My Newcastle United – Why I loved Terry Hibbitt | OneFootball

Here at The Mag we have introduced a new feature, asking a number of our regular / irregular contributors to write about a past Newcastle United player that they liked / loved for whatever reason(s), not necessarily the best player they have ever seen.

More the fact that, this player became a big favourite of theirs, no matter what level of ability they had.

This time it is – My Newcastle United – Why I loved Terry Hibbitt.

Our thanks to Brian (Weyhadaway) for providing this overview:

Three words you could use to describe this player?

Exciting, fast, gnarly.

Can you pinpoint what was the exact moment when this player first felt a bit special for you?

I can’t put my finger on it, he arrived with Supermac right when I was starting to go to matches, as a daft 12-13 year old with no clue on tactics.

I did however start to appreciate the playmakers, Hibbitt, Tony Green for all too short a time, Jinky Smith etc.

It didn’t take me long to be on my tiptoes in the Leazes end whenever he got the ball.

What were this player’s strengths when at Newcastle United?

When the ball landed a Terry’s feet, it was the precursor to something special happening.

Whether it was the long raking pass through the middle to Supermac or a pinpoint cross onto Tudor’s head. Supermac attributed about 75% of his goals to Terry Hibbitt through passes or crosses.

He could run at or past any defender, or just clip a 30-50 yard ball to a colleague. He came to us from Leeds, where he scored his first goal with his first touch, a 20yd lob over the keeper, he was just a smart thinking player who could read the game and pick a pass.

Revie didn’t like him (see weaknesses) but kept him at Leeds for what Terry later called wasted years, because he was such a good stand in for his first choice of Eddie Gray, who was good, but in my totally biased and unbalanced opinion, not as good as Hibbitt.

He is still regarded by a lot of people as the best winger to never play for England, mainly due to Revie keeping him back at Leeds then ignoring him when he became England manager.

My favourite part of his game was always the ball over the top for Supermac to run onto a 1 v 1 with the keeper.

Any weaknesses?

He was a workie ticket apparently, didn’t hold back against three of the meanest managers in the game, Revie, McGarry and Gordon Lee.

The worst of which was Gordon “I don’t do superstars” Lee, who drove out Supermac and Hibbitt. After a game at Derby, Hibbitt saw someone’s kit bundled up in the dressing room, a sign someone was going somewhere, when he asked who it was, Lee said, “you(!), the Birmingham manager is in the corridor, you are going there.”

Terry didn’t want to go but after talking to the Birmingham manager he went outside to get on the bus and Lee made the driver pull away, leaving his player to make his own way home from Derby.

Terry, who liked a smoke and a few bevvies, came back to the Toon three years later and did his best, but with injuries he wasn’t the player of the early/mid 70s.

Your favourite memories of this player?

There can be only one memory that typified Hibbitt’s class, The Burnley Semi Final ball to Supermac.

For the younger crowd, think Willock’s pass to Isak against Totenham, but Terry Hibbitt could do that regularly.

Hibbit picked up the ball in an identical positon, left wing, 15 yards in our half, he played an almost identical half volley and the ball sailed over the top right in front of the sprinting Supermac, who didn’t have to break stride, the full back trying to jump on Supermac’s back and falling off, the ball is in the net and the Toon Army is going to Wembley.

Hand on heart, on ability (not just your favouritism) would your player get in this current Newcastle United team that will play in the new season?

He would walk into that team, under condition that he followed the modern practices of training and exercise. He grew up in a time when everyone smoked, even the corner shops around our school would sell you a penny single and a match. Same with the drinking culture, so that would be my only caveat.

Now Sandro Tonali has signed, what would that make your best available NUFC starting eleven?

Pope

Tripps, Schar, Botman, Burn

Tonali, Bruno, Longstaff

Flash, Isak, Big Joe

Including your choice of much loved player of the past, please give us a whole team of your much loved Newcastle United players of the past, once again, they don’t have to be the eleven best NUFC players you have ever seen play, just 11 who you really liked down the years (you can include current Newcastle players in this much loved all-time eleven).

Mick Mahoney (Super goalie) just for the chant

Kennedy, Moncur, Botman, Barton

Solano, Gazza, Bruno, Hibbitt

Beardsley, Supermac

***Like most players who know the stuff, Terry fell in love with the area and settled here after retirement, running a bar and a newsagents, before sadly passing away with cancer at the very young age of 46.