1996–97 Hibernian F.C. season

Hibernian 1996–97 football season

Hibernian
1996–97 season
Manager	Alex Miller (until 30 September)^[1] Jocky Scott (30 September – 30 December)^[1] Jim Duffy (from 30 December)^[1]
Premier Division	9th
Scottish Cup	R4
League Cup	QF
Highest home attendance	15749^[2]
Lowest home attendance	7332^[2]
Average home league attendance	10561^[2] (up 667)
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

Season 1996–97 was difficult for Hibs, as the club finished ninth in the Premier Division and only avoided relegation to the First Division by winning a playoff against Airdrie. There was also disappointment in the cup competitions, as the club were beaten by Celtic in the Scottish Cup, and Rangers in the League Cup. Manager Alex Miller was sacked in late September and replaced temporarily by Jocky Scott, before Jim Duffy took charge.

League season

Results

Hibernian v Kilmarnock

10 August 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–2	Kilmarnock	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Weir 28'		Mitchell 20' Henry 26'

Dundee United v Hibernian

17 August 1996 Premier Division	Dundee United	0–1	Hibernian	Tannadice Park, Dundee
			McAllister 30'	Attendance: 8,589

Hibernian v Dunfermline Athletic

24 August 1996 Premier Division

Hibernian

0–0

Dunfermline Athletic

Easter Road, Edinburgh

Celtic v Hibernian

7 September 1996 Premier Division	Celtic	5–0	Hibernian	Celtic Park, Glasgow
	McGinlay 4' (o.g.) Cadete 14', 45' O'Neil 51' van Hooijdonk 72'			Attendance: 47,042

Hibernian v Raith Rovers

14 September 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–0	Raith Rovers	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Kirk 54' (o.g.)			Attendance: 8,671 Referee: D. W. Smith

Aberdeen v Hibernian

21 September 1996 Premier Division	Aberdeen	0–2	Hibernian	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen
			Jackson 44' Wright 68'	Attendance: 12,500

Hibernian v Heart of Midlothian

28 September 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–3	Heart of Midlothian	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Jackson 57' (pen.)		Cameron 19', 30' Robertson 40'	Attendance: 14,746

Hibernian v Rangers

12 October 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	2–1	Rangers	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Jackson 58' Donald 62'		Albertz 9'	Attendance: 12,864

Motherwell v Hibernian

19 October 1996 Premier Division	Motherwell	1–1	Hibernian	Fir Park, Motherwell
	McSkimming 73'		Harper 7'	Attendance: 6,784

Hibernian v Celtic

26 October 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	0–4	Celtic	Easter Road, Edinburgh
			Thom 31', 74' van Hooijdonk 61' Donnelly 77'	Attendance: 14,135

Kilmarnock v Hibernian

1 November 1996 Premier Division	Kilmarnock	4–2	Hibernian	Rugby Park, Kilmarnock
	Henry 17' McIntyre 24' Wright 52' McGinlay 56' (o.g.)		Harper 21' Dow 31'	Attendance: 10,872

Heart of Midlothian v Hibernian

16 November 1996 Premier Division	Heart of Midlothian	0–0	Hibernian	Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh
				Attendance: 15,129

Hibernian v Aberdeen

23 November 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	0–1	Aberdeen	Easter Road, Edinburgh
			Windass 44'	Attendance: 11,522

Hibernian v Motherwell

30 November 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	2–0	Motherwell	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Jackson 35', 90' (pen.)			Attendance: 7,332

Rangers v Hibernian

7 December 1996 Premier Division	Rangers	4–3	Hibernian	Ibrox Park, Glasgow
	Ferguson 34' McCoist 71', 74' Laudrup 83'		Wright 21' Jackson 41' McGinlay 86'	Attendance: 48,053

Dunfermline Athletic v Hibernian

11 December 1996 Premier Division	Dunfermline Athletic	2–1	Hibernian	East End Park, Dunfermline
	Millar 63' Ireland 82'		Jackson 74'	Attendance: 5,295

Hibernian v Dundee United

14 December 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–1	Dundee United	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Harper 20'		McLaren 44' (pen.)	Attendance: 8,250

Raith Rovers v Hibernian

21 December 1996 Premier Division	Raith Rovers	0–3	Hibernian	Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy
			Jackson 61', 79' McGinlay 67'	Attendance: 4,224

Hibernian v Kilmarnock

26 December 1996 Premier Division	Hibernian	0–1	Kilmarnock	Easter Road, Edinburgh
			McIntyre 42'	Attendance: 8,957

Aberdeen v Hibernian

28 December 1996 Premier Division	Aberdeen	1–1	Hibernian	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen
	Shearer 90'		Jackson 14'	Attendance: 10,000

Hibernian v Heart of Midlothian

1 January 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	0–4	Heart of Midlothian	Easter Road, Edinburgh
			Robertson 33' Hamilton 62', 87' Cameron 65'	Attendance: 15,826

Hibernian v Rangers

4 January 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–2	Rangers	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Harper 7'		Andersen 11' Albertz 72' (pen.)	Attendance: 12,650

Motherwell v Hibernian

11 January 1997 Premier Division	Motherwell	2–1	Hibernian	Fir Park, Motherwell
	McSkimming 20' Hunter 24' (o.g.)		Dow 49'	Attendance: 5,855

Celtic v Hibernian

18 January 1997 Premier Division	Celtic	4–1	Hibernian	Celtic Park, Glasgow
	van Hooijdonk 21', 48' McLaughlin 42' Cadete 68'		Harper 63'	Attendance: 49,092

