Derek McInnes has revealed that Walter Smith was left furious after Rangers' 1–0 victory over Celtic in his first Old Firm match.
The former Rangers midfielder was part of the victorious side on November 14, 1996, when Brian Laudrup scored the only goal of the game at Celtic Park.
The match was memorable for various reasons, including Peter van Vossen's astonishing miss, saved penalties for both sides, and even a fox making an appearance on the pitch.
Despite the win, McInnes, who had signed from Morton the previous year, remembers Smith's anger towards Van Vossen for his missed opportunity.
He said: "It was the 1–0 game at Celtic Park, I've flicked on a header and Laudrup did the rest. We went top of the league that night at Celtic Park.
"I remember the gaffer didn't really celebrate too much afterwards, he was just so angry with Peter for missing the chance because we put the game at risk towards the end.
"Peter was a great guy, but I've seen it back again. I still don't know how he misses it. If we hadn't got the result, I think he would have been absolutely leathered by players."
Rangers moved to the top of the league following the result and went on to win the title to equal Celtic's nine-in-a-row record.
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McInnes, who now manages the Light Blues, recalled his mindset going into the 1996 fixture. He said: "I just remember I just didn't want to let anybody down. I was involved in a dressing room who had been serial winners, winning trophies left, right and centre.
"I just wanted to feel valued in the sense of I played a part in winning something. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't let any of my team-mates or the club down and bring a performance."
The Rangers boss also highlighted the shared pressure to deliver a ninth consecutive title victory. He said: "And the pressure to deliver nine was clearly on everyone in that dressing room, particularly the gaffer and we all felt it.
"Wherever you came from in the world, or whether you were a local boy, it was a sense of opportunity there and having won eight, we had to win nine.
"We all kind of felt that collective responsibility, but the players all wanted to do it for the manager as much as anybody."
McInnes is now preparing for a different kind of Old Firm match, as manager, ahead of the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final tie against Celtic on Sunday at Ibrox.
He hopes his current side can avoid missing opportunities as Van Vossen did in his Old Firm game.
He added: "We missed some chances on Wednesday night, but we didn't miss any like that one and hopefully if we get an opportunity on Sunday we can take it."
