Page 64 - Herioter 2021

Inspiration striped and plain socks worn by the men suggests
that these items were not standard issue whilst
the protection of shin guards was clearly not yet
afforded to these players. Turning her attention
back to the faces she notes, that unlike many
Framed of the male footballers of today, all were clean
shaven, their hair cut short at the side and swept
It was there yet not there. A dark frame set back from the face. And notably, she realised that
in stark relief against the brilliant white of the boots and ball were sturdy and utilitarian
the paintwork but nevertheless lost in the unlike the branded and high-performance kind
familiarity and permanence of its position on the we know today. The picture is generations apart
passageway wall. She had passed it almost every from any pre-match photo taken nowadays but
day and countless times as she progressed from despite this she can see striking similarities shining
first faltering steps to the confident stride of a through.
teenager but until today, she would have been Aware but unaware. The girl realises that the
hard-pressed to recall any detail of the old black young man sitting upright and confident in the
and white photograph hanging erect in a precise centre of the front row is her great-grandfather.
military row of similarly colourless portraits. She has also been told that this photo marks the
She did not know what had made her pause occasion of a trial match for selection for the
and look: a divine force or mere coincidence but National Youth Team, but this is the sum of her
something had drawn her eye to it and made her knowledge. With her curiosity suddenly spiked
stop for the very first time and carefully study the she is intrigued to find out more about this man
old photograph. who surely must have shared her passion and
Eleven men, arms folded: a row of six standing her talent for the beautiful game. Frustratingly,
proudly behind their five seated teammates. Apart her mother can offer only vague details adding
for one player in the back row who offers a half no new information of real value. He was, after
smile to the camera, all look serious and pensive all, an old man by the time her mother knew him
as they stare boldly into the lens betraying no as a child: a shock of white hair, untamed, bushy Eilidh Adams in action for Hibernian Women
nervousness for the game ahead. The girl herself eyebrows and a beaming smile were as much Photo: Tommy Hughes
recalls posing for similar photos with her team but as she could recall. A hastily arranged visit to an
whereas technological advancements ensure that elderly aunt offers the answer and an insight into of Midlothian. Without access to the surgical
the vivid green of both the pitch and her club shirt a time gone by and the compelling story of the precision, expert physiotherapy and intensive
brighten the scene; colour offers no distraction in girl’s DNA. rehabilitation available today his fate was sealed.
this photo. Light tops and dark shorts are the only Settled comfortably in the enveloping In one moment so much potential, so many
clue as to the strip colours while the uniform of cocoon of her aunt’s threadbare sofa she listens possibilities and opportunities were cruelly wiped
this long-disbanded side consists of baggy shorts attentively, only occasionally breaking her silence out as any return to his former physical prowess
and a long sleeve, button neck sweater. A handful to clarify or prompt for more details. The girl was rendered impossible. What, the girl thought,
of players have opted to roll their sleeves up to is both stunned and excited to discover that must that realisation have felt like for her talented
form a wide, defined cuff above the elbow, but her great grandfather had been a footballer relative? To know that he would never play elite
most have chosen to leave them buttoned at the for Hibernian FC in the 1930s. He had a bright level football again. For her own part to have such
wrist, a sign perhaps of inclement weather. In the footballing future ahead of him until one ill-fated an ability and her reason for being stolen from her
centre of the back row stands the goalkeeper, his moment forever altered the pathway of his would be like a bird losing its song.
turtleneck jumper so different from the attire of life. He was just 20 years young when he broke Her attention drifted back to her old aunt’s
present-day keepers. his leg playing in one of the biggest games of gentle and soporific voice as the tale continued.
Unlike her own kit, the jumbled mismatch of his career: an Edinburgh Derby against Heart The tragic accident which ended the playing
career of such a talented and promising young
prospect continued to blight his life. The
inadequate healing process left him with one
leg shorter than the other and even his ability
to disguise this affliction through wearing
one platformed shoe led to further heartache.
Declared medically unfit to join his friends and
contemporaries in the fight against Hitler he
was abused and derided as a coward by those
to whom his disability was invisible. And so, he
spent the rest of his life working as a clerk for the
Christian Salvesen Company at Leith Dock’s. The
gravity of the story was lightened by her aunt’s
chuckling as she explained that it was Salvesen’s
whaling ships that transported the very first
penguins to Edinburgh Zoo around 1900.
Like a bolt from the blue the girl realised that
her great-grandfather’s story was a fortuitous
and unexpected inspiration. She herself had been
left lost and confused by a serious long-term
footballing injury. Uncertain of her future and
unable to play the game she loved; she had
been hit by the realisation that she would face
a lengthy period on the side lines. At her darkest
Eilidh Adams’ grandfather (front row, centre)
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