wonder how there weren't deaths on a weekly basis. Until about 79/80 they used to get two official drama a day. And they weren't 1/5 of a gill!!!

I heard about one guy who had 6 or 7 of the gallon caps before he started every morning, just to take the edge off it.
Bottles in every cistern.

[weecounty hibby]

I heard of one guy who worked at Carsebridge distillery in Alloa and each night he would scoop a full sample can of spirit. Now that would hold probably about a litre!! He would cycle into the town to the Station hotel, about a mile away. Have one oint and then have to be carried out to his bike and then weaved his way home. As I say some of the stories are scary and the quantity of drink tucked away was beyond belief. Folk would drink high strength spirit/whisky like it was beer. Sadly led to an awful lot of alcoholics and broken marriages.

[Speedway]

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You didn't mention the Enclosures, the standing bits in front of the stand.

‘the lower section was terracing until the late 80s’

Kinda did, just by another name. 😄

[Sammy7nil]

Over thirty six years ago my Dad had a Heart attack and died in the old centre stand. I was on the main terracing or the old east stand opposite can't recall what was there at that time. I was oblivious to what was going on. I did not find out until about an hour after I got home. Lots of past and at the time present players attended the funeral.

[brianmc]

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What a picture that is!

For young 'uns looking in who may be confused with all this west north south nonsense, here's a quick guide.

Where our two tier West Stand now is, there was once a two tier 'Main' or 'Centre' stand. An Archibald Leitch design, the lower section was terracing until the late 80s and the upper part was bench seating. This bench seating was split into three sections. The North Wing (next to what is now the Famous Five) The South Wing (next to what is now the south stand) and the Centre-Centre. To confuse things further, you sat down in the 'stand'.

Where the FF is was once a terraced then benched 'North Enclosure' or 'Cowshed'.

What is now the east always was but it used to be terraced then bench seated then bucket seated.

What is now the South Stand has always been the away end but used to be called the Dunbar end.

The posh rich folk did indeed sit in the centre stand and were taunted from the east with songs like 'They the real fairweather fans, sitting in the centre stand'.

Yes we used to taunt our own fans.

Going back further, it was the only place to get a good view of the game without getting p1ss wet through.

It did indeed become an eyesore but as a kid, it looked massive.

Bench seats in the East...?
One of our memories isn't working properly - and I don't think it's mine.

[Sammy7nil]

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Bench seats in the East...?
One of our memories isn't working properly - and I don't think it's mine.

I think there was bench seats in the East may be mixed up with the shed and the old North stand but I don't think so

[Nakedmanoncrack]

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What a picture that is!

For young 'uns looking in who may be confused with all this west north south nonsense, here's a quick guide.

Where our two tier West Stand now is, there was once a two tier 'Main' or 'Centre' stand. An Archibald Leitch design, the lower section was terracing until the late 80s and the upper part was bench seating. This bench seating was split into three sections. The North Wing (next to what is now the Famous Five) The South Wing (next to what is now the south stand) and the Centre-Centre. To confuse things further, you sat down in the 'stand'.

Where the FF is was once a terraced then benched 'North Enclosure' or 'Cowshed'.

What is now the east always was but it used to be terraced then bench seated then bucket seated.

What is now the South Stand has always been the away end but used to be called the Dunbar end.

The posh rich folk did indeed sit in the centre stand and were taunted from the east with songs like 'They the real fairweather fans, sitting in the centre stand'.

Yes we used to taunt our own fans.

Going back further, it was the only place to get a good view of the game without getting p1ss wet through.

It did indeed become an eyesore but as a kid, it looked massive.

Don't recall the end sections of main stand being called 'Wings', 'North Stand' & 'South Stand' to me.
'North Enclosure' (and South Enclosure on other side of tunnel) was the terracing in front of the Main Stand.

[Eyrie]

It was always the North Stand to me.

[bawheid]

Definitely no bench seats in the east. Straight from terracing to buckets is my memory.