Hibernian v Raith Rovers

1 February 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–1	Raith Rovers	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Kirkwood 13' (o.g.)		Lennon 69'	Attendance: 9,424

Dundee United v Hibernian

8 February 1997 Premier Division	Dundee United	0–0	Hibernian	Tannadice Park, Dundee
				Attendance: 9,219

Rangers v Hibernian

23 February 1997 Premier Division	Rangers	3–1	Hibernian	Ibrox Park, Glasgow
	Gough 3' Albertz 49' (pen.) Laudrup 68'		Dennis 54'	Attendance: 48,070

Hibernian v Motherwell

1 March 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–1	Motherwell	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Wright 51'		Coyne 64'	Attendance: 8,328

Hibernian v Dunfermline Athletic

8 March 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–0	Dunfermline Athletic	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Wright 11'

Heart of Midlothian v Hibernian

15 March 1997 Premier Division	Heart of Midlothian	1–0	Hibernian	Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh
	McCann 82'			Attendance: 15,136

Hibernian v Aberdeen

22 March 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	3–1	Aberdeen	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	McGinlay 6', 57' Tosh 72'		Craig 53'	Attendance: 9,669

Hibernian v Dundee United

5 April 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	2–0	Dundee United	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Charnley 73' (pen.) McGinlay 78'			Attendance: 11,010

Dunfermline Athletic v Hibernian

12 April 1997 Premier Division	Dunfermline Athletic	1–1	Hibernian	East End Park, Dunfermline
	Britton 11'		Jackson 31'	Attendance: 8,752 Referee: McCluskey

Kilmarnock v Hibernian

19 April 1997 Premier Division	Kilmarnock	1–1	Hibernian	Rugby Park, Kilmarnock
	Wright 14'		Montgomerie 45' (o.g.)	Attendance: 10,886

Hibernian v Celtic

4 May 1997 Premier Division	Hibernian	1–3	Celtic	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Power 35'		Cadete 12', 65' di Canio 43'	Attendance: 10,603

Raith Rovers v Hibernian

10 May 1997 Premier Division	Raith Rovers	1–1	Hibernian	Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy
	Duffield 7'		McGinlay 26'	Attendance: 6,275

Final table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
6	Aberdeen	36	10	14	12	45	54	−9	44
7	Kilmarnock	36	11	6	19	41	61	−20	39	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round^[a]
8	Motherwell	36	9	11	16	44	55	−11	38
9	Hibernian (O)	36	9	11	16	38	55	−17	38	Qualification for the Play-off
10	Raith Rovers (R)	36	6	7	23	29	73	−44	25	Relegation to the First Division

Source: Soccerbase
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

^ Kilmarnock qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as the winners of the Scottish Cup.

Play-offs

Having finished ninth in the Scottish Premier Division, Hibs then had to contest a relegation / promotion play-off with Airdrie, who had finished second in the 1996–97 Scottish First Division. Hibs won 1–0 at Easter Road and 4–2 at Broadwood Stadium to retain their place in the Premier Division, with a 5–2 aggregate victory.^[3]

Results

Hibernian v Airdrieonians

17 May 1997 Play-off first leg	Hibernian	1–0	Airdrieonians	Easter Road, Edinburgh
				Attendance: 15,308 Referee: McCluskey

Airdrieonians v Hibernian

22 May 1997 Play-off second leg	Airdrieonians	2–4	Hibernian	Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld
				Attendance: 6,275

Scottish League Cup

Hibs reached the quarter-finals thanks to two wins against lower division opposition, but then lost 4–0 to eventual winners Rangers.

Results

Brechin City v Hibernian

13 August 1996 Scottish League Cup	Brechin City	0–2	Hibernian	Glebe Park, Brechin
			Lavety 39' Dow 58'

Albion Rovers v Hibernian

3 September 1996 Scottish League Cup	Albion Rovers	0–2	Hibernian	Cliftonhill, Coatbridge
			Wright 18' McGinlay 72'

Rangers v Hibernian

18 September 1996 Scottish League Cup	Rangers	4–0	Hibernian	Ibrox Park, Glasgow
	Durie 29' van Vossen 47', 80' Albertz 89'			Attendance: 45,104 Referee: McCluskey

Scottish Cup

Hibs defeated Aberdeen after a penalty shootout in third round, but then lost in a fourth round replay to Celtic.

Results

Hibernian v Aberdeen

23 January 1997 Scottish Cup	Hibernian	2–2	Aberdeen	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Miller 48' McGinlay 78'		Booth 70' Dodds 75'	Attendance: 9,588

Aberdeen v Hibernian

28 January 1997 Scottish Cup	Aberdeen	0–0 AET (3 – 5 PSO)	Hibernian	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen
				Attendance: 15,500

Hibernian v Celtic

17 February 1997 Scottish Cup	Hibernian	1–1	Celtic	Easter Road, Edinburgh
	Jackson 83'		O'Donnell 16'	Attendance: 16,000

Celtic v Hibernian

26 February 1997 Scottish Cup	Celtic	2–0	Hibernian	Celtic Park, Glasgow
	O'Donnell 35' di Canio 54'			Attendance: 46,424

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Manager History for Hibernian". Soccerbase. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Average Home League Game Attendances". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
^ "Airdrie captain sent off as Hibs secure premier division status". The Herald. 23 May 1997. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

External links

Hibernian 1996/1997 results and fixtures, Soccerbase

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v t e 1996–97 in Scottish football
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Domestic leagues	Football League Premier Division First Division Second Division Third Division Highland League
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