Another of the Washington Whips who has added his name to the signed print is Jim Hermiston. We look back at the career of our former captain and one of our greatest ever defenders.

Jim is currently enjoying retired life in Queensland, Australia. Everyone at Aberdeen FC is grateful to him for helping with the Washington Whips 50th celebrations and doing his bit to support AFC Youth Development.

“I am very pleased to support this brilliant venture.

“It brought back so many great memories signing my autograph. The painting looks brilliant. I really treasure my career with the Dons. For a laddie from a mining village to play professional football and see as many different countries was a humbling experience and I met and played with so many good people.

“I am in regular contact with Ally Shewan and my wee pal Joe Harper who keep me up to date with what is going on at the club.

“Please pass on my best wishes to all at Pittodrie.”

The Jim Hermiston story

It may be hard to believe now, but years ago, it was not that uncommon for players to retire early from the game and take up another career outside of the game for financial reasons. Perhaps the most high profile Aberdeen player to do so was Harry Yorston when he hung up his boots in 1956 at 28 to take up employment as a fish market porter in the city.

Jim Hermiston was another who quit the game early. He was the Aberdeen captain when he announced in the summer of 1975 that he was leaving football to take up a career with the police.

“It was a decision I never regretted, although it surprised a lot of people at the time.”

Jim Hermiston was part of the Eddie Turnbull revolution at Pittodrie in 1965. After Turnbull had effectively cleared the decks at the club, there were opportunities for younger players to carve out a career under the hard disciplinarian. One of the youngsters spotted by Bobby Calder was Jim Hermiston and he was persuaded to join Aberdeen from Bonnyrigg Rose in 1965 after he started out with Edina Hibs, the Hibernian nursery side in Edinburgh.

Jim recalled, “Every young player wanted to be a professional footballer and I was no different. Coming from a mining family in East Calder, to play for a top club like Aberdeen was fulfilling a dream. I remember my first real encounter as a professional. I was in the reserve team in my first season at Pittodrie. The boss organised a bounce game against the first team at Banchory. I was thrown in at right-back and I had heard all about the guy who was on the left side of the first team’s defence, a renowned hard man, Ally Shewan!

“Ten minutes into the game I was doing my best to make an impression and went on an overlapping run. All of a sudden I was cemented into a tackle from this guy and I can tell you it was sore. The boss just shrugged his shoulders and played on. Eddie just smiled and told me quietly that was my introduction to the professional game and questioned what I was going to do about that tackle?

“During the second half an opportunity came up for me to get my own back and I caught Ally with a real beauty. I saw the boss laughing as he gave Ally a free-kick. I realised then that to survive as a professional I had to train hard and play hard. Ally shook hands with me afterwards and I learned a valuable lesson that day.”

Jim had to content himself with a long spell as an Aberdeen reserve as the learning process continued. In the late ‘60s, Jim was used as a back up to regular right-back Jim Whyte. Indeed, in his first three seasons at Pittodrie, Jim made 24 competitive appearances, his debut coming against Ayr United at Pittodrie on 15th October 1966 in a 2-0 win.

Frank Munro also made his debut in that game and Martin Buchan and Ian Taylor were also introduced by Turnbull at that time. The Pittodrie revolution was certainly under way.

“I remember my debut as it was a nervous occasion for me and Jim ‘Chalky’ Whyte christened me ‘Hermit’. The boss came up to me after the game and told me to keep working hard and if I showed the same kind of dedication then my chance would come again. He was true to his word.”

It was in 1969/70 that Jim established himself as a regular in the first team. Aberdeen had gone through a lot of changes and the likes of Martin Buchan, Ian Taylor, Tom McMillan and Bobby Clark had developed into regulars and Jim was keen to be a part of that. It was during that season that Joe Harper was signed and a new look Aberdeen side began to emerge with Hermiston an integral part of it.

Despite an uninspiring run in the league, it was in the Scottish Cup that evidence of the Turnbull master plan was clearly evident. Aberdeen went all the way to Hampden and a cup final meeting with old rivals Celtic.

“In the build up to the cup final it was a troubled time for me with several injury problems. I only managed to play at Falkirk in the quarter-final and against Kilmarnock in the semi-final. The injuries caused me a lot of problems and pain but cortisone injections were a great thing back then, along with the cold of the North Sea! The boss would send me down to the beach to strengthen my mind and body!

