Remembering the record crowd of 65,680 that took in 1950 New Year derby between Hearts and Hibs

The ghostly and surreal atmosphere that has faced Scotland's footballers in virtually empty stadia due to the circumstances forced on the game by the coronavirus pandemic is a far cry from the situation that faced the players of Hearts and Hibs before the 1950 New Year derby at Easter Road.
Mounted police were brought in to maintain order among the record crowdMounted police were brought in to maintain order among the record crowd
Mounted police were brought in to maintain order among the record crowd

At the halfway stage of the campaign, the Easter Road side were in a much better position points-wise than during their championship year in 1948 and were favourites to win the all-Edinburgh clash.

During World War II thousands of men had been conscripted into the armed forces and starved of their favourite pastime. The immediate post-war period had seen games watched by crowds in unprecedented numbers. Because of the colossal amount of supporters attending games at Easter Road it had been decided to increase the capacity of the ground. Work had been steadily progressing to extend the main terracing to increase the capacity to just under 70,000.

Record crowd expected

The matchday programme for the gameThe matchday programme for the game
The matchday programme for the game
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To act as a windbreaker and help contain a likely record crowd, seven-foot high fencing had been installed at the southern end of the ground before the derby. Sizeable queues started to form well over an hour before the gates opened at noon for the 2.15pm kick-off, and at 2pm the turnstiles were closed with thousands locked out.

Of those fortunate enough to have gained entry, hundreds were said to have made their way to the exits before kick-off, finding it almost impossible to see the pitch.

Edinburgh’s biggest ever football crowd of 65,840 – an incredible increase on the previous record for a game in Edinburgh and several thousand more than watched Celtic draw 1-1 with Rangers at Parkhead that same afternoon – crammed into Easter Road to watch the traditional holiday fixture.

Queues were said to have stretched four or five deep along both sides of Albion Road, up Easter Road almost as far as London Road, and down as far as Dalmeny Street with similar queues at the St Clair Street and Hawkhill entrances. Mounted police were sent from the High Street in an attempt to maintain order and they struggled to control the masses both outside the ground and around the perimeter of the pitch.

Injuries and deaths

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It was only by good fortune that no serious injuries resulted. Ambulance workers treated mostly minor injuries on the pitch before the game, with those more serious transported to the makeshift casualty station set up inside Albion Road School.

Five people were taken to hospital. It was later reported that two people had died due to the effects of the crushing; one at the match itself, the other shortly after arriving home from the game.

A severe overspill at the north end delayed kick-off to allow supporters to be accommodated elsewhere, and proceedings eventually got under way several minutes late with hundreds of supporters lining the trackside threatening to spill on to the playing surface. Those that were able saw Hearts win 2-1 to hand Hibs their first home league defeat of the season.

A memorable encounter

In the first half of a game described as "one of the most memorable matches between the Edinburgh rivals" Hearts withstood severe pressure with visiting goalkeeper Wilson Brown in outstanding form, and it was during this period that Hibs took the lead.

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On the half-hour mark, a tremendous run by Willie Ormond left a number of defenders sprawling in his wake and his cross found Gordon Smith who bulleted a powerful header past Brown from an acute angle.

After the break Hearts were much the better side. Seven minutes after the restart Alfie Conn fired a fierce drive past Tommy Younger after a great move involving the entire Hearts forward line. Although the visitors were well on top, both sides were still finding opportunities hard to come by until midway through the half when a Tam McKenzie free kick into the Hibs box struck a defender, allowing Jimmy Wardhaugh to score the winner past the unsighted Younger.

Only a couple of great saves by Brown denied Hibs a deserved share of the points. The result still left Hibs top of the table with 29 points from 16 games.

Ticketing complaints

There had been complaints regarding Hibs’ pricing policy and ticketing arrangements. With 7/6 (75p) Centre Stand tickets changing hands for as much as £2 (£69 today) there had been numerous allegations that when tickets had gone on sale at a time when most supporters were still at work individuals, particularly young boys, had been paid to queue for others.

Hibs sued by fan

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There was a sombre postscript to the game. More than a year later Hibs were sued by a 71-year-old supporter for injuries he had received during the match. William Brand, a retired pub manager who lived in Rossie Place just off Easter Road, sought £750 (£23,713 in today's money) in compensation claiming he had been knocked unconscious at the game, breaking several ribs and suffering severe shock when he was crushed against a wall as he attempted to climb to safety from the swaying crowd. Brand further alleged that police and stewards had been unable to contain the “grossly excessive number of spectators at the match” and that he had spent nearly a month in hospital.

Club lawyers insisted all possible precautions had been taken with more than the normal number of stewards on duty, and that the number of injuries were not excessive for the size of the crowd.

Record crowd

The attendance remains to this day the record for a football match played in Edinburgh, although Hearts’ League Cup semi final against Celtic at Murrayfield in 2018 came close with 61,161.

The Hibs v Rangers Scottish Cup semi-final in 1948 at Hampden attracted a crowd of 143,000; still the record attendance outside of a cup final or international match in British football. The record for a domestic game in Scotland remains the 118,567 that saw Rangers defeat Celtic at Ibrox on 2nd January 1939.

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