Alan McInally will never forget his Ayr United farewell – a goal of the season contender that kept them in the First Division.
Rambo, now a Sky TV pundit, capped a mazy run with a cool finish for a stunning solo effort to seal a 3-0 win over Dumbarton.
The victory at Boghead on May 12, 1984 ensured George Caldwell’s men avoided crashing into the bottom tier.
McInally, 57, remembers: “Dumbarton had already won promotion but were going for the title whereas we needed a win to survive.
“There was a marching band playing when we turned up at the ground and Dumbarton were in party mode.
"There were comments about how they were going to turn us over but we were having none of it.
“I had signed for Celtic on the previous Tuesday and wanted to leave Ayr on a high.
"From a selfish point of view it was important that I scored so I was taking corners, free-kicks and shooting from anywhere.
“I didn’t want to leave Ayr with a defeat and I certainly wasn’t going to lose in front of a marching band.
"That would have been a terrible way to end my days at the club.
“I thought - no chance, we’re going to win this and we did with a bit of style.
“The goal I scored was every bit as good as any I scored in my career, a rampaging run and a good strike. I will always remember it.”
Ayr were 7/1 outsiders going into the do-or-die game. Sons would be crowned champions if they won and Morton lost at home to Kilmarnock.
As it transpired, Morton beat Jim Clunie’s men 3-2 but Dumbarton went all out in case of a late ‘Ton slip.
Ayr were sitting third bottom but knew Raith would overtake them with a win at Meadowbank which they did 2-1.
The large Ayr support were in full voice when Gerry Collins scored with two headers just before the interval.
Keeper Jim Brown made a succession of super saves in the second-half but there was a fraught last 20 minutes after Lawrie McGee was sent off.
But McInally’s brilliant solo goal sealed a last day Great Escape never to be forgotten.
McInally recalls: “I remember meeting up with my new Celtic team-mates immediately after the game and then travelling down to Old Trafford to play in Lou Macari’s testimonial.
“I will always be grateful to Ayr who I joined almost straight from school.
“The club had a great youth set-up and although Stevie Nicol, Robert Connor and myself won big moves there were several others who were good enough to have gone further in the game.
“I have great memories of my four seasons after being signed by Willie McLean. Ayr had some right good players in these days.”
Rambo scored 36 goals in 92 games as an Honest Man and was player of the year in his final season before his £120,000 move to Celtic.
His 65 league appearances for Celtic brought him 16 goals before he was sold to Aston Villa, helping them win promotion in 1988.
Then followed a move to Bayern Munich, where he stayed for four years.
In his first season at the German giants he made 31 appearances and scored 10 goals, helping them win the 1989–90 Bundesliga. He won eight caps for Scotland and was in the 1990 World Cup squad.
McInally played eight times for Kilmarnock in 1993/94 before hanging up his boots.