“Eddie came up to my house on the Sunday before the final and told me that because of the determination and dedication I had shown to get over the injuries, if I came through the reserve game on the Tuesday then I would be in the team for the final. Nobody else knew that and I have always appreciated the boss for that kind of approach. Sure enough, I was in the team for Hampden at right-half and I was delighted to not have let anyone down by playing one of my best ever games for the Dons that day.”

On that day against Celtic the Dons were rank outsiders but Aberdeen upset the odds with a display of supreme confidence that shocked Celtic in a sensational 3-1 win. Jim went on to become a regular in the Aberdeen side that challenged Celtic for the title a year later and he also played his part in the Dons’ European challenge. One of the most consistent performers ever to play for the club, Jim Hermiston was rewarded in 1972 with a place in the Scotland U-23 side and also a Scottish League appearance.

After Eddie Turnbull left to return to Easter Road in 1971, Hermiston remained a constant in the Aberdeen side under Jim Bonthrone and was installed as Aberdeen captain in 1973, a position Jim drew great pride from. Yet in 1975, Jim stunned the club by announcing that he was retiring from the professional game to begin a career with Grampian Police. It was a real shock for all concerned and there was no doubt that Aberdeen would miss their captain. Not long after that, Jim emigrated to Australia where he became a real star in the Australian league as he began playing again.

After enlisting in the police again in Australia, Jim retired a number of years ago and is currently enjoying his retirement in Queensland. Looking back on his career Jim has few regrets. “I used to love playing at Pittodrie and going to Ibrox and Parkhead was always a special occasion. The worst place to go was Cappielow. When the tide was in, the ground was always heavy and it was always raining down there. I also got my injury that almost put me out of the 1970 final down there, so I was always glad to see the back of Greenock.”

Looking back on some of his teammates Jim recalled some great players.

“Joe Harper was something special. Playing in the same side with him was memorable. I knew that if I ever made any forward runs and I managed to get the ball into the box then Joe would be loitering about there and he would stick them away.

“I had a great relationship with Bobby Clark, Henning Boel and Martin Buchan and we developed a great understanding in a defence that gave little away. With Bobby, if a ball was crossed into our box, I would head it towards the top corner so that no opposition could get it. Bobby knew it was going there and we used to practice that in training a lot.

“As far as opponents are concerned I always liked playing against Jimmy Johnstone. I always had to be on my guard against him as he was a great player and we had some incredible tussles. Playing the Old Firm was a challenge as they were arrogant at times, but we never feared them and, to be honest, we usually did well against them.

“One of the few disappointments that I had was not making the World Cup squad in 1974. I remember going back to Pittodrie every afternoon with Teddy Scott helping me work on all aspects of my game. I made the 22 players that would represent Scotland but that was whittled down to a final 18 and I missed out. I read in a lot of the papers that I should have been selected, which did not help ease my disappointment.

“That had a huge bearing on my thoughts for the future and I thought that a move might help and Chelsea were keen to take me south, but the clubs could not agree a fee. That took the edge off my game a bit and forced me to think about what I would do in future. I played on for another season but admit I lost a bit of the passion. That was why I joined the police, and to give my family some security. After Eddie left in 1971, I missed his guidance although Teddy Scott was a great help.”

Jim resumed his career in Australia and played in the National League between 1977 and 1982. He was named as the Australian Player of the Year in 1979 and also Queensland Sports Star of 1979. After joining Queensland Police later that year, Jim received the Police Valour Award in 2000 after stopping an armed hold up while off duty.

After retiring in 2002, Jim feels a bit like the bionic man after a knee replacement followed by a new hip.

“It is a small world. The specialist who saw to my knee was a Dr Robert Cooke who had been registrar in Aberdeen between 1969 and 1974 and he remembered me from my time in the Granite City and said it was all those cortisone injections that had caused the trouble in later life.

“I have no regrets at all about my career and my decision to retire early. I was lucky enough to play for a great club and see the world. These days, I still cycle two hours every morning and work out in the afternoons and with eight grandchildren to look out for, there is never a dull moment.”