Ex coach Gordon Neely '˜molested boys at Hibs youth camp'

Hibs have vowed to cooperate after claims a former football coach molested boys at a Hibs youth training camp.
Gordon Neely in August 1985.Gordon Neely in August 1985.
Gordon Neely in August 1985.

Gordon Needy, who was a youth coach for the Edinburgh team in the 1980s, was sacked by Rangers in 1990 following the accusation of inappropriate behaviour.

Now a former player has claimed Needy would summon boys, of aged around 13, to his bedroom, where he would remove their shorts.

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Speaking to a national newspaper, the source, now in his 40s, claims he was molested at the Dalguise camp, near Dunkeld, where he trained in 1985.

He said: “I have a horrible pain in my stomach knowing he died without justice.

“Neely would watch from his bedroom with the window open and give instructions as we trained below.

“He would then select someone who was ‘not doing well’ and you were summoned to his room.

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“Depending on the reason he would bend us over his knees and pull our shorts down.

“The first time I was called I was trembling and when I walked in he just smirked and said ‘okay, not too bad, get over my knee and then you can back to training’.

“As soon as he finished it was shorts up, back to training then someone else’s turn a bit later.

“A few players I was close to had the same treatment and others had much worse.”

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The source added: “What I have suffered with over the years is that we all knew this was happening and we spoke about it, but never to anyone outside of us who had been abused.”

The claims were never reported to Hibs.

A Hibernian spokesman said: “We have not been contacted or made aware of the allegations but clearly this matter is of great concern and we will co-operate with any investigation to the fullest extent.”

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