Scott McDermott, football journalist, Daily Record / Sunday Mail

Family and friends had told my dad there was no chance of getting a ticket. It was the 1987 European Cup first round, second leg, Rangers v Dynamo Kiev at Ibrox. 

It was a sell-out, as Graeme Souness’ side tried to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Russia. But it was unlikely, with Kiev boasting talent like Baltacha, Kuznetsov, Rats and Mikhailichenko. 

As a seven-year-old fan, I was desperate for my dad to get me there. He decided to try his luck and we jumped in the car for the 15-minute trip to the stadium. 

The buzz around Ibrox before kick-off that night was incredible. It was midweek, floodlights on, it had the real feel of a proper European Cup tie, but just before we parked up, my dad took a bit of cardboard from his boot and, in felt tip pen, wrote NEED ONE TICKET on it.

We stood on Edmiston Drive, at the corner of the Main Stand and Broomloan Road end, holding up the sign in the vain hope someone might be selling a ticket. 
Within minutes, a punter nudged my dad and said ‘I’ve got you one’. Suddenly, the sense of excitement surged through my body as it hit me – we were getting into the match.

This was long before the Champions League, and would you believe the ticket cost my dad a fiver? He squeezed me into the turnstile of the Govan Stand and, amazingly, we were sat right on the halfway line – the perfect view. 

I sat in between his legs on the same seat as the atmosphere built. The noise was simply deafening, arguably, the best I’ve experienced at a football match – either as a supporter or as a journalist. 

English striker Mark Falco put Rangers one-up after a mistake from Kiev’s ‘keeper and the roof nearly came off the stadium. It got louder and louder, before Ally McCoist headed home a second-half winner to send the fans into a state of delirium. 

They held on to put the Russians out and qualify for the next round. Not only was it one of the best nights I’ve experienced at the football, it also proved that there’s always a chance of getting a ticket – if you try hard enough!