Turnbull Euro Pioneer

[Greenman]

Turnbull proud to be a Euro pioneer

COLIN LESLIE


WHEN Eddie Turnbull and his Hibernian team-mates took Britain's first pioneering steps into the European Cup 50 years ago, against Rot-Weiss Essen, they were determined simply to keep the score respectable and return to Edinburgh with half a chance of staying in the competition.

But the nerves that had surrounded the prospect of playing on foreign soil, against the champions of a country they had been at war with only ten years earlier, soon evaporated as they found themselves roared on to a crushing 4-0 victory by thousands of British servicemen.

The soldiers' curiosity at the birth of the European Cup - the brainchild of Gabriel Hanot, editor of French sports newspaper L'Equipe - had not been shared back in Britain, where many haughtily considered the venture to be second-rate as neither the Scottish champions Aberdeen nor their English counterparts Chelsea were among the 16 teams who contested the inaugural competition.

Indeed, no national newspaper sent a reporter or photographer to the match, and only the Edinburgh Evening News carried an account of the game, noting in its five paragraphs that "thousands of British soldiers went wild with delight as the Easter Road side piled on the goals... and got a great reception at the finish."

Hibs, with their forward-thinking chairman Harry Swan at the helm and a number of international post-war tours already stamped on their passports, had been happy to fulfil the invitation and flew from Edinburgh to meet Rot-Weiss on 14 September, 1955 - a date etched in Easter Road folklore and one that will be commemorated in Essen this evening when the two clubs play a friendly to mark the 50th anniversary of the game.

"It's an experience that will live with me all my days," said Famous Five member Turnbull, his memory as sharp now as the penalty-box instincts that gave him the honour of becoming the first British player to score in the European Cup, firing past Fritz Herkenrath in the 35th minute.

"We ran out easy winners, but before the game we had actually been misled about the strengths of Essen, with Germany having won the World Cup the year before. They were a good side, but they were not a great side."

The German World Cup hero of 1954, Helmut Rahn, was Essen's star man at the time, and although he did not make the line-up, the German side was nevertheless peppered with internationals.

"We went there ready to pay them too much respect," said Turnbull. "We had been told going into the game that we should try not to lose by too many and hope that we could turn things round when we got back to Easter Road. But it didn't work out that way."

On their bus trip to the stadium, Hugh Shaw's side had been taken aback by the devastation the RAF had wrought on the city, and torrential rain added further to the spartan surroundings for Britain's first taste of European Cup football.

"It was a dreadful rainy night, but the British Army of the Rhine were there in great numbers and they certainly gave us some backing," recalled Turnbull, who had been in the Navy during the war, along with Willie Ormond.

Team-mate Tommy Preston had also lost his father in combat in Normandy, so the match did not lack spice on or off the pitch. "Aye, it (the war) was not forgotten," said Turnbull with a wry chuckle. "There were a few things being said by the players ... not for publication though."

Turnbull revealed the scoreline could have been even more convincing, had it not been for a mysterious decision. "Gordon Smith cut inside from the right wing and clocked one in with his left foot, and we thought we had won 5-0, but the referee said no. He said he had already blown his whistle for full-time before the ball crossed the line. I had never known anything like it, but 4-0 wasn't too bad a result."

A second Turnbull goal and strikes from Lawrie Reilly and Willie Ormond had ensured Hibs a comfortable cushion to defend in the return leg, which produced another bizarre tale.

Goalkeeper Tommy Younger, along with team-mates Smith and Reilly, had been delayed while away on international duty and Hibs were forced to field 19-year-old rookie keeper Bill Adams, who made his one and only appearance for the club.

"I was actually on my way to go and see the game and was going down Easter Road when I got a tap on the shoulder from John Fraser, who said I was playing," said Adams, who had been signed from Ormiston Primrose and had played only for the reserves. "I actually don't remember much about the game, I was so nervous, but I was called up on National Service the following year and never played again."

Having progressed to the quarter-finals 5-1 on aggregate, Hibs then overcame Swedish side Djurgaarden (including an "away" leg played at Firhill because of the severity of the winter in Stockholm), but lost out to Reims in the semi-finals, the French side in turn losing to Real Madrid in the inaugural final in Paris. Adams, now 69, and Turnbull, 82, will be among the guests of honour at a dinner to commemorate 50 years of European football for Hibs at Easter Road next Friday, where the wraps will come off an exhibition of memorabilia at the stadium, which will open to the public later in the season.

Tonight's meeting in Essen will be a celebration of friendship and the clubs' pride at having been involved in the embryonic European Cup, which in its Champions League format has evolved way beyond its roots.

"It's mammoth now," said Turnbull, "but it's great to have been involved. It just shows the foresight of Harry Swan. Bob Kelly the chairman of Celtic had said the European Cup wouldn't work, but our club helped proved otherwise."HIBS LEAD WAY

1955-56 EUROPEAN CUP

First round: v Rot-Weiss Essen: 4-0 (a) (Turnbull 2, Reilly, Ormond); 1-1 (h) (J Buchanan).

Quarter-final: v Djurgaarden: 3-1 (h) (Combe, Mulkerrin, og); 1-0 (n) (Turnbull pen).

Semi-final: v Reims: 0-2 (a); 0-1 (h)

[keithsansiro]

Excellent article Mr Greenman....Makes you proud to be a Hibby.

Hibs have always embraced & pioneered new thinking in football, also notably under the late Tom Hart....something the cheap green team can never ever claim. :o

As Always GGTTH