History of Hibernian F.C. - 1960s

1960s

In 1963 Hibs, battling to come out of a slump, paid £7,500 for Neil Martin from Queen of the South. Martin's goals helped add impetus to the club, and on 1 April 1964, Jock Stein was appointed manager of Hibernian. Within months of becoming manager he led them to Summer Cup success. The testimony of his contemporaries was that he was already “miles” ahead of everyone else in his understanding of the game, and in studying how the investment of energy could be tailored to maximum effect. Stein was immersing himself in the structure of the game while the rest simply went out and played.

Hibs, having failed to qualify for Europe, played Real Madrid in a challenge match at Easter Road and handed their guests a 2–0 defeat. Stein departed on 9 March 1965 to manage Celtic, but Martin scored 29 goals and Hibs finished 4th in the 1964–65 league season. They finished ahead of both halves of the Old Firm and knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup, but they lost in the semi-final to Dunfermline.

Martin was still at Hibs for their Fairs Cup 1st round exit to Valencia. Hibs won 2–0 at home, but a defeat by the same margin in Spain meant a play off, which Hibs lost 3–0. Martin would go on to become the first player to score 100 goals in both the Scottish and English leagues, having scored 53 goals in his 65 league games for Hibs.

An interesting interlude was provided by Hibs' participation as the Toronto-based franchise in the United Soccer Association. The team was known as Toronto City and eventually finished a 13-game summer league third in their division. Hibs opened the season by drawing 1–1 against Cerro Porteno at Yankee Stadium. Pat Stanton later praised the organisation and facilities provided by the league, although conceding that it was a long trip, causing some tiredness (it was played between domestic league seasons) and homesickness.