Mercer merger - 20 years on: Pat Stanton recalls the joy of beating takeover bid

PAT STANTON has enjoyed the thrill of lifting a major trophy as captain of Hibs, but today he admitted even the joy of beating Celtic to take the League Cup was surpassed by victory in fighting off Wallace Mercer's takeover bid.

Like every Hibs fan, the Easter Road legend was stunned when told of the Hearts chairman's audacious attempt to takeover his Capital rivals in a move which, effectively, would have brought the end to a club founded in 1875.

As the great, great, great nephew of Hibs founder and first captain Michael Whelahan, Stanton's emotions probably ran higher than most but, now 20 years on, he revealed his real fear that the club could have gone under.

He said: "It hadn't been a settled time for Hibs but there wasn't any real build-up, it just suddenly happened. It took a lot of people by surprise but at first I really did not believe it.

"But, as more and more started to come out, people began to realise it was serious, was it going to be an amalgamation or was the team just doing to disappear? That was the big worry.

"I can remember fans gathering at Easter Road, wandering around wondering what was going on, what was going to happen.

"Everything moved very quickly, the Hands off Hibs campaign was up and running within hours, there was the rally at Easter Road with fans from all sorts of clubs supporting us.

"To be honest, I was really taken aback by the strength of feelng, the emotions running so deep. The Hibs fans were simply determined that it wasn't going to happen, they weren't going to let it happen and they'd do everything the could to stop it happening."

Stanton believes Mercer was guilty of a misjudgment saying: "If the thought was there's 15,000 at that club and another 20,000 over there, let's put them together, call the team whatever you want, and expect a crowd of 35,000, it doesn't work like that.

"Hibs fans support the green and white, just likes Hearts fans want to see their team in maroon.

"It was a battle they were determined to win. Hibs survived, we are still here today and the fact we are still talking about it 20 years on shows the huge part the club plays in the lives of so many. You just couldn't think of Hibs not being here."