Sometimes it’s okay to wear Hibs colours if your Hearts are in the right place – Steve Cardownie

Hearts fan Steve Cardownie congratulates one fellow supporter who wore a Hibs strip to raise money for the NHS and recalls an encounter with then Hibs manager John Hughes.

John Hughes with Eric Milligan and Steve wearing Hibs scarves (Picture: Jeremy Stockton)

Fair do’s to Catriona Meachan, the Hearts supporter who donned a Hibs strip in order to raise £100 for the NHS. As a fellow Hearts supporter, I can appreciate the gesture and can also anticipate the good-humoured (hopefully) banter that it will attract.

The NHS is a worthy cause and wearing a Hibs top for a few minutes (again, hopefully) is a small price to pay to get her husband to stump up the dough. It reminded me of the time that I and the then Lord Provost, Eric Milligan, another Jambo, were at the Christmas-tree lighting event at the “Fit o’ the Walk” one year when we were joined on the platform by the then Hibs manager, John “Yogi” Hughes.

Before the event kicked off Yogi reached into his “Paisley briefcase” (a plastic bag) and pulled out two Hibs scarves which he proceeded to place around our shoulders with his customary grin plastered all over his coupon.

After I picked Eric up from the floor, we smiled and waved to the wee crowd that had gathered near the tree.

Now for me it wasn’t that much of a big deal. My father was a Hibs supporter as were his four brothers and having spoken at the “Hands off Hibs” campaign rallies at Easter Road and The Usher Hall back in 1990 I was just pleased that the club was still in existence and was not about to concern myself about wearing the wee team’s colours for a bit of fun. I am not too sure Eric would share that sentiment though. As I looked over I could clearly see that he had been traumatised by the experience and had to buy him a few pints of Best in The Central Bar before his face returned to its normal colour.

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