'Springs in legs, beating John Parrott' - Andy Goram: Ex-Hibs chief sends message to former Easter Road and Rangers keeper

Hibs goalkeeper Andy Goram takes possession as Hearts winger John Colquhoun looks on during a goalless Edinburgh derby in March 1988Hibs goalkeeper Andy Goram takes possession as Hearts winger John Colquhoun looks on during a goalless Edinburgh derby in March 1988
Hibs goalkeeper Andy Goram takes possession as Hearts winger John Colquhoun looks on during a goalless Edinburgh derby in March 1988
The Hibs chairman when Andy Goram signed for the Easter Road club in 1987 has sent his best wishes to the former goalkeeper after it was revealed he is being treated for cancer.

Rangers’ official website last week reported the 58-year-old was in hospital and Goram has since received messages of support from throughout the football community.

David Duff met Goram as recently as last summer in Edinburgh while researching a book detailing his time at the helm at Hibs, which included the infamous takeover attempt by Hearts owner Wallace Mercer. The Easter Road club withstood these efforts with the help of supporters and Hibs won the League Cup just over a year later against Dunfermline.

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Goram had left for Rangers by the time of that triumph but had already distinguished himself for several seasons at Easter Road. He made his European debut against Hungarian side Videoton and even scored a goal against Morton. He gifted one of his Scotland international jerseys to Duff.

“There is a generation of Hibbies my age who would always wish him the best,” said the former chairman. “This is a guy who is a proper Hibee. He was a Hibs great. He would always make us laugh. He would come to all the dinners, he was a joker and very kind.

“I know he went on to be something Hibs fans don’t like. But that does not detract from the fact he spent four years with us and they were productive years. He and John Collins were the cornerstones of that team and that era. I would like to say on behalf of those of a certain age how sad it is to hear about his challenges.”

Duff enjoyed a drink with Goram in August in Edinburgh. “I met him to discuss some stories in the book. We sat outside on George Street and about six or seven people came up and shook his hand. He was a remarkable ambassador for us. Very flawed but a remarkable ambassador.

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“He seemed well, and happy and buzzing. He told me that without Hibs he would never have had the career he had.”

Hibs manager Alex Miller signed Goram from Oldham Athletic in October 1987. “Joe Royle was Oldham manager,” recalled Duff. “Andy got into a bit of trouble with one of the coaches there. He had chucked a bottle on the bus and it had hit one of the coaching staff. Joe Royle decided that he had to let him go though he rated him as a goalkeeper.

“It might have been Martin Ferguson who put him on to us – he was our reserve team manager. I think his brother, Alex, had said there was a decent goalie at Oldham. He came up and he looked nothing like a goalkeeper was expected to look. He was short but he had springs in his legs and probably the best hand to eye coordination you have ever seen in your life. He saw where shots were going before they had even been kicked.

“It made him a great cricketer – though we had to ban him from playing! It also made him a great snooker player. I remember he beat the future world champion John Parrott in a three-frame challenge at Frank Graham’s snooker club.”

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