The Game on New Year's Day

On the first day of January 1973, eleven men wrote a very special chapter in the history of Hibernian Football Club. They were the famous Turnbull’s Tornadoes and they humbled arch-rivals Hearts in an epic 7-0 victory at Tynecastle stadium in Edinburgh. Now, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of that historic match, Ted Brack tells the extraordinary story of The Game on New Year’s Day. No Hibs win over their local rivals has come close to the epic 7-0 triumph which was recorded by the great Turnbull's Tornadoes team on the opening day of 1973. It was a team so full of talent that the names still resonate to this day: Herriot, Brownlie, Schaedler, Stanton, Black, Blackley, Edwards, O’Rourke, Gordon, Cropley and Duncan – all managed, of course, by the imperious Eddie Turnbull. And in their greatest ever game, their silky skills enabled them to achieve a record victory against an able Hearts side that was left reeling by the scale of its defeat. With first-hand accounts of the day from Tornadoes like ice cool goalkeeper Jim Herriot, world-class full back John Brownlie, rock-solid centre half Jim Black, classy and composed sweeper John Blackley, midfield maestros Alex Edwards and Alex Cropley, goal scorer supreme Jimmy O'Rourke and the peerless captain Pat Stanton, this is the definitive account of a match which still boasts the record competitive winning margin between Edinburgh's Big Two – Hearts supporters please note. And with the memories of fans who were there and some who wish they had been, The Game on New Year's Day is a must read for Hibees everywhere.