On June 5 1990, the day after the merger bid was announced by the media, hundreds of fans gathered outside Easter Road demanding to know what on earth was going on.
It would be the first of numerous rallies over the next six weeks in a movement that would be branded Hands Off Hibs and ultimately lead to Mercer withdrawing his bid and the club being saved from almost certain oblivion.
We’ve had a deep dig through the archives at the Evening News that tell the story of that merger and how it threatened to tear a then 115-year-old Edinburgh institution.
13. Stanton speaks
Club legend Pat Stanton was among the big voices to lend his support. | JPIMedia Photo: TSPL
14. The petition
Hands Off Hibs campaigners arrive at Tynecastle to deliver their petition to Wallace Mercer. | JPIMedia Photo: TSPL
15. Defeat
On 13 July 1990 Wallace Mercer withdrew his takeover bid. The Hands Off Hibs campaign was victorious with Tom Farmer stepping in with a pledge to invest in the club. | JPIMedia Photo: UNKNOWN