Stanton renews his family's grasp on integral piece of Hibs' history

Colin Leslie
WHEN Pat Stanton is today presented by Cardinal Keith O'Brien with the first trophy ever won by Hibernian, he will be holding the same handsome piece of silverware proudly paraded round the streets of the Cowgate by his great, great uncle Michael Whelahan in the 19th century.
The original Edinburgh Cup has nestled snugly in historic St Patrick's Church since Hibs took permanent custody of it as three-time winners in 1881, but this afternoon it will be welcomed into a new home from home when it is handed over to the club during half-time of the match against Aberdeen.

It is a moment that will stir powerful emotions in Stanton, who was reared on romantic stories about his famous forebear Whelahan, who he went on to emulate as a legendary captain of the Easter Road club.

Following the handover, the Edinburgh Cup – which was replaced by the same East of Scotland Shield which Hearts and Hibs reserves still compete for to this day – will take pride of place in a display cabinet in the Easter Road boardroom along with the reserve trophy, which has also been housed in St Patrick's since 1881.

"To touch the same trophies that would have been handled by the same people that founded Hibs all these years ago is very special to me," said Stanton.

"I think over the years Hibs and Hearts have done very well in recognising the community they have originated from and celebrating their roots and with there being so much cynicism surrounding football at the moment, something like this is a breath of fresh air and it gives me a sense of pride to be part of it in any way."

St Patrick's have kindly allowed Hibs to showcase the trophies while a major refurbishment takes place to the Old Town church building, where Canon Edward Hannan gave his approval for Hibs to be founded in 1875, initially to help serve the large community of Irish immigrants living in the Cowgate.

Whelahan was elected the club's first captain, practice was held in the Meadows, and meetings were held in the YMCA hall which doubled as a clubhouse in nearby St Mary's Street. On the pitch, Hibs quickly made giant strides but after a five-game epic in the 1878 Edinburgh Cup final, including a few bruising and controversial encounters, they eventually lost out to Hearts.

The following season the teams fought out a draw in front of 4,000 spectators at Powburn, close to what is now Mayfield Road on the south side of the city, but Hibs were to finally get their hands on the cup for the first time, when Whelahan led them to a 2-0 victory in Corstorphine in 1879.

These were nomadic times for Hibs and after moving from Powderhall to Mayfield, they moved again to a new ground at Easter Road in early 1880, not at the present site but close to where Bothwell Street now stands.

They beat Dunfermline in a one-sided final at Powderhall, first winning 6-3, but having to replay the game two weeks later after a protest about crowd encroachment was upheld, only to make it 5-0 second time round.

The rules of the Edinburgh FA were that if a club won the trophy in three successive years it was theirs to keep, and this caused consternation among their rivals, notably Hearts, who lobbied a motion "that the Edinburgh FA request Hibernian Football Club to withdraw from the said Association in consequence of the unfair and brutal play exhibited by them on the field and the rough usage that the players are subjected to after the game'. The motion was thrown out, but only just, and Hibs were free to mount their hat-trick bid in 1881.

A semi-final with Hearts gave Hibs their opportunity to exact revenge, and they did so in a match played at Powderhall, winning 3-1, although the Hearts president haughtily wrote a letter to The Scotsman insisting that the score had actually been 2-1!

Unperturbed, Hibs were in the final, and after coming from four goals down to salvage a draw with St Bernard's, they beat their Stockbridge opponents 1-0 in the replay at Easter Road to take permanent possession of the trophy.

The Scotsman's match report noted: "The event was witnessed by a large number of people. The play on both sides was extremely fine, with the result that the Hibernians become the final possessors of the cup, having secured three successive victories."

The club were also awarded the Second Eleven Cup for mirroring the feat at reserve level and St Patrick's have looked after the trophies ever since, while the Edinburgh Cup gave way to the newly-commissioned East of Scotland Shield.

However, a £2 million restoration project at the church has led to the kind loan of the silverware to the Hibernian Historical Trust, who plan to formally exhibit the trophies in coming weeks.

The trophies went on show at the Cowgate church for one final time last weekend, and the public were invited to be pictured alongside them. It attracted a stream of curious visitors, including Famous Five striker Lawrie Reilly and Whelahan's great, great, great grandson Paul Quinn, 15.

Some of Whelahan's descendants will join Stanton at today's ceremony, and the former Hibs skipper – who lifted the League Cup in 1972 – believes it will be a poignant occasion.

"This means a lot to me," he said. "When I was growing up, the older members of the family used to tell me about Michael Whelahan, and even when I started playing for Hibs I used to take a bit of a ribbing when they said he was a much better player than me.

"These were the first trophies that Hibs ever won, and although we will no doubt take stick from people asking where the Scottish Cup is (absent since 1902), it is good that the club are able to welcome them to Easter Road in this way."

Taken from the Scotsman