This was, without question, the best Old Firm game that I've ever attended. I've always said that you don't actually enjoy Old Firm games, they are a duty that you endure and enjoy the final whistle if things have gone well. But I genuinely believe that both sets of fans thoroughly enjoyed this game and went home happy.

My memory of the game is fading, as it was more than half my life ago, but I do remember that I was sitting in the lower section of the Govan Stand, just about halfway up and round about 25 yards from the C*ltic end goal. It was absolutely pelting down with rain, and I got thoroughly soaked.

But what a game ! Bearing in mind that this game was played just a couple of months before the Souness revolution which was about to hit Scottish football, I really don't think any of the highly paid foreign imports that we've seen since have produced quite as much drama as this game did. Rangers' team was entirely made up of Scots, and of the C*ltic side only Irishmen Bonner and O'Leary were non-Scots.

I don't recall much detail of the game other than the goals, to be honest. The stats show that Willie McStay was sent off, but I'm not sure what for other than for having an extraordinarliy offensive nose.  

Anyway, it was one helluva rollercoaster of a game. C*ltic started the ball rolling when Mo Johnston (yes, him !) got a break of the ball in the area and deflected it past Walker to put C*ltic ahead. Johnston had that daft blonde semi-permed look at the time, and celebrated with his trademark (at the time) limp-wristed celebration as he ran towards the halfway line.  (It's odd, but he seemed a wee bit happier when he scored in the same goal a few years later in a certain match,  but we'll talk about that game some other time ! )

It seemed like it was going to be a long afternoon for us Bears as, only 8 minutes later, C*ltic were 2-0 ahead, Brian McClair pouncing on a loose ball in the box again and giving Walker no chance. (McClair had won his move to C*ltic on the back of one of the biggest ever tabloid myths. They kept going on about how he scored two hat-tricks inside a week against both sides of the Old Firm when he was at Motherwell. Sure, he scored a hat-trick against the mhanky mob, but how can you score a hat-trick when your team only wins 2-1 against Rangers ? )

We sat with our heads in our hands as the Broomloan Stand partied, but the doom and gloom was not to last long. Five minutes later, Robert Fleck ( I think it was him anyway) danced to the bye-line and whipped over a cross, and Cammy Fraser rose on the penalty spot to bury a bullet header past Bonner. We were back in the game, and half-time was filled with optimisim.

Half-time : 2-1

As is the usual, though, just as you get your hopes up in Old Firm games, they come back and kick you in the guts. C*ltic started the second half like a whirlwind, and Tommy Burns slid in a third goal only two minutes after the restart. We were gutted, the Broomloan Stand was bouncing again, I was far too close to them and I was soaked. I was not a happy Bear !

But, then it all turned on its head again. And again, we only had to wait five minutes to be given fresh hope. Ally McCoist picked up the ball on the halfway line, danced past a couple of tackles and then unleashed a rasper of a daisy cutter that flew past Bonner into the bottom corner of the net. McCoist celebrated in unusual fashion. He ran to the dugout and stood there with his arms stretched wide, but not the slightest hint of a smile. When the celebrations around him had died down, he punched his fist towards the bench and ran back to his position. It was unlike Ally not to over-celebrate an Old Firm goal, particularly such a spectacular one, but you got the impression that Jock Wallace had given him a few harsh words at half-time and this was Ally's response.

Seven minutes later and it was mayhem all around. Robert Fleck barged his way through several challenges in the box and unleashed a shot that took a wicked deflection and flew past a helpless Bonner. Rangers were level in a game where they had seemed dead and buried twice !

Then the unthinkable happened. Only four minutes later, Rangers were ahead. My recollections of this goal are somewhat shady, but I do recall Davie McKinnon launching a header into the area, and Cammy Fraser popping up at the back post to nod it over the line from a yard out. I remember that it was one of those "it's a goal" moments for several seconds before it actually went in, as you could see McKinnon's header had Bonner beaten and it was a formality for Fraser to score. A sweet moment, and a major major major jump around ! Suddenly we forgot the rain ! McKinnon to this day claims the goal was his and was over the line before Fraser touched it, but we didn't give a toss at the time !

Daftly, we made the mistake of thinking we'd cracked it ! After all, the game had swung back and forward all afternoon, so why would it stay the same for the last 27 minutes ? Of course, it didn't. In fact, it didn't even stay the same for the next 7 minutes ! Murdo McLeod gathered the ball in space some 25 yards from goal, and you could honestly hear the sharp intake of breath from the Rangers support and the cries of "Melt it, Murdo !" from the Broomloan Stand. Melt it he did, and the ball flew past Walker like an exocet missile.

4-4, and 20 minutes still to go. What happened in the remaining 20 minutes is for other people to tell, I have no recollection whatsoever. Possibly the players had put so much into the preceeding 70 minutes in the persistent rain that they just ran out of steam.

But it was the only time I can ever remember both sets of fans standing and applauding at the end of an Old Firm game. And it was thoroughly deserved.