Hibees pay tribute as the club's No 1 gran dies at 93

AS EASTER Road legends go, she was among the greatest.

Maude MacFarlane, perhaps the club's most famous fan, has died at the age of 93.

Tributes have been paid in their hundreds to the charismatic Corstorphine pensioner, described as the "grandmother of Hibs", who attended every game home and away – including trips to Trinidad and Tobago and Greece – until recent illness curtailed her avid following of the club.

The founder of the famous Hawkhill supporters bus – known as "Maude's bus" – her diminutive frame accompanied by a walking stick and huge Hibs scarf stood out on match days.

Fans today also recalled how she refused to criticise any Hibs player. Willie McEwan, treasurer of the Hibs Former Players Association, sat with Maude in Easter Road's Edinburgh Suite and took her to away games.

He said: "So many people remember her from running that bus. For many it was their first experience of away games. She would get a real thrill when people came up to her and recalled memories of that bus.

"She knew everyone and was undoubtedly one of Hibs' most famous fans.

"She travelled all over the world to see them. I'll never forget all the police in Athens when Hibs played there, with their riot gear and shields, and she just hobbled right through them with her stick and scarf. They were stunned – the Greeks had never seen anything like it."

Aside from her fanaticism for the club, she was heavily involved in charity work, collecting regularly for St Columba's Hospice, where her husband died 17 years ago. She became an Edinburgh Citizen of the Year as a result.

Mr McEwan added: "She also had to bury her own daughter, which she never recovered from. She never had any grandchildren of her own, but she was a grandmother to Hibs."

Maude also struggled to recover physically after being knocked down by a drink-driver in 2000, meaning she almost lost a leg. Her mobility continued to reduce, and she passed away peacefully on Monday morning at the Western General.

Scores of fans on the Hibs.net website spoke of their sadness at her death, exchanging stories about the "legend".

Hibs owner Sir Tom Farmer said: "She was a true lady and supported the team through thick and thin. If the team was on a bad run, it was the weather's fault.

"There was no-one like her with that enthusiasm for football. She always referred to the players as her 'boys'."

The club said it was too early to say for sure what would happen by way of a tribute, but that discussions were ongoing.

Scott Lindsay, Hibs' chief executive, added: "It is a sad day for everyone associated with Hibs. She enjoyed a unique status with the Hibs fans and will be sadly missed. She is someone whose courage inspired lots of people."