Meadow not first to try and put Hibs out to grass

Published on Wednesday 2 December 2009 08:41

Junior clubs may be new to the Scottish Cup but a trek through the history books reveals some equally unusual ties ...

ON 9 January Hibs will take on Ayrshire outfit Irvine Meadow at Easter Road which will mark the first occasion an SPL team has faced a junior side since the Scottish Cup format was revamped two years ago.

While an upset for Hibs might seem unlikely, a sift through the long history of their Scottish Cup matches will show up the odd defeat which might appear to today's football fan like an upset, against clubs either long-gone or now better known as junior sides.

In 1882, for example, Hibs lost 4-3 at home then 6-0 away to Arthurlie in the Scottish Cup. Arthurlie now play in the SJFA, West Region and are based at Dunterlie Park, Barrhead. But they were one of the founding members of the Scottish Football League and played as a senior league side until 1929.

Nor could defeats to the likes of Renton, South Western and Helensburgh be regarded as major shocks considering that such clubs were driving forces in the formative years of Scottish football. Indeed Renton went on to lift the trophy in 1885.

However, there do remain some notable examples of Hibs succumbing, or at least receiving considerable scares, to so called lesser teams in the Scottish Cup.

The current Armadale Thistle junior side was formed in 1935 but in their earlier years they produced several teams which competed at a higher level and got the better of a string of more illustrious clubs. One of them, inevitably, in the Scottish Cup, was Hibernian. Armadale Thistle had breezed through the Qualifying Cup of 1919-20 to enter the main tournament where they saw off first Clyde and then Hibs, who succumbed 1-0 at Volunteer Park.

The West Lothian team went on to beat Ayr after a replay before finally going out in the quarter-final to Kilmarnock, after a highly controversial 2-1 defeat.

Peebles Rovers, formed in 1893, first appeared in the competition back in 1907-08 when they lost 4-0 away to Celtic. In their first five appearances they were drawn away from home and managed to win three of these and draw two. Holding Hibernian to a 0-0 draw at Easter Road in 1923 was easily their best result in the Scottish Cup. Hibs did win the replay 3-0 and the Edinburgh side were to gain further revenge for that initial scoreless draw, dishing out a 15-1 Cup thrashing in February of 1961.

Edinburgh City, founded in 1928, joined the SFL as an amateur club in 1931 and remained a league member until 1949 when financial pressures forced a switch to junior status. They then went out of business in the mid 1950s. Whilst still in the league though Edinburgh City beat Hibs 3-2 at Easter Road in the first round of the Scottish Cup on 22 January, 1938.

The Edinburgh City side which now plays in the East Seniors Premier Division, and has made it through to the fourth round of this year's Scottish Cup to face Montrose, was re-formed from Postal United in 1986. In the modern era Hibs have until now managed to avoid any potentially hazardous fixtures with non-league sides in the Scottish Cup. But with their continuing jinx in the competition now comfortably extending the 100-year mark, everyone at Easter Road club will no doubt be intent on making sure Irvine Meadow are shown the utmost respect.