There wouldn’t be much for Celtic fans to get excited about during an emphatic home win for rivals Rangers.
But the sight of visiting supporters at Ibrox Stadium for the first time this season would certainly have perked them up a bit.
It wasn’t much fun for the Dunfermline Athletic supporters who made the trip through to Govan for their Premier Sports Cup last-16 tie.
The Fifers had to watch their side suffer a five-goal mauling but it was still an away trip to a Scottish Premiership ground for the Pars faithful.
Any away day is a bit of a novelty for supporters these days after so long locked out of a ground before the return of home fans.
Celtic fans were denied a trip to Tynecastle on the opening weekend but that fell before the Scottish Government gave the green light for full houses.
The Hoops next domestic away day doesn’t get much bigger with a trip to Ibrox in just a couple of weeks time.
It will be the first time supporters have been allowed into the fixture since a 2-1 win for Rangers at Parkhead in December 2019.
Celtic were preparing for a trip across the the city to their great rivals on the very weekend football in the country was halted due to the pandemic.
And that means it will be TWO years since fans witnessed a clash of the Glasgow rivals in Govan, when Neil Lennon’s men ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Odsonne Edouard and Jonny Hayes.
But Celtic supporters have yet to be told if, like Dunfermline on Friday night, tickets will be made available for them.
The doubt over the away fans allocation comes from the need for Red Zone area which has seen the Hoops deny Hearts fans tickets for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup tie at Parkhead.
Celtic said of the decision: "This is due to the need for sections of the stadium to remain sterile in order to maintain a Red Zone, resulting in affected home supporters being moved to other areas of the ground.”
That was also the case when Jablonec were in Glasgow for the first capacity attendance figure at Parkhead since the pandemic.
Rangers also have to relocate fans who have season tickets in the Red Zone area but this was made easier against Dunfermline as the match wasn’t a complete sell out.
However, it will prove more challenging for the Celtic showdown and housing them in the traditional away end is the most logical move.
That, though, would deny the Hoops supporters the chance to cheer on their side in the crucial first derby showdown of the season.
