Having his first views of an Old Firm derby, Justice Popplewell, the High Court judge who is leading an inquiry into football violence, was full of praise for what he had seen at Parkhead. 'I thoroughly enjoyed it all,' he said. 'The behaviour of the players was exemplary, the ground facilities and the policing were impressive and I understand that any arrests made were for minor offences.' Britain's biggest crowd of the season, 58,365, enjoyed, too, a typically robust tussle between football's arch rivals. Play, if seldom composed, was always lively and free of the evil-tempered tackles which have marred recent clashes between Celtic and Rangers.
The two managers were not impressed by their players' performances in the 1-1 draw, in which McCoist opened the scoring with a neat goal and Paul McStay equalized for Celtic with a 20-yard shot.
Jock Wallace was angry. 'We played for only 20 minutes,' he snapped. His one player to be praised was Walker, the goalkeeper, who had his most notable match since arriving at Ibrox. David Hay was disappointed. 'Celtic should have won easily,' he reflected. 'We were the better side, in command most of the match, but we failed to take our chances and still need much more sharpness.'
If Rangers received little official credit for the way they salvaged the draw, it was an excellent result for them. A point won the hard way keeps them at the top of the premier division table. Celtic are a point behind.
More threateningly for Rangers, so are Aberdeen, who beat Dundee 3-2 at Dens Park after a fine display in the second half that gave their supporters high hopes that their inconsistent spell was over. Stark (two) and Simpson were the Aberdeen scorers, with Black pulling a goal back for the struggling home side near the end.
The surprise of the afternoon was St Mirren's 2-0 home defeat by the remarkable Clydebank.
The other promoted club, Motherwell, are still seeking their first win. They did not deserve to lose 1-0 at home to Dundee United, who are well placed in the championship.
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