Former Evening News cartoonist creates print of first ever Edinburgh derby

On Christmas Day 1875, a fledgling Heart of Midlothian lined up against a newly-formed club from the Cowgate, Hibernian, at the East Meadows.

The small crowd that gathered that day to cheer each side on could scarcely have imagined they were witnessing the very first of what would one day turn out to be the oldest regularly played football derby on the planet.

Hearts emerged as victors of the first ever game, winning by one goal to nil. The two sides would continue to play one another at the East Meadows for a number of years before moving to their respective grounds.

One man who knows the Edinburgh derby well is Frank Boyle.

As a former satirical cartoonist at the Evening News, Frank spent 16 years turning Hearts and Hibs players and staff into comical caricatures.

It was during the first lockdown that Frank set about recreating the scene of the first ever match between the two city rivals.

A stickler for the small details, Frank admits a lot of work went into producing the final product and making sure it was as accurate as possible.

He explains: "There are no photographs of the game, so I had to use my imagination and come up with an idea of how it might have looked.

“I spoke with the club historians at Hearts and Hibs and did a lot of research to get the details right. I went to the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden and heard how there would’ve been no crossbar, but just tape from one post to the other, and no markings on the pitch.

"It was basically a kickabout in a public park. Those people that were playing in that first game, they wouldn’t have realised that this was something that would continue for 150 years.”

Close inspection of the print reveals the Hibs and Hearts supporters of the day. A pair of Irish navvies carrying tools and wearing emerald green neck ties are stood next to a woman waving a flag bearing the words “Erin Go Bragh” – Ireland forever – and a catholic priest, who Frank says is a depiction of one of the Hibs founders.

On the opposite side, Frank has drawn an Edinburgh District policeman rubbing shoulders with a Victorian lamplighter, also known as a “leerie”. Fittingly, a representation of writer Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and a number of poems, including The Lamplighter, is also present.

Enjoying the best view of the proceedings are three young children – one barefoot, as was common during the era – who are watching from the trees.

Frank says: "Michael Whelahan, who was one of the original founders of Hibs, is on the pitch and challenging Hearts player Tom Purdie for the ball.

"And in goals for Hearts is Jake Reid. If you count the digits on his left hand, you’ll see why they called him ‘Three Finger Jake’. Very odd for a goalkeeper.

"In the distance, I’ve included the spire of Barclay Viewforth Church, just to give the viewer a sense of place.”

Copies of Frank Boyle’s imagining of the first ever Edinburgh derby are available online.

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