M dad is now 86 and even though he stopped going to Hibs games many years ago, he is still a fan and asks me constantly my views on how things are going and he is never slow to voice an opinion of his own based on his many years of experience watching football. He went to his first Hibs game in 1944 and I used to think he was winding me up when he used to tell me the queues for big games could stretch right back to the top of Easter Road. Then I saw a recent photo online of such a queue snaking along Albion Road and I realised he was right enough all these years ! His memory is phenomenal and he can recite the Hibs line-ups from teams from matches in the 40's and 50's. He was at the derby in 1950 when there was 65,000 in Easter Road. He says to this day that Gordon Smith was the greatest player he has ever seen. His favourite game he ever attended was the 4-3 scottish cup win against Gunts at Tynecastle in 1958 when 17 year old Joe Baker scored all four Hibs goals. He was good mates with Lawrie Reilly for many years as he was a regular in the Bowlers Rest in Leith right back to when Lawrie played.
I remember a few years ago being at an open day at Easter Road with my dad, and as he checked a Hibs line-up photograph from the 50's, he quickly pointed out to Tom Wright the Hibs official historian that the goalkeeper in the photo was not the one that was named in the line-up, and he was able to identify who it was much to the consternation of Tom Wright ! I learned so much about Hibs great years from my dad. I envy him that he regularly watched Hibs greatest ever team.