[Tomsk]

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‘the lower section was terracing until the late 80s’

Kinda did, just by another name. 😄

You did, fella. Sorry, cannae read.

[oneone73]

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Don't recall the end sections of main stand being called 'Wings', 'North Stand' & 'South Stand' to me.
'North Enclosure' (and South Enclosure on other side of tunnel) was the terracing in front of the Main Stand.

I remember the wing stands.

[Keith_M]

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Isn't it a bit later than that? If it was mid 60s then would the cooshed/cave have been built? And I would also think there would be far more hats/caps on display.

The roof was added to that end in the early sixties.


I found the picture on Twitter and it says 1960s in that as well.

[Keith_M]

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No, been in distilling all my working life. 35 years on 1st July!! My good mate Spike Mandela on here worked for them after moving through from Edinburgh after the brewery he worked in there shut down. But of a jinx that laddie!! Knew loads of folk who worked there. A few Hibbies in there

Where specifically do you work?

I studied at Stirling Uni and spent a year working at Blackgrange.

[weecounty hibby]

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Where specifically do you work?

I studied at Stirling Uni and spent a year working at Blackgrange.

Thats where I am now. When were you there and what did you do?

[hibee-boys]

My first few years of season tickets were in the North Stand, many a happy memory of sitting as a youngster stamping my feet to 'hi-bees'. Had one of the Proclaimers sitting a couple of seats along for a season, Grant Stott's dad sitting in front. My dad informed me that a then member of parliament sat beside me for a couple of season, older gent......perhaps someone can confirm if that would be correct?

[weecounty hibby]

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My first few years of season tickets were in the North Stand, many a happy memory of sitting as a youngster stamping my feet to 'hi-bees'. Had one of the Proclaimers sitting a couple of seats along for a season, Grant Stott's dad sitting in front. My dad informed me that a then member of parliament sat beside me for a couple of season, older gent......perhaps someone can confirm if that would be correct?

Probably Martin O'Neill. Used the be Labour MP for Clackmannanshire. Met him a number of times at the Alloa Hibs SC POTY dances. I'm sure I have a picture of him and I together when I was younger

[Liberal Hibby]

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The roof was added to that end in the early sixties.


I found the picture on Twitter and it says 1960s in that as well.

Thanks

[Forza Fred]

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Yeah sorry that’s what I meant to post George Stewart, Watty and Frank Dougan were the guys.

Big Wattie no longer with us...I actually saw Ivan’s hatricks at Ibrox in the company of Big Wattie and the legendary Maude MacFarlane.

I know exactly the group you described which also included the Two Ronnie’s, Ferguson and Williamson.

[lord bunberry]

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Don't recall the end sections of main stand being called 'Wings', 'North Stand' & 'South Stand' to me.
'North Enclosure' (and South Enclosure on other side of tunnel) was the terracing in front of the Main Stand.

I definitely remember them being called wing stands. The terms in which things are described change frequently in football. For some reason season tickets became season books for a while and the Dunbar end became the away end. We had the cave and the cow shed and shaws heights, and ultimately the east.

[Scouse Hibee]

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Big Wattie no longer with us...I actually saw Ivan’s hatricks at Ibrox in the company of Big Wattie and the legendary Maude MacFarlane.

I know exactly the group you described which also included the Two Ronnie’s, Ferguson and Williamson.

They certainly made my introduction to Hibs a decent experience, great memories of my early days at Easter Road,hence I’m still there nearly thirty years later 😁

[lord bunberry]

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Big Wattie no longer with us...I actually saw Ivan’s hatricks at Ibrox in the company of Big Wattie and the legendary Maude MacFarlane.

I know exactly the group you described which also included the Two Ronnie’s, Ferguson and Williamson.

When I was younger I was a typical young guy full of myself. I couldn’t care what anyone said to me when I was out having a drink with my mates. I was a member of the Hawkhill branch and the only thing I feared was Maude coming over and giving me a telling off. I know I wasn’t the only one but she really took me under her wing. She was a great woman.