Hibernian call time on two modern-day legends

By Archie Meldrum

Easter Road waves goodbye to two stalwarts at the end of the season

Earlier this week, the Hibees announced that club icons Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon will leave the club at the end of the current campaign, after nearly two decades in Leith.

 

The term ‘legend’ gets muttered far too often nowadays in football, although using it for this pair would be no understatement. The left-sided defensive duo have over 1,100 appearances for Hibs between them, with Stevenson making his debut in 2005 and Hanlon in 2008.

The pair are part of the furniture in Leith (Image: Getty Images)

 

They both currently sit fourth and fifth in the club's all-time appearance chart with Stevenson featuring 599 times while Hanlon closely follows with 562.

 

Lewis Stevenson, who is also the club's all-time league appearance holder, remains the only Hibs player to win both domestic cup competitions. Stevenson did so in 2007, winning the League Cup at only 19 years old after a 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock. Then in 2016, rewriting the Hibernian history books by winning the Scottish Cup after a 114-year wait, alongside Paul Hanlon.

Stevenson parading the League Cup after Hibs’ 2007 victory (Image: Getty Images)

 

In the run to the 2016 final, Hanlon scored a memorable last-minute goal against Hearts at Tynecastle to secure a replay in the fifth round against their Edinburgh rivals. Since then, Hanlon has gone on to captain the club on multiple occasions, before officially being named club captain in the summer of 2021.

 

Alongside the pair's great service to Hibernian, both players have a cap for Scotland. Stevenson in a friendly against Peru back in 2018, with Hanlon making his international debut off the bench in a 1-0 victory over Czech Republic in 2020.

Stevenson in action for Scotland (Image: Getty Images)

 

If you're a Hibee born after the year 2000, then it's likely Hanlon and Stevenson are all you’ve ever known down that left side of defence. This demonstrates the astounding levels of commitment that the pair have shown to Hibernian FC.

 

On Wednesday 15 May, Hibs will play Motherwell at home. This is the final time that Hanlon and Stevenson will run out at Easter Road as Hibs players. The club is expected to hold a special tribute to the duo after the match.

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