Flashback: Rangers trounce Celtic in New Year's Day Old Firm in wartime fixture that time forgot The reason for its absence from the record books? The clue is in the date: it took place in wartime, when football continued to provide entertainment for the masses and a distraction from the anxiety and austerity of daily life, yet for various reasons, not least because teams often had to use 'guest' players to make up the numbers, was deemed to have no official status. Unofficial it might have been, uncompetitive it was not. As Glasgow stirred the morning after that particular Hogmanay, having ushered in a new year of uncertain fate, the lure of the Old Firm was strong enough to attract a crowd of 30,000 to Ibrox - restrictions were in place on the size of public gatherings - and the intensity of feeling on the field was such that two Celtic players were sent off. As is noted in the Official Biography of Rangers, written by Ronnie Esplin and Graham Walker: "The game featured the usual controversies. Indiscipline and harassment of the referee resulted in Celtic having two players sent off following George Young's spectacular 50-yard free kick that gave Rangers a 4-1 lead in the second half. