Easter Road (Hibernian v St Mirren)

Every five years I have to take a day off to go to Dutch consulate in Edinburgh to renew my Netherlands passport. As my passport had already expired in January and I have a groundhopping trip to Holland booked in for April I had to do this as soon as possible and I decided to make the appointment with the consulate on Wednesday 2nd February as this date coincided with Hibs v St Mirren. This SPL game was originally scheduled for 4th December last year but it had fallen victim to the Big Freeze. This was actually my third midweek fixture in as many weeks. Unlike many fans I do not mind them, especially when they are not too far away as it adds a bit of spice to the working week.

My mate Tony, who also holds a Dutch passport, went along to Edinburgh with me but, being the smart fellow he is, decided against joining me on my visit to Easter Road. I started the day with a breakfast at the Counting House in Glasgow and we took the 11am train to Edinburgh. I had an appointment at 12 noon with a photographer in Edinburgh to have my passport pictures taken. After a twenty-minute walk to the photo studio near East Meadow Park we had to walk the whole way back again but we made a stop at McEwans Ale House in Clerk Street. We then walked to the Dutch consulate which is opposite a new JD Wetherspoon pub, the Alexander Graham Bell, in George Street, so after handing in our forms and having our finger prints taken we decided to give it a try. After one pint we moved to the next Wetherspoon's in George Street, the Standing Order. After visiting three more pubs Tony took the train back to Glasgow and I started to walk in the direction of Leith. There was still a Wetherspoon's pub in Edinburgh I had not visited so I made my way to the Foot of the Walk, which was quite a trek from the city centre.

I had one pint and then walked to Easter Road. I had visited the home of Hibernian two seasons ago and at the time sat, or rather stood, amongst the home fans in the East Stand. In the meanwhile this stand had been demolished and replaced by a new single-tier stand. This makes the ground look a lot more modern but it has taken away a bit of the character of the stadium. Last week I went as a St Mirren fan and I took my seat in the South Stand. As both teams are near the bottom of the league this game was crucial but only a few hundred St Mirren fans had made the trip to Edinburgh. It was a woeful display and it was clear that the league table does not lie. Hibs however managed to score through Derek Riordan 17 minutes after the break. By the time David Wotherspoon added to Hibernian's tally in injury time I had already left the stadium in order to make the 10pm train back to Glasgow.

For more pictures of Easter Road see this post.

A new JD Wetherspoon in George Street, the Alexander Graham Bell.

Then off to the Standing Order.

Passing the Playfair on my way to Leith. It looked like it was closed for refurbishment.

The Foot of the Walk in Leith.

The new East Stand.


The West Stand.


The Famous Five Stand.

Wednesday 2nd February 2011
Scottish Premier League
Hibernian 2 St Mirren 0
Goals: Riordan 63, Wotherspoon 90+3.
Att: 9,436

Somerset Park (Ayr United v Hibernian)

Yesterday I made the short train journey, about 40 minutes, from Paisley to Ayr for the Scottish Cup fourth round replay between Ayr United and Hibernian. The first encounter at Easter Road had ended in a goalless draw. I had not seen that game but apparently both sides rued missed chances that could have secured their passage to the fifth round. Many in Scotland, including myself, believed Ayr could win this replay. The Edinburgh side are traditionally one of the stronger outfits in the SPL but things have not gone to plan since manager Colin Calderwood took over from John Hughes in October of last year. Prior to last night's match the Hibees had only won two of their thirteen games under Calderwood. The men from Leith have an atrocious record in the Scottish Cup anyway considering their pedigree. The last time they lifted the oldest trophy in football was 110 years ago. And then there was the CIS Insurance Cup semi-final at Hampden in 2002: Ayr United, playing in the First Division at the time, eliminated Hibs 1-0 after extra time and reached their first ever major final. The Honest Men lost 4-0 to Rangers but they probably were not too upset about it.

Nowadays United have to strut their stuff in the Second Division. They said goodbye to full-time football after last year's relegation but they are once more in contention for promotion to the second tier of Scottish football. Somerset Park is a great stadium for groundhoppers but unfortunately unsuitable for a club with the ambition to play SPL football in the near future. There is one main stand and three fairly large terraces. Although the official capacity is just over 10,000 there was a great atmosphere inside the stadium with a crowd of under 4,000. I witnessed most of the first-half action from the North Terrace, including Mark Roberts's goal after 18 minutes. From that moment the crowd really started believing an upset was possible. Hibs had a few good chances but it was one of those nights for them.

In the second half the tension was relieved temporarily when a streaker, dressed only in a Borat-style mankini, entered the pitch and ran along the Somerset Road end of the pitch. Soon after however the nail-biting resumed. Then finally, Somerset Park erupted at the final whistle, followed by a good-natured pitch invasion. In the fifth round the mighty St Mirren will visit Somerset Park so I will be back on 5th February!

For pictures of Somerset Park in daylight see this post and this one.

Long queues at the turnstiles.

The Somerset Road End.

The Main Stand.

Hibs supporters in the Railway End.


The North Terrace.


A streaker on the pitch in the second half.

Pitch invasion after the final whistle.

Tuesday 18th January 2011
Scottish Cup 4th round replay (first game: 0-0)
Ayr United 1 Hibernian 0
Goal: Roberts 19.
Att: 3,826

Easter Road (Hibernian v Rangers)

Approaching the ground via Albion Road. It turned out my camera got switched on inside my bag and when I took it out to take some pictures the battery was almost down. I still managed to take a few pictures even though some did not turn out as good as I had hoped.

The Famous Five (North) Stand seen from outside the ground. Easter Road was the only SPL ground I had not visited yet.

The South Stand housing the Rangers fans.

The West Stand.

The Famous Five (North) Stand.

Taken from our 'seats' in the East Stand, or more accurately taken whilst standing on the seat of the guy in front me. Probably my favourite stand of all the current SPL grounds.

Wednesday 13th May 2009
Scottish Premier League
Hibernian 1 Rangers 1
Hibernian: Riordan 41.
Rangers: Novo 80.
Att: 13,765