Hearts 0 Hibernian 7

January 1st, 1973, Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh.

attendance: 36,000

half time – 0-5

– the largest ever winning margin between the two teams in an competitive game

– One of the largest wins by an away team in the Scottish League’s history

– neither team has scored as many goals against each other since

Heart of Midlothian
  • Garland
  • Clunie
  • Jefferies
  • Thomson
  • Anderson
  • Wood
  • Park
  • Brown
  • Ford
  • Carruthers
  • Murray

Sub
  • Lynch
Hibernian
  • Jim Herriot
  • John Brownlie
  • Erich Schaedler
  • Pat Stanton
  • Jim Black
  • John Blackley
  • Alex Edwards
  • Jimmy O’Rourke
  • Alan Gordon
  • Alex Cropley
  • Arthur Duncan

Sub
  • Hamilton

Referee – Mr J.P.R. Gordon of Newport on Tay, who replaced W.Mullen who was ill

On New Year’s Day 1973 , Hibernian were sitting second in the old Scottish First Division, with only Jock Stein’s legendary Celtic team ahead of them. Hibs were an attractive footballing team, but still carried a physical presence. Hibs had already had landed two trophies that season, the Drybourgh Cup, in which they defeated Celtic, and more significantly, the League Cup, won the month previous to the game, with Celtic again the losers. Hibs manager Eddie Turnbull took his side to Tynecastle Park for the Edinburgh Derby full of confidence, and a Hibs win was expected, especially as Hearts had failed to beat Hibs in the previous 14 clashes. Hibs needed to win by six clear goals to go top of the league , as Celtic’s game against Rangers had been postponed due to large numbers of the Celtic team coming down with flu. However few in the packed stadium would have thought they could go one better and that they would witness one of Hibs’ finest ever victories…

You said it – 0-7 quotes

“Ironically on the telly that day was the film “Zorro”, I always remember thinking that it’s swish resembled a seven”

* Jimmy O’Rourke

“I got a lift to the game from Jimmy O’Rourke, and when he picked me up I jumped in, shook hands with him, said Happy New Year, and I asked him “So what do you think?”. Jimmy replied “I think it’s going to be one of these
1-2-3-4-5 cases, which of course it turned out to be”

* Alan Gordon

“One of the Hearts players had described us before the game as cowboys. I told the players to go out and show them that they weren’t cowboys, they were really class players”

* Eddie Turnbull

“I don’t think for one minute that the Hearts players were as up for the game as we were”

* Alex Cropley

“People ask me why I told the players to slacken off in the second half, but that wasn’t the case at all. I told them to carry on the way they had been playing, as Hearts would do exactly
the same to us if they had the chance”

* Eddie Turnbull

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