Darren Young was SICK in the showers and almost fainted after his first visit to Ibrox as a player.
And on Friday night, he hopes his Stirling Albion players feel every bit as drained when he goes back as a manager to take on Rangers.
The former Aberdeen midfielder only took over as Binos boss last month after leaving East Fife in November.
But this week, the League Two outfit will get the chance to impress live on TV in their Scottish Cup clash against Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side.
Young played against the Dutchman on several occasions when he was at Pittodrie.
But a few years before that, after the Dons got a 2-2 draw against Walter Smith's men, the teenager was a wreck after taking on the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup.
Now, Young wants his Albion part-timers to show the same kind of desire and work rate that left him throwing up in the Ibrox dressing-room.
Ahead of the cup tie on Friday, he told Mailsport: “This will be my first time at Ibrox as a manager and I played against Giovanni back in the day so it will be strange being in the dug-out this time.
“He was a top quality player, verging on world class. Look at the teams he played for. It was hard to get close to him on the pitch.
“But I was never fazed by big name opposition players.
“I got a lift from trying to prove myself against the best, especially in front of big crowds.
“I worked as hard as I possibly could on the pitch. My first game at Ibrox for Aberdeen was in 1996, I was only 17.
“They had Gazza and Laudrup in the team and we drew 2-2.
“I thought I was going to score the equaliser late on but Billy Dodds nicked it off me!
“But I came off absolutely drained and I felt sick.
“I was spewing up afterwards. The physios were giving me sugar because I was feeling so faint.
“I just sat there in the shower, totally goosed. But I was buzzing because I was 17 and had just got a draw at Ibrox. A year previously, I was still at school.
“That was an early taster for me and it shouldn't be any different for our players on Friday night.
“We'll be up against it, obviously, but we can't feel inferior to Rangers. We'll set up to be hard to beat – but I want us to create chances.
“I know the players will knock their pan in.
“We've had to shuffle training around with the game on a Friday night. And a few of our boys are having to change their work shifts.
“I'm pretty sure Rangers will have rest and recovery days with nice massages.
“But some of our guys will be on a building site working – maybe even on the morning of the game.
“I'll be working in the estate agents on Friday as well before getting myself ready to go to Ibrox.”
For the first time in 26 years, Young found himself out of the game over the festive season after being fired by East Fife.
But 29 days without football was too much and, given his record at New Bayview and Albion Rovers before that, it's no surprise that he's back.
He said: “Having 29 days out of the game was weird.
“What do people do on a Saturday at 3pm without it? That was the question I was asking myself.
“It's ingrained in you. I just love football, I've had it my whole life.
“But I took a step back. Obviously, I felt a bit less pressure on me for those 29 days.
“And it was good to spend some time with the family around Christmas.
“But I was still checking teams and scores on a Saturday.
“Any manager out of work will look at who's starting, who's coming off the bench, who is out of favour.
“Because you never know when the next opportunity will come up.”
Young got Albion Rovers promoted to League One and earned a dream Scottish Cup tie against Celtic.
At East Fife, they were constantly challenging for the play-offs on a shoestring budget, reached the last 16 in the Cup and beat local rivals Raith Rovers.
He believes he deserves another crack at it and is excited about the potential at Forthbank.
The 43-year-old said: “I understood East Fife's position. They were looking for a change or a spark to get them out of the position they're in.
“But the season was hard for us. We lost Ryan Wallace and Mark McGuigan, two of the better strikers in the league.
“Right away, our front two were gone. Then we got injuries, like Ross Davidson and Danny Swanson.
“One week we had nine players out, with Covid on top of that.
“If Cove Rangers lost Mitch Megginson or Rory McAllister, they'd struggle.
“So to take five or six out of the East Fife side is going to have an impact.
“Once you're in a rut, players lose confidence.
“I questioned everything because for four years, I'd had success.
“We missed out on the play-offs by goal difference, which was a real gutter.
“But for three weeks, we were playing Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday after the lockdown.
“For part-time players who have jobs, that was ridiculous.
“Can you imagine asking Rangers or Celtic, with full-time players, to do that? It was an absolute joke.
“I still felt like I could turn it round. But I got messages from experienced managers, who said I'm a proper manager now that I've been sacked.
“In every season I've been a manager, I've had an interview for a full-time job. That proves I must be doing something right.
“I don't need people to tell me that my record is good.”
Young's aim is to get out of Scottish football's bottom tier but he's determined to enjoy Ibrox first.
He said: “It's a massive game for us, especially with fans in.
“To play in a stadium like that will be a great experience for the players.
“And financially, it's huge for the club.”
