The Eddie Turnbull Diaries – Part II
Welcome to a captivating journey through the pages of The Rise and Eventual Fall of Turnbull's Tornadoes by Tom Wright, where the spotlight falls on the remarkable life of Eddie Turnbull—a legendary figure in the world of football.
In this two part blog series we will be highlighting some of the fascinating stories from Eddie Turnbull.
Eddie Turnbull had begun to change the fortunes at Easter Road.
As many clubs were reporting drops in attendance, the fortunes of Hibs had even begun to affect their popularity, with around 160,000, over 17,500 more on average a game. This would not be beaten until the season of 2017/18.
Hibs would face Rangers in the Dryborough Cup in 1973-74, putting their skills and tactics to the test, even amongst the friction and collision of the Hibs, Rangers divide. The victory somehow managed to end up in Hibs’ court, even after an on-pitch spillover in the second half by fans escaping the explosive clash. A Tony Higgins goal in extra time secured the victory for the Hibees.
The final would prove to be just as hard for the green side of Edinburgh, as they encountered the eight-time league winners Celtic in a hard-fought final. Both teams were fraught with chances, Dalglish for Celtic hitting the crossbar, thus extra time was expectant for both teams. Alex Gordon ended up being the lucky charm for Hibs, securing the cup for a second season in a row, with the ball poking past Hunter of Celtic.
Turnbull continued to show the importance of tactical management, the first game of the season against Morton meant using substitutes effectively, two changes that would eventually see the game turn on its head and Hibs win 4-1.
A further 1-0 victory over Dumbarton would be Pat Stanton’s 500th game for the club. His arrival to the club was one of complete surprise, having trained at Easter Road in the evenings from the age of 14 but this being belated having not been offered (which would have been expected), a provisional contract.
An interesting fact is that Stanton could have gone to Hearts, if not for his mother, who had suggested that the family home was closer to Easter Road from Niddrie and therefore cheaper on the bus. Of course, his Hibs legacy speaks for itself and, thankfully, he made a firm residence at Easter Road.
The opening League game was seen to be won by Hibs against Partick Thistle in trepidation for the derby game against rivals, Hearts, who went back to derby-winning ways, comfortable in their approach, Drew Busby adding to a goal tally.
Turnbull proved time and time again that he was a stickler for hard work and determination, each player adopting a ‘Hibs’ attitude in its entirety.
Stephanie Centola