East Terrace demolition: End of an era will be for the best

A GOOD start to the demolition of the East Terrace at Easter Road was made on Saturday by supporters collecting souvenirs. Yesterday the bulldozers continued the job in more orthodox fashion by knocking down some of the floodlight pylons and seating.

Occupied for the last time in Hibernian's 1-1 draw with St Johnstone, the terrace is to be replaced by an East Stand with a capacity of 6,400.

The new stand is scheduled to be completed early next season, with the contractor hoping to have part of the seating deck available for matches before then.

The finished development will take the capacity of the ground up to 20,250.

Remnants of the original East Terrace, dating back to 1924, lie beneath the East Stand. The high terraces which once stood on that spot were reduced in size in 1983 and had a roof put on top two years later. Seating was introduced when all-seater stadia were demanded following the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989.

Once finished, the East Stand will represent the fulfilment of one of Hibs' long-term aims – the completion of a new-look Easter Road. The fact that the work is able to go on in such adverse economic conditions is testament to the shrewd way in which the club has been run, and chairman Rod Petrie is understandably proud of his achievement.

"Once the new stand is finished, Hibernian will have one of the finest football stadiums in Scotland and the largest, fully covered Uefa compliant football stadium outside Glasgow," Petrie said on the Hibs website. "The fact that the club is able to build a new stand during what is a very challenging time for football and the economy as a whole, is testament to the rock-solid financial footing of the club created by returning a bottom line profit for five consecutive years."

Supporters who held season tickets for the East Terrace are being relocated to the South Stand for the duration of the building work. They have been assured they will have a priority choice of seats in the new East Stand.

Those season ticket holders are to receive a personalised commemorative East Terrace certificate, signed by club manager John Hughes, to recognise the contribution they have made to the special atmosphere in the old stand.

Meanwhile, because of the removal of the East Terrace's floodlight pylons, Hibs' game against Kilmarnock on Saturday will kick off at 2pm.