A Look Into Histories

A LOOK INTO HISTORY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOUR

HAMILTON ACCIES HEAVIEST DEFEAT

Season 1965-66 and Hamilton Academical FC had been promoted to the top division One the season before having been runners up in the 1963-64 Second Division to Stirling Albion by 9 points. It was a real struggle for them from the start, not even winning a game in their League Cup Section 5.

Our Match Programme, the usual green and white of Hibernian FC priced 6d was for a Scottish League match on Saturday 6th November 1965 v Hamilton Academicals who had only one win at that stage, over Stirling Albion a fortnight before. It is very sad to reflect that, at the season’s end they had only 8 points with 3 wins and a draw at home and one draw away from home so were relegated along with Morton. Manager Bob Shankly wrote that Hibernian had just lost 0-3 in a Fairs Cup play off to Valencia in Spain and were losing ground in the league race (they did finish a creditable sixth). There were match reports, a league table and full piece on the back page dedicated to the Visitors. The reason for the programme is that, at the time of writing, Hamilton Accies suffered their heaviest defeat in history, 1-11 at Easter Road.
With a 5-0 lead at half time and two goals for O’Rourke, one for Cormack and Eric Stevenson plus an own goal. 6 more were added in the second half thanks to Stevenson (2), Scott (2), Hogg and Davis with Hamilton’s Anderson, the consolation in 68 mins. The attendance was 6,000.
This wasn’t Hibernian’s record win though, that was 22-1 v 42nd Highlanders in 1881!
In the 1965-66 Scottish Cup, Hamilton went out 1-3 to Aberdeen in the first round and having beaten Third Lanark 4-3 in the same round, lost 1-2 at Hearts.
In England, the old Division One stand out games were West Bromwich Albion 6 2 Fulham and Newcastle 2 0 Blackpool whereas in Division Three, Walsall beat Brighton & Hove 2 1 and Bournemouth drew 2 2 with Mansfield Town.