Hibee History: Eric Stevenson hat-trick as Hibs rout Hamilton

Hibs reached double figures for the second time in 1965-66 season when they swamped Hamilton Academicals.

It was no contest at Easter Road by half-time when the Hibees led 5-0, and they scored practically at will in the second half. It was the second time Hibs had scored 11 that season.

They put 11 past Alloa in the quarter-final of the Scottish League Cup at Easter Road in a match that included two four-goal hauls from Jim Scott and Neil Martin, as well as a goal for Joe Davis from the spot, Pat Quinn and Eric Stevenson.

Stevenson led the way against the Accies with a hat-trick, Jimmy O’Rourke and Jim Scott each got a brace, and even Joe Davis joined in the goal-scoring act alongside Davie Hogg and Peter Cormack.

A very small crowd of 7,000 saw Hibs run out without Pat Quinn, who was rested. Peter Cormack was at inside right, with O’Rourke in the No.10 jersey, and Hogg was on the right wing. Hibs scored after ten minutes. After an O’Rourke shot had broken off Stevenson, Cormack headed into the net. O’Rourke crashed in the second from a nice headed pass by John Baxter. Hamilton came back with Alexander bringing a save out of Wilson.

After the second of two quick corners, the goalkeeper saved from Anderson, but in the 26th minute Hibs were three up. O’Rourke looked like getting his head to a Hogg centre, but Small, dashing in with Bowman, turned the ball past his own goalkeeper.

O’Rourke had been “robbed” by this accidental deflection, but in 32 minutes he scored smartly by shooting low into the corner of the net after feinting to pass to his winger. Stevenson made it five a minute from the interval, when Cormack squared into the goalmouth.

It was learned during the interval that Hibs’ third goal had been scored by Forrest, who made contact as the ball was about to cross the line. Scott, who had been unlucky in his finishing in the first half, soon got off his mark. He beat Holton so completely on the right that the back fell and, with the Hamilton defence expecting a centre to O’Rourke, Scott beat Brown with a low, angled shot inside the near post, 6-0.

Scott, with a vicious left-foot shot, crashed in Hibs’ seventh goal in the 58th minute. One minute later Stevenson made it eight by turning in a piledriver from Davis.

In 60 minutes Hamilton were nine down from a deflected Davis shot. Still the “slaughter” continued. In the 62d minute Stevenson completed his hat-trick.

After 66 minutes Holton returned and two minutes later Anderson shot past Wilson to break Hamilton’s “duck.” Hogg scored goal No.11 for Hibs in 88 minutes.

The match left Hibs sitting in fifth place in the league after Rangers and Dunfermline both won their weekend matches 3-0 and 5-1 respectively.

Hibs did however close the gap to third placed Dundee United and second-placed Celtic after the two clubs drew their matches against Partick Thistle and Edinburgh rivals Hearts.

Hibs: Wilson, Simpson, Davis, Stanton, McNamee, Baxter, Hogg, Cormack, Scott, O’Rourke, E Stevenson.