Saturday 28th January 2005 - a wet, grey, misty day in Edinburgh. We arrived at the ground far too early due to being extra keen. One of our party confessed to not being able to sleep the night before and having been awake since 3.40am! This was a big one - win it, and we’d be a massive (and surely uncatchable) 9 points ahead of the wee team from the East end of Edinburgh. Lose, and the gap would be back at just 3 points. The crowd filled up the ground and there wasn’t an empty seat to be seen. TV cameras were there in force and the DJ was winding up the crowd, playing songs about the revolution.
Wallace Mercer was honoured with a minute’s applause, to drown out the hibee reaction. I felt a bit of a hypocrite, having stood outside the ground years ago calling for him to resign. However, he did save the club, and for that he deserved the tribute offered on Saturday.
By 15 minutes into the game it seemed as if it wasn’t going to go our way. Firstly we had lined up 4-5-1. We always play 4-4-2 and this seemed way too defensive, especially at home. Hibs then proceeded to have 3 fantastic efforts on goal, all of which Gordon actually saved. Lee Johnson, hereafter named Frodo in honour of his size and general appearance, was being a terrier.
However, then we had 3 great goals. Hartley finished off the first - elliot held the ball up, put it out wide to takis, who pushed it forward to rudi who crossed in for hartley to slide it home. Elliot then was clean through on the keeper but we all hung our heads in disbelief as he shot wide from very close up. Rudi got a flukey goal and Hartley converted the penalty (despite soming mooning at him from behind the goal) after rudi was brought down. Why wasn’t the hibs player sent off? It appeared to be a clear goalscoring opportunity. Unlike when takis got sent off.
We just knew it wouldn’t be the same in the 2nd half. and it wasn’t. Elliot got his 3rd goal in 17 (SEVENTEEN!!!) appearances after half time. Then hibs pulled one back and looked a bit better. Rix should have stepped up the pace and thrown on an extra striker at half time, to leave the pressure on hibs - but no, he persisted with 4-5-1 and when he did change, it was striker for striker. Weird. Anyway, the game petered out but was almost totally spoiled for me when some idiot behind me started making monkey noises to one of the black hibs players. I couldn’t see who it was, but it made me sick and ashamed.
Aside from that idiot, the real fact of the matter is that it was a great, and necessary result. Am still not convinced that Rix is the man. But with Aguiar, Beslija,, Makala and Goncalves all set to sign tomorrow, how can we be worried? 2nd place and into the champion’s league qualifiers will do me fine. Rangers think they are closing - but they aren’t. Do the math.
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