HIBERNIAN legend Pat Stanton insists departing owner Sir Tom Farmer can be proud of his Easter Road legacy.
The former manager and club captain also believes Rod Petrie’s stewardship on the board and as chairman will be better appreciated by the fans over time.
The pair ended their 28-year association with the club on Tuesday when Ron Gordon was announced as the new majority shareholder.
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Kwik-Fit founder Farmer stepped in to stop Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer’s controversial merger plans in 1991 when Hibs were on the brink of financial ruin.
Farmer appointed Petrie to look after the club’s affairs and the pair depart with the Hibs on solid foundations on and off the park, notably through their state-of-the-art stadium and training centre.
And Stanton insists the men at the helm can be pleased with their efforts following nearly three decades in charge.
Stanton said: “When you look back to when Sir Tom Farmer got involved, Hibs were not in a very good place.
“He came in and virtually saved the club, and stuck by them.
“You see some comments in the papers but I don’t think he ever got the credit he deserved. He did what he did for the club and it will only be in years to come that people appreciate what he did.
“At the very offset he said he wasn’t a football man but someone somewhere got him involved in the club. He’s a businessman but he came in there and saved Hibs because things were looking dire.
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“They are where they are today because of the result of him and one or two others getting involved and putting Hibs on the right path.”
Stanton, who played for Hibs between 1963 and 1976, added: “Tom is a very astute man and he Rob Petrie in there to perform a service and keep them on an even keel.
“You don’t have to look very far to see clubs who went too far the wrong way, using money they don’t have.
“When you look at how Hibs have been managed, you have to say that it was done right as well.
“Recently the club has been going in the right direction and you want it to keep going.
“The fans have really got behind the club with the attendances, the stadium itself is a lovely stadium.
“You’ll get wee blips with the playing side, we’ve got a new manager and a new group of people in charge of the club and looking ahead you’re quite keen to see how it goes.”
Hibs manager Paul Heckingbottom, meanwhile, has declared himself happy with the first glimpse of his new signings – but insists they are only going to get better after Hibs opened their pre-season account with a defeat.
The Easter Road men went down 3-2 at Gayfield on Wednesday night to Championship newcomers Arbroath, who they face at home in the Betfred Cup later this month.
South African trialist Ryan Moon did himself no harm in his search for a deal when he nodded in a late header and Scott Allan scored a spectacular strike on his return for the Edinburgh club.
But Heckingbottom is adamant that fitness was the number one priority for him as new recruits Joe Newell, Tom James, Adam Jackson and Christian Doidge, who missed a first-half penalty, were given 45 minutes ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Dunfermline.
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With only Paul Hanlon and young keeper Patrick Martin, who was at fault for at least two of Arbroath’s goals, getting longer than a half, Heckingbottom said: “The new players will only get better. Forty-five minutes, it’s tough to see.
“But they’ve settled in really well.
“We did the [trasnfer] work early so they know they’re team-mates now and we’ve been doing plenty of fitness work.
“And we’ll continue to do that. There’s a long way to go yet but they know it’s going to be tough and we’re going to work hard, and we’ll continue to do so through the League Cup games as well.
“The players gained the 45 minutes and [it was about] the new players getting the green and white on and playing for us.
“There were good things all round, the result I’m not bothered about. We’re not preparing to win a game.
“I’d rather lose every pre-season game and then win the league games when they start and the League Cup games before that.”
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