Hibs heroes team up to pay tribute to George

HIBS legends today pledged support for a charity in memory of George Best after a poignant visit to the former Hibee's grave in Belfast.

A five-man delegation led by former teammate Jackie McNamara and Famous Five member Lawrie Reilly also met Best's sister, Barbara.

They spent a few quiet moments at Best's graveside, where they laid a special floral tribute on behalf of all former Hibs players.

Today, the former players said they hoped to make the trip an annual event, with different representatives attending each year.

And they revealed that the Hibs Former Players' Association is set to make a donation in aid of the George Best Foundation.

Lawrie Reilly said the group had travelled to Roselawn Cemetery in east Belfast, where Best is buried alongside his mother Ann, passing his family home on the Cregagh Estate.

He said: "We took a really big bunch of flowers from the Hibs Former Players' Association, which said, 'From some Hibees to another Hibee'.

"We'll make this an annual thing, with different former players going every year. He was a legend in soccer and I think it's something the current players should see."

The 77-year-old struck up a friendship with Best after meeting him socially at Easter Road.

"He was always a smiling, bubbly laddie.

"He was a person you took an instant liking to and as I had quite a history playing international football he took a big interest in that.

"He was particularly interested in how we got on against Northern Ireland, but our record was pretty good."

Jackie McNamara senior played alongside Best at Hibs and said going to the grave was "an emotional experience".

Mr McNamara said they had been planning to go for a while after missing Best's funeral.

"We knew we couldn't get near the place when he was buried and it was something the former players decided to do," he said.

"We thought we'd meet his sister as former colleagues and explain why we missed the funeral."

Best's sister went to see the delegation, which also included former players Ralph Callachan and Billy Hunter and Willie McEwan of the Hibs Supporters' Association.

Barbara told them about the George Best Foundation, a charity set up in her brother's memory to raise cash for liver research and promote football in countries where there are underprivileged children.

Mr McEwan said: "George will never be forgotten, especially by Ralph and Jackie who played with him.

"Ralph had a picture of him and Jackie with George on his first day at the club, which he showed to his sister."

Mr McEwan said he remembered clearly George's first match at Easter Road. He said: "The crowds were small back in those days, about 5000 or 6000. But at George's first home game at Hibs there were over 20,000. The terraces were packed."

In Belfast, the ex-footballers also attended a presentation to ex-centre forward Lawrie Reilly held by the Belfast Hibs Supporters' Club.

Considered the greatest British player of all time, 59-year-old Best, who had an alcohol problem for much of his adult life and received a liver transplant in 2002, died on November 25 last year after a long illness.

He played for Hibs near the end of his career, from 1979 to 1980, lured there by then chairman Tom Hart for £1500 a game.

During his time with the club, the Belfast-born star played 25 matches and scored three goals for the Edinburgh team.