Hermes Past and Present

If the question, ‘Which Scottish football club is named after a typewriter?’ appeared in a pub quiz, there would be a mix of head scratching, confused murmuring and smug faces. For those who do know, that may be the only piece of knowledge they have of the Bridge of Don based Junior outfit, which is why I headed to Lochside Park to find out more.

I first met with Alex Fiddes and Les Hutton, committee members and part of the original founding group. They took me back to 1967, where the story began within Robert Gordon’s College, a private school in the heart of Aberdeen.

“The ethos of Robert Gordon’s College was very strictly cricket, rugby, some hockey and athletics, but never any football”. Alex began, “My friends and I were pretty keen footballers. When it came to 5th year in 1967, a few of us got together and thought it would be a fun idea to start a football team. Our early games were friendlies against teachers and other local clubs. By the summer of 1968, we were ready to join the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association (AAFA). The main reason for it was a love of football at a rugby playing school… our hearts were set on football. It was also a means of keeping us together socially”.

We moved on, to the all-important name of the club.

“As far as the name’s concerned”, Alex continued. “The school was moving the library to a newly built hall, and we (the team) were supposed to be helping out by moving the books! Instead we were sitting around chatting, and that is when Sidney Barrie picked up a Punch (The London Charivari) magazine, where he saw an advert for the Hermes 2000, a typewriter. The name stuck, although the 2000 was dropped to avoid confusion”.

Hermes spent 25 years in the Amateur leagues, where success came in the late 70s, all throughout the 80s and up until 1993, where then manager Peter Freeland initiated the step up to the Junior FA.

“Almost 25 years to the day, after joining the AAFA, we joined the Junior Association. It was a contentious decision at the time, but Peter Freeland was a large factor in stepping up. He looked after the pitch, installed floodlights, modernised the club”.

Hermes played their first Junior game on the 14th August, 1993, where they welcomed local side F.C. Stoneywood to Lochside Park, beating them 2-1. Hermes quickly established themselves in the Junior Leagues, and have been in the top league since 1997. The first Superleague title came in 2012 after setting a points record in the league, with 73 points from a possible 78. A place in the senior Scottish Cup was awarded to Hermes for winning the league, where they welcomed Highland League outfit Deveronvale. Hermes continue to compete at the very top of the league, and last won a trophy in 2015, when they won the quadruple (League, Regional Cup, Grill, Jim McPherson Trophy).

The Scottish Junior Cup

I had picked an important day in the Junior calander to visit Lochside Park, Round Two of the Scottish Junior Cup. Hermes drew against Ayrshire giants Cumnock Juniors, who play in the West of Scotland Premier Division. I asked Alex what the Scottish Junior Cup meant to Hermes and the wider North Region JFA.

“There is a huge imbalance between West of Scotland, Midlands, and Aberdeenshire Teams”, Alex admitted. “Villages in Ayrshire are fiercely proud of their teams, and local rivalries are often life and death fixtures. When Cumnock played Auchinleck [Talbot] police would often have to be involved. It is very much on a different scale than here. Hermes have made it as far as the quarter finals, but an Aberdeen team has only ever won it twice, with Sunnybank in 1954 and Banks o’ Dee in 1957”.

Recent years have seen most East of Scotland League clubs withdraw from the tournament, due to fixture congestion, but there is always new and returning teams willing to compete for the historical cup.

With kickoff approaching, I wondered around Lochside and bumped into Cumnock President Kevin Orr. Keen for his views on the Scottish Junior Cup, I asked what I meant down in Ayrshire.

“Anything can happen in the Junior Cup, we have already seen Lossiemouth United beat our friends in Auchinleck Talbot”. Kevin Smirks. “Even though the pyramid exists now, the Scottish Junior Cup is still the premier trophy for all teams involved. We won it in 2023, I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. A brilliant occasion for us and any team who can lift the trophy. It’s all about meeting teams you don’t normally play and having a great day out”.

The teams made their way onto the pitch for a minutes silence, honouring the life of past SJFA president Robert Smith.

MATCH REPORT: Hermes J.F.C. Vs Cumnock J.F.C.

Hermes made an eager start against a technical Cumnock side, who looked to smother the pace of Hermes forwards Jafar Abari and Jack Craig. Cumnock looked for early success down the right hand side through a combination of Luke Watt and Robert Buchanan, but Hermes captain Dominic Rae was alert to early danger, clearing Hermes lines before it fell to new keeper Tim Findlay. The first big opportunity fell to Hermes on the 18th minute when neat passing in the midfield created space down the right for Jack Craig, who placed a composed shot beyond the Cumnock keeper, giving the home side a surprising lead.

A stunned Cumnock dusted themselves down and once again found space on the wings, with a slightly fortuitous equaliser coming on the 30th minute, after a chipped cross rebounded off a Hermes defender and in. Unfazed, Hermes stayed focused and disciplined, creating a near identical chance to their first goal. It would fall to James McMahon, who unleashed an unstoppable strike beyond the stranded keeper on the 35th minute. Hermes kept Cumnock at bay till half-time, going into the changing rooms with a fantastic 2-1 lead against the Junior giants.

Cumnock flew out of the second-half traps and looks dangerous, with a slew of chances defended well by Hermes. The home side almost doubled their advantage on the hour mark, but the final pass was deemed offside after Craig scored. Cumnock would equalise for the second time on the 69th minute, with Buchanan heading home from close range. As the game entered the final stages, Cumnock would score a fantastic third, a curling effort from outside the box scored by Jamie Conn on the 80th minute. Cumnock dropped deep, forcing Hermes to gamble. Hermes substitute Paul Esslemont hustled the ball into the box and was dragged down by the Cumnock defense, with referee Filippo Mazzoni pointing to the spot with no hesitation. Esslemont dusted himself down and slotted home with seconds left on the clock. One final chance for Hermes almost made Rae a hero, but his header glanced off of the crossbar and out.

Mazzoni blew his whistle after 5 minutes of added time, condemning the match to a nervy penalty shootout. Cumnock would take the first, and every penalty was scored until Cumnock defender Luke Watt placed his shot straight towards Tim Findlay who graciously collected. The rest were scored leaving Hermes’ Matthew Stewart with the potential to send Cumnock home. He walked calmly up to the spot, placed the ball and sent Blair Currie the wrong way, delivering a famous victory for Hermes.

I caught up with a jubilant Hermes manger Steven Watson after the shootout.

“I fancies us before today, any team coming to Lochside has to play well and we were really good. When we brought it back to 3-3 we looked like the team to win it. I know it’s only the second round but we are celebrating, it’s a massive win! I’ve been with the club for 20 years and we had lost ten shootouts in a row, we’ve now won our last six! I thought if it went to a penalty shootout, I knew we would win. It was Tim [Findlay’s] first game here, late notice but he was brilliant. Also the last game for Jafar [Abari], he’s in tears, it means so much to us all. This win is for Jafar”.

Match Facts

Goals:

Hermes	Cumnock
18′ Craig	29′ O.G.
35′ McMahon	74′ Buchanan
88′ Esslemont	79′ Conn

Shootout:

Hermes	Cumnock
Horne ✓	Dykes ✓
Esslemont ✓	Jack ✓
Mewse ✓	Watt ☓
Smith ✓	Scott ✓
Stewart ✓	Buchanan ✓