Classic match: Hibs 1, Hearts 5; January 1, 1960

Published on Monday 12 January 2009 09:12

IT had been a long time since Hearts gave their supporters such a happy New Year. Not only did they beat Hibs in most decisive fashion, they did it with a brand of football which suggested that the league flag was on its way to Tynecastle.

From goal to outside left there wasn't a weak link in the Hearts set-up. Their defensive plan to outwit the high-scoring Hibs' forward line operated with a silky smoothness and strangely enough did not detract from their power and tenacity in attack.

It was a win conceived on the inimitable Tynecastle blueprint and carried out by high-grade craftsmen.

Right from the start Hearts were probing at Hibs' weaknesses and by the end they had exploited each and every one.

Mind you, in the first half spectators saw many an exciting glimpse of Hibs' forward power and they were, indeed, unlucky to be two goals down at half-time.

But their first-half fight was not a thing of team splendour. It was a series of raids and repulses inspired by the individual rather than the team.

That's where Hearts scored. A fluid defence, in front of a confident keeper, never allowed itself to get flustered as the great John Cumming and a tenacious Andy Bowman set about establishing a midfield grip, while a devastating attack continued to terrorise the Hibs defence.

In the end, Hearts were well worth their 5-1 success.

With every man in defence playing his part, Jimmy Milne did not have a worrying afternoon against Joe Baker, although the Hibs youngster was considerably slowed up by one or two tough tackles in the opening stages.

The man who came in for the first toast of the new year was John Cumming.

He urged Hearts on to victory with a tremendous attacking spell at the start of the second half when he had Jacky Wren hopping around Hibs' goal to thwart three tremendous shots.

And there was a toast to Alex Young – brilliant at inside right with three goals to his credit.

Also a toast for Gordon Smith, who came on to a grand game and sealed his first New Year's Day outing for the "other side" with a fine goal.

Willie Bauld stole the Baker thunder with an intelligent display at centre forward.

Hibs, their weakness in goal underlined, their shakiness at full back exploited to the full and their lack of pace on the left wing painfully apparent, had but one big success – Jackie Plenderleith.

He had the misfortune to put through his own goal – but then it was a straightforward task to beat Wren in goal.

Hearts, tough and tenacious to the tackle, yards faster to the ball than Hibs, were ahead in seven minutes. Young popped the ball home after Wren had failed to reach a header by Bauld and it came back off the post.

Hibs were denied a penalty when Baker was brought down by Thomson in the tenth minute and then lost a goal in the 17th when Young harassed Plenderleith into heading past his own keeper.

Hibs had their moments in attack. Baker and Johnstone came close, and none nearer than Baker when he struck the upright.

In the 53rd minute, Young, after Wren had pushed out a Bauld shot scored Hearts third. But when Johnstone headed home a Young free-kick it looked as if Hibs might storm back.

Young ended that hope with the goal of the match within a minute. His veering run and cracking shot gave Wren no chance.

In the 73rd minute, Hibs legend Smith rubbed it in and left fans with the thought: "Who can possibly deprive this great Hearts team of the title?"

Of course, no-one could, and the Jam Tarts went on to clinch the championship by four points from Kilmarnock.

Hibs: Wren, Grant, McClelland, J Young, Plenderleith, Baxter, McLeod, Johnstone, Baker, Preston, Ormond.

Hearts: Marshall, Kirk, Thomson, Cumming, Milne, Bowman, Smith, A Young, Bauld, Blackwood, Hamilton.