They were one of the UK’s most notorious gangs of football casuals during the 80s and 90s – but some within the feared Capital City Service branched out from matchday brawling into serious organised crime.

Linked to capital side Hibs, CCS thugs earned a sickening reputation for violence at a time when hooliganism shamed the national sport.

CCS yobs took on rivals associated with other Scottish clubs and clashed with “firms” from down south such as Millwall, Leeds and Chelsea.

They also fought running battles in the streets against rival casual gangs from Aberdeen, Motherwell, city rivals Hearts and Rangers and Celtic thugs.

Football casuals would rammy in the streets

But along the way, CCS leaders became embroiled in running protection, security and shoplifting rings, and alleged involvement in drug dealing.

Members were accused of grabbing part of the city’s market for Ecstasy pills as rave culture exploded in the 90s.

CCS thugs reportedly pushed the drugs on the terraces to fans, and police said several casuals had been prosecuted for dealing.

CCS leaders downplayed links to drugs, stating that some members would have been involved in crime “regardless” of their association with the firm.

Others in the group were blamed for trying to take over door security at city centre pubs, threatening bar owners if they weren’t hired.

Meanwhile, CCS members were reputedly involved in a feud with an Edinburgh-based security company, Westland, which ran many of the doors in the capital.

Its offices were allegedly smashed up by casuals while its boss, body builder Chris Sneddon, was threatened and several bouncers assaulted.

Mr Universe contender Sneddon collapsed at the wheel of his S-Type Jaguar car and died aged just 39 following a boxing bout in 2002.

It was feared the trouble was part of a bid to seize control of the doors.

About 30 members of the CCS were said to work as doormen – and control of Edinburgh’s doors meant control of the city’s booming rave scene and drug culture.

One of the CCS’s most notorious members later told of his criminal past as a Hibs casual.

Andy Blance described how his gang became a criminal organisation, operating protection and security rackets.

He got five years in jail in 1991 for an axe attack on a pub bouncer in Dunfermline’s Kronk nightclub.

Blance claimed his gang plotted against the late Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer after he tried to take over Hibs in 1989.

He said: “I am not saying we would have killed him but we had contingency plans to do him serious harm.”

Blance also revealed he was asked to “do in” the international player by a drug kingpin over a £300,000 debt.

Speaking to the Daily Record in 2009, he said: “I took a call from a well-known gangster. He was looking for a guy who had f****d him about, probably over payment for drugs.

"That guy just happened to be a Scotland internationalist.

“I was asked if I could ‘call-in’ the debt. We all know what that means. The player was facing a severe doing or even worse. But I refused point blank.

“Obviously, there are others out there who won’t hesitate to use violence against a Scotland player if they are paid enough.”

Football casuals soon moved from match day brawling to alleged drug dealing

By the time the CCS was first active around 1984, many of the city’s street gang members would be among its ranks as hooliganism became a major problem in both Scotland and England.

Soon CCS offshoots were developing. Blackley’s Baby Crew (BBC) were formed around 1985, principally by siblings and associates of original members.

Named after Hibs manager John Blackley, they disbanded as members joined the CCS.

The Lassie Soccer Trendies (LST) were either members’s girlfriends or groupies, while The Family were a “hardcore” section of the CCS.

The Hibs Baby Crew (HBC) were youngsters who, in 1987, were involved in hooliganism and seeking full membership.

On match days in Edinburgh, the Penny Black pub, near Waverley Station, was a favoured CCS gathering place.

Baby Crew members would watch the station for the arrival of firms from visiting clubs and note what direction they took.

Hibs hooligans would usually travel to away games by train.

Hired coaches or transit vans would sometimes be used to avoid law enforcement and make their way to Aberdeen, Dundee or Glasgow.

In 1990, a pre-season friendly was organised between Hibs and Millwall, whose casuals were among the largest and most vicious in Britain.

About 100 CCS members travelled to London, where they fought Millwall thugs near the Old Kent Road and reputedly got the better of their opponents.

CCS members and hooligans associated with Leeds United fought on Edinburgh’s streets in 1993 before and after a game between the sides.

Twenty-two were arrested during incidents on the High Street, Rose Street and outside Waverley Station while a Leeds fan was hospitalised with head injuries.

Street brawls were a common occurrence

From the mid-90s, cops were cracking down on hooliganism using intelligence methods and CCTV to frustrate arranged clashes between rivals.

Although football-related violence waned from its worst days, Hibs casuals continued to be involved into the 21st century.

In July 2004, Hibs casuals fought with the Leeds Service Crew near Easter Road.

In October 2006, a 2-2 derby between Hibs and Hearts was followed by brutal fighting in Lothian Road and Fountain Park.

Senior officers branded it the city’s “worst” football-related violence in two decades.

By the 2010s, cops noticed casuals involved with the CCS in the 80s had returned to the fore, teaming up with a younger element.

Officers said the older men had perhaps seen their own children grow up, got divorced or were seeking to recapture their lost youth by coming back to the casual world.

Just weeks later, about 100 hooligans from the Capital City Service flew to Benidorm to celebrate 30 years of mayhem on the terraces.

But a 10-strong group decked out in T-shirts with CCS insignia came off worst when they clashed with Leeds fans.

Outnumbered three to one, they took a pasting near the resort’s Ibrox Bar.

A source said: “It was essentially a jolly. Although there were current CCS members among them, most were older men with families.

"They weren’t looking for trouble on the holiday.”