Remember Remember two wins in November, so we have been constantly told for the last six weeks or so! Well, all those with a light blue tendency will have to, for normal service has been restored and the Bhoys have started 2005 as we intend to go on.......VICTORIOUS!!!

The Scottish Cup has always been known as Celtic's Cup, and there's no sweeter start to a year than an Old Firm win and the seeds firmly planted for hopefully what will be another glorious double come May.

Several folk in the media suggested afterwards that that this was not a good game; but surely there's no such thing as a good defeat in an Old Firm, only good wins,....hence explaining why most of those folk complaining about the quality had leanings towards Ibrox.

Severe weather conditions had wreaked havoc in the days preceding the game, however, the anticipated onfield storm following recent events at Ibrox failed to materialize, as both sides started brightly and intent on dealing a crucial blow to their opponents Scottish Cup ambitions.

Rangers paraded new signing Bojan Djordic, whilst also attempting to plug the sizeable gap caused by the recent departure of Boumsong. The evidence on show suggested that this will be a difficult task, as ‘Julie' Andrews proved to be our most dangerous attacking option on occasion. We started minus Lennon, a noticeable absentee, and attempted to fill the void with Jackie; whilst Rab, Ulrich and our own Ronaldinho retained their starting places, along with recently re-signed Hartson.

The first half of the game was tight as both teams sought the vital opening goal, with much of the action centring on midfield battles. Several yellow cards ought to have administered in addition to that received by Djordic, however Dallas frequently sought the advice of fourth official, Alex Rae, on any fouls committed by a Rangers player before passing judgement. Indeed Rae huffed and puffed as he attempted to pursue Sutton, but if only he was a bit younger then maybe he'd have been able to administer the kick or two that he wished. Surely it's a pity that Charles Darwin never lived to see his missing link in the evolution chain, with several thousand other missing links occupying the south-east corner section of the Lisbon Lions Stand. Celtic deployed the heavy squad for retribution in the form of McGeady....anyone know a good dentist?

Just as the first half looked set for deadlock, a well anticipated flick from Hartson set Sutton hurtling in one on one with Klos, before sliding the ball through his legs and into the gaping net. 1-0 and ‘we're on the one road......'.

Second half commenced with a rousing rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone, and before Rangers had the decency to let us finish and sit back down Quasimodo Ricksen nipped in between our static defence to level matters with a firm header. 1-1 and ‘over and over, faithful through and through.....'.

Celtic then set about regaining their rightful lead, however, Klos continued to defy the attempts of the Celtic attack, and the domination experienced looked set to produce no reward. For all the battles being waged in midfield, Rangers forward duo of Prso and Novo done their best Big Brother's Brigitte Nielsen impression, and I don't mean offer plenty up front, rather simply being a pair of big t*ts! Their most dangerous moments tended to stem from Balde's clearances, and his distribution caused a great deal of unnecessary anxiety in the Celtic ranks.

On entering the final quarter of an hour a deep cross from Agathe evaded everyone but an onrushing Hartson, whose shot found the back of the net, with a little help from ‘Big Julie'. 2-1 and ‘we shall not be moved....'.

Indeed the game finished with the scoreline 2-1 in Celtic's favour, and Rangers Scottish Cup ambitions reflected by those of another Hun, the Red Barron....firmly dead and buried!!

Martin O'Neill had shown yet again that Celtic refuse to lie down and roll over, and Rangers will never come to Celtic Park to overrun the Hoops.

Man of Match: Ulrich Laursen

Solid, Crunching Tackles, Excellent Positional Play, and Accurate Distribution all ensured the Great Dane a worthy recipient of the award, along with hopefully a well-earned run in the team.

CELTIC - Douglas, Laursen, Balde, Varga, Agathe, McGeady, Thompson, Petrov, McNamara, Sutton, Hartson

RANGERS - Klos, Vignal, Andrews, Khizanishvilli, Hutton, Namouchi, Djordic, Ricksen, Rae, Prso, Novo