Source: TheGuardian
How Hibs became the first British club to play in the European Cup
Hibs had only finished fifth in the league in 1955 but they had floodlights, prestige and the foresight to see that a European competition would catch onBy Jon Spurling for Nutmeg, part of the Guardian Sport NetworkAlthough Hibernian had finished a disappointing fifth in the league in the 1954-55 season, they were entirely suited to be Scotland’s first representatives in the inaugural season of the European Cup. That was according to L’Équipe editor Gabriel Hanot, who decreed that a club’s past achievements and appeal to spectators were key to entry, rather than simply winning domestic titles.“The feeling is one of enormous pride that Hibernian are embracing a wonderfully exciting new European competition,” said Hibs manager Hugh Shaw. “My chairman, Mr Swan, has long since advocated a tournament between European club sides. As for some of the debate about which teams should or shouldn’t play in the new competition, I leave that to others to speculate. The politics of football doesn’t interest me.” Yet politicking had gone a long way to smoothing Hibernian’s path into the competition and there was no better politician in the game than Swan. Related: Hamish McAlpine, the goalscoring goalie who inspired a piano ballad Related: The Lisbon Lions 50 years later: still the greatest story ever told in Scottish sport Continue reading......read full article
