Hibs and Sevilla: The forgotten feisty friendlies of the 1980s

As seasons go, the 1986/87 campaign could have been a lot worse for Hibs. True, there were many dark moments such as failing to find the net in the whole of December, being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Clydebank, and finishing just nine points above the relegation places.
Stevie Cowan forces Vicente Villalba into an error allowing Willie Irvine (not pictured) to scoreStevie Cowan forces Vicente Villalba into an error allowing Willie Irvine (not pictured) to score
Stevie Cowan forces Vicente Villalba into an error allowing Willie Irvine (not pictured) to score

But before the season started there were a couple of “glamour friendlies” to get out of the way.

One was against Chelsea; part of the agreement that saw Gordon Durie move to Stamford Bridge, and the other was a clash with Spanish side Sevilla.

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The Andalusians were not quite the formidable, Europa League specialists of the present day. The Eighties were relatively fallow for them, with just a handful of minor trophy successes to their name. Sevilla had finished ninth in La Liga the previous season with a palindromic record of 12 wins, 10 draws, and 12 defeats.

Hibs defender Mark Fulton sets off with Sevilla striker Ramon in hot pursuitHibs defender Mark Fulton sets off with Sevilla striker Ramon in hot pursuit
Hibs defender Mark Fulton sets off with Sevilla striker Ramon in hot pursuit

A seemingly random friendly against Hibs may have had something to do with then manager Jock Wallace, the Wallyford-born Rangers legend who had taken the reins at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium after his dismissal by the Ibrox side.

Mid-table opponents and Albuquerque mission

The Spanish side was not stacked with stars although defensive duo Nando and Ricardo Serna both went on to achieve great success at Barcelona, with the latter also winning honours with Real Madrid and Espanyol. Future Sevilla manager and long-serving left-back Manolo Jimenez and midfield stalwart Rafa Paz, both of whom went onto make more than 300 appearances for Los Nervionenses, were also part of Wallace's squad.

The matchday programme issued by Hibs neglected to carry a team for the visitors, but it did include a page on John Blackley’s five summer signings. Dubbed, surely at least semi-ironically, the “famous five” the new acquisitions were bought with the £400,000 fee received from Chelsea for Durie and comprised Billy Kirkwood, Stuart Beedie, Willie Irvine, Mark Caughey and George McCluskey.

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Caughey’s transfer was completed when Easter Road representatives embarked on a 12,000-mile round trip to Albuquerque in New Mexico where the Linfield forward was preparing for the 1986 World Cup with the Northern Ireland squad.

In his programme notes, manager Blackley had written of the club’s desire to at least repeat the previous season’s performances in the cup competitions, reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, and final of the League Cup, but stated that the primary aim was to qualify for Europe. Hibs fell well short of those targets, exiting both cups at the fourth-round stage and finishing 25 point adrift of the European spots.

The Hackers of Seville

As for the match itself, it’s fair to say that it wasn’t quite played in the spirit of most friendly encounters as Sevilla finished the match with nine men, while a further three players were booked.

Goals from Moisés and Jesús Choya had given the Spaniards a two-goal advantage inside the opening half-hour but Hibs, sporting their white away kit, grew into the game and just shy of the hour mark Willie Irvine bundled the ball over the line as Sevilla ‘keeper Vicente Villalba made a meal of dealing with a Steve Cowan effort.

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Conceding the goal appeared to anger the visiting players with some agricultural tackles flying in. Moisés was sent off just three minutes after the goal for a shocker of a foul on Beedie and as Hibs ramped up the pressure in search of an equaliser, centre-back José Ramón Nimo was dismissed for two yellow cards, both for fouls on Joe Tortolano in the last ten minutes.

Wallace was understood to be less than pleased with his players’ actions with Cowan and Gordon Chisholm ruled out of the Chelsea match through injury.

Wallace and Gray linked with Hibs as return friendly agreed

Despite the bad-tempered August meeting, a second friendly was agreed and Hibs travelled to Andalusia in December for the return match. Media reports at the time suggested that chairman Kenny Waugh was attempting to identify a new manager after Blackley’s resignation at the same time as he was travelling to Spain to thrash out the terms of the return game.

Such was the timing of Waugh’s trip that speculation mounted he was trying to convince Wallace to return to Scotland but he insisted in November 1986: “I didn’t even speak to Jock about the vacancy.”

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Andy Gray, then playing for Aston Villa, was also said to be in the running. Waugh denied this as well and when Villa told Hibs it would cost them £75,000 to land Gray as player-manager attentions turned to St Mirren boss Alex Miller.

Shame in Spain but ship steadied

Miller was eventually appointed on Friday, December 5, with his first game in charge against former club Rangers on the Saturday. Hibs picked up their second point in three days after a goalless draw at Clydebank, and attentions turned to the Spanish trip.

Any hopes that the winter encounter may have been more cordial than the August clash were extinguished when Paul Kane received his marching orders and yellow cards were dished out to John Collins, Joe McBride, and Gordon Rae in front of 10,000 spectators. Sevilla ran out 2-0 winners but Miller focused on the positives after the match.

He played down the stormy nature of the game, labelling it “pretty tame”, adding: “It wasn’t a physical game and even Jock agreed that some of the decisions were ridiculous.

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“But, it gave me a chance to look at a few other players in a game. So in that respect, the exercise was worthwhile.”

Hibs lost three on the bounce on their return from Seville, but Miller eventually steadied the ship as the Easter Road side avoided relegation.

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