1/24/2024 0 Comments Alex gordon game logWe were doing voluntary sessions at Mary Erskine School on Tuesdays and Thursdays – I went to every single session because I didn’t go on holiday that year, I got really fit. “We had a long summer break between winning Division 1 and starting the season in the Premier League. “I’d been watching them for the last two or three years from my season ticket seat - it was a crazy experience but a brilliant one.”Īfter making his mark in the youth team, Ian worked hard to make his First Team debut – with some extra summer training paying off during the 1999/00 season. “I was already nervous and I had Pat McGinlay, Barry Lavety, John Hughes, Shaun Dennis and these characters walking past me in the corridor, it was completely bizarre. I remember having a season ticket at Easter Road and then after the summer I was going in to play with the club - it was a bit surreal. “The year I joined Hibs they had just been relegated to Division 1. “I can look back now and say that regardless of the hard time I got it didn’t change my mind – I was going to Hibs.”ĭuring his time at Dundee United, Ian retained his season ticket at Easter Road with his dad and brother, attending matches in the East Stand when his own fixture schedule would allow. Jim McLean was manager at the time, he didn’t take any prisoners in those sorts of situations and I was only 15 or 16 – I’ll never forget the dressing down he gave me that day. “I told Dundee United I didn’t want to sign about a week before they were expecting me to. I had signed a contract with Dundee United and they wanted me to go full time. “I came home from school one day and I was lying in my bed - someone from Hibs phoned my parents and I was up like a shot. “It was great seeing the players in the warm up because they used to make it look so effortless and I couldn’t understand how they made it seem so easy.”Īfter learning his trade at Edinburgh’s Hutchison Vale, Ian signed for Dundee United at the age of 15 before Hibs showed an interest in bringing him to Easter Road. I don’t know why because I wasn’t a goalkeeper but I used to love watching him. “My favourite player by a mile was Andy Goram. “We’d hear the clinks of the coins raining down onto the advertising boards – our heads were down because we didn’t want to get hit but we thought it was great that loads of money was being chucked on and we picked it up on the way to the tunnel.”Īs a youngster Ian had an unlikely Hibs hero, with a goalkeeper drawing his attention on regular early visits to Easter Road. “We always hoped when we played Hearts, Rangers or Celtic that we’d be behind the away goal because we knew that coins were going to get thrown over towards the players. When the big games came around Ian knew exactly where he wanted to be placed during the matches, with an opportunity to make some pocket money from an unusual source. I was so lucky to see the players so close at such a young age.” “Paul Gascoigne came to Easter Road with Rangers and gave us all money after taking shots into us during the warm ups. “I remember standing at the side of the pitch and Steven Tweed, who was massive in comparison to me, stood on my toe – I’ve never felt pain like it before, it lasted the whole game! The opportunity to get up close to some household names as a young fan left Ian with many fond memories, but not all of his encounters ended positively. “I actually got paid at Meadowbank - we got nothing at Easter Road but it wasn’t about the money for me, it was a chance to see Hibs.” When he started playing football on a Saturday, I took over from him at Easter Road. “My brother was a ball boy at Hibs and I was for Meadowbank Thistle so we’d both work at the matches at the weekends. My first memories were at home where Hibs were engrained into me - when we got to school we were already Hibs supporters.”Īs a young boy Ian was afforded the chance to get very close to the action on the east side of Edinburgh, spending his Saturday afternoons fetching stray footballs for two of the city’s league clubs. Like many young fans Ian’s affiliation to Hibernian came from his family, with the club making a mark on him before he took his first steps in education. As a supporter, Easter Road ball boy, player (twice), captain and now opposition coach, Ian’s ties to Hibs are deep rooted and long lasting.
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