Lifelong Scots football fan creates portrait book in emotional tribute to beloved club

'Portraits of Passion: We are Hibernian FC’ by dad Duncan Simpson explores 150 different fans stories in attempt to pay tribute to the clubs landmark 150th birthday.

A Scots football fan has created a portrait book in an emotional tribute to his beloved club.

‘Portraits of Passion: We are Hibernian FC’ by dad Duncan Simpson from Edinburgh highlights 150 different fans stories in attempt to pay tribute to the clubs landmark 150th birthday.

After falling in love with the team through his grandfather, who used to lift him over the turnstiles into the old main stand, Duncan has suffered and rejoiced alongside his fellow fans since 1982.

Not content with doing a traditional album with fans in their Hibs gear, the 51-year-old wanted to explore fans' favourite memories, while also capturing their natural character off the pitch.

From bare knuckle boxers to judges and politicians, the Northfield local explored the diversity of Hibs support, which is made up of all creeds and colours.

Duncan admitted there were two common themes he discovered during his journey - family and realism, reports E dinburgh Live.

“It's football, it's not everything, but it is one per cent of people’s lives," he said. One guy I spoke to said he goes with his dad and its special as he gets to spend time with him. It is about spending that time together, whether you win, lose or draw.

“My grandad had a centre stand ticket for many a year. I remember him lifting me up over the turnstile at the old main stand and that is why I’m a Hibs fan. It is all his fault.”

Everyone who spoke to Duncan had their own unique story with the photographer asking each subject six questions: Why are you a Hibs fan? What was their first game? Who was their favourite player? Their favourite goal? And thoughts for the future?

Derek Emslie, Lord Kingarth, a retired judge, is a lifelong Hibs fan. He told Duncan about how he used to play amateur football for Scotland and was the first person to have his name on the new scoreboards at Wembley, when he scored for Cambridge University against Oxford in 1969.

“For me, Hibs' best goal was Russell Latapy's volley in the 6-2 win over Hearts in 2000”, he said. Derek was an outlier here with most Hibs fans of course recounting the famous David Gray winner against Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final in 2016 - ending 114 years of hurt.

Meanwhile Jackie Pritchard, a dog groomer and show dog champion owner, revealed how even her dogs join in when there’s a Hibs goal in her house.

“My partner, Ian, is a Hibs fan and he resurrected my love of the game when we got together”, she said.

Lewis Knox, a bare-knuckle champion boxer who has a title fight in Italy on the horizon, shared his hopes for stability at the club "and maybe a few cheeky cup wins and European nights too.”

Another subject was Craig McKirdy the butcher. When the Mckirdy’s are not in the meat locker, they are down Easter Road cheering on their beloved team. "My first game was Hibs 9 Montrose 0, 23rd September 2003. Not bad,” he said.

“I asked my dad if it was like this every week.”

Throughout his conversations with fellow fans, the former news photographer said Pat Stanton continuously came up alongside Frank Sauzee as Hibs fans favourite player.

Duncan shared a poignant thought about how football stadiums can act as great equalisers, where you can have a former Supreme Court judge and Lord sitting next to a bare knuckle boxer when they attend the games at Easter Road.

“The one thing we all share in common as fans is we are realistic,” he said. “Unlike the supporters across the capital, our feet are always on the ground.“Everyone shares that. We know what we are and what the script is. All we ask for is the team to give its best whereas other teams supporters can be a bit deluded.”

Duncan shared how Hibs are a community club and he was eager to capture the many different faces which made up the support.

“I made a point of not just wanting to go down to the stadium and take a picture of middle aged men kissing the badge,” he said. “There are people of all different backgrounds in our support, it doesn’t matter if you are young, old, gay, straight, black or white.

“You are a Hibs fan. For 90 minutes we are all invested in the outcome and it is a distraction from life.

“Everyone has troubles and football helps us escape that.”

‘Portraits of Passion: We are Hibernian FC’ will go on sale on Thursday August 28 and will be available online as well as big brand book stores such as Waterstones. The paperback version will be available for £15 while the hardback will be sold at £22.

You can purchase the book here.