Hibee history: Joe's nap hand does for Thirds

HIBS and Third Lanark battled out an incredible match at Easter Road as they shared 12 goals – and Joe Baker got five of them against a team which, having been one of the founder clubs in Scottish football, was destined to be snuffed out of existence just seven years later.

A four-man man deputation from Newcastle United had made a vain bid of 30,000 for the Hi-Hi's David Hilley before this game. If this was a true market value, it is no exaggeration to say that Baker shot himself into the 60,000 bracket with his "nap hand" for Hibs.

Quite apart from his goals, Baker stamped his personality all over the game.

Now the Baker boy had shot his way back to confidence, defences up and down the country would have been preparing themselves for real trouble.

A year later, Baker would join up with Manchester City's Denis Law in an ill-fated venture with Torino in Italy but that must have seemed a world away from this game at Easter Road. It was a pity that this refreshing afternoon's work by the forwards would be marred by defensive uncertainty. But it was to Third Lanark's credit that they kept on fighting.

Hibs relied on the team which took a point from Clyde at Shawfield the previous week with John Baxter at inside left and Jim Scott on the right wing.

Third Lanark took the lead after only two minutes when a well-placed free-kick by Lewis evaded keeper Ronnie Simpson and Goodfellow nipped in to score.

In eight minutes, Baker scored from a corner and, less than a minute later, he put Hibs ahead – this time dribbling past Robertson after good work by Grant and Baxter before shooting into an empty net.

What a good start by Baker yet better was to come. With the Cathkin Park side bewildered, the centre forward gave Ally McLeod a through pass and then raced into position to complete the smartest of hat-tricks.

Former Third Lanark player McLeod was destined to play on with Hibs for another three years before returning to the Cathkin Park side in an odyssey that only brought him infamy – managership of the Scotland side in the World Cup finals debacle of 1978.

But this game was all about Baker and three goals in three minutes was great going even for this talented performer.

In 14 minutes, the score was 3-2 thanks to another close range effort from Goodfellow. Scott made it 4-2 to Hibs in this astonishing spectacle and it remained that way until the second half. In 54 minutes, Baker scored with a long shot but Third Lanark refused to give up and Gray made it 5-3.

Yet still the goals came. In 59 minutes, Baxter headed in a Fraser free-kick to take Hibs' total for the day to six.

But there was simply no holding Baker now and he raced round McCallum and placed a perfect centre in 64 minutes to give Baxter an easy header.

Hilley made it 7-4 from long range before Baker completed his first "nap hand" to make it 8-4. And the scoring could have been more if Simpson hadn't saved two penalties for Hibs. However, Hibs fans will just have been delighted if the attack could keep up the brilliant form which in 1960 made the prospects at Easter Road seem very bright indeed.

Hibs: Simpson, Fraser, McLelland, Grant, Easton, Baird, Scott, Preston, Baker, Baxter, McLeod.