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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
World
David McLean

When Edinburgh hosted the absolute bedlam that was the Tennent's Sixes

Any discussion about football in Edinburgh in the 1980s often descends into chat about an absence of major trophies, dilapidated stadia and the rise of the 'casuals'.

But while it's easy to focus on the negatives, we tend to overlook the absolute joy that was the Tennent's Sixes.

Back in 1985, Edinburgh hosted the SFA's legendary six-a-sides tournament which featured all the top sides in Scotland, Hearts and Hibs included.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Heart of Midlothian WWII ticket found with 'air raid disclaimer'

Televised on BBC Scotland, the first edition of the annual indoor tournament had been played the previous year in Falkirk, but now it was Edinburgh's time to shine.

Fans packed into Ingliston Showground near the airport for the two-day extravaganza which was held on January 20 and 21 and again shown on the telly.

The general format of the Sixes incorporated a league and knockout phase. Two groups of 10 teams would battle it out with only the top two sides qualifying for semi-finals.

The tournament was especially popular with families as the six-a-side aspect pretty much guaranteed a barrage of goals in every single game, with the ball going from one end of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye.

The frenetic pace of the tournaments suited the more technically-gifted players and how novel it was to see our heroes strut their stuff on the compact artificial pitches.

As it turned out, 1985 would be a doubly memorable year for Edinburgh fans of the Tennent's Sixes, as Heart of Midlothian conquered all before them to win the competition.

Hearts, who had finished second in their group to Alex Ferguson's highly-fancied Aberdeen, swept Dundee aside by four goals to one in the semi-final, before dispatching of Morton by the same scoreline in the final.

Truly, this was a moment to savour for the beleaguered Hearts supporters, who had had very little to shout about in the early-to-mid 1980s.

Hibs, meanwhile, failed to qualify from their 1984-85 group, but would eventually taste Sixes glory in 1990.

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The Tennent's Sixes stint at Ingliston Showground was all too brief, with all future editions of the event held at the newly-built SECC in Glasgow.

Hearts, Aberdeen and Rangers all won the tournament on two occasions, with Celtic, Partick, Hibs and Dundee each lifting the trophy once. The televised highlights would prove a real ratings winner for both BBC Scotland and STV.

Sadly, all good things must eventually come to an end. Main sponsors Tennent Caledonian Breweries announced they would be cutting ties with the tournament in 1993 and despite hordes of fans hoping it would be able to continue, it never did. Partick Thistle were the final winners of the tournament, defeating Airdrieonians 4-3 on January 25, 1993.

While it's now been more than 30 years since the tournament ended, Scottish football fans have never given up hope of a revival and the Sixes remain a regular point of discussion on football forums and social media groups.

Recalling the glory days of the Tennent's Sixes, @johndoyle10778 recently tweeted: "Tennent sixes was brilliant when I was a kid. Loved rushing home to watch it. Looked forward to it every year. Sadly missed."

@sobaan_afzal wrote: "Used to love the Tennents sixes, they should scrap the league cup and bring back this."

@Mark7814465268 commented: "Bring it back, what a buzz it was going to see that as a wean.. plus I don't like the fact that [Partick] Thistle are the ongoing holders."

@celtmuppet said: "The Sixes were fantastic. Wee Miller won it twice if I mind right, Aberdeen and Celtic. Collins, Miller and Davie Cooper with Motherwell are the players that really stuck in my mind, they ripped other players to bits."

@m13998306 added: "Was ace night out. Players made themselves accessible for autographs etc between games. Remember me and my mates speaking to John Gahagan of Motherwell and him spending a bit of time to ask us all our favourite players etc. These things mean a lot when you are a wee guy."

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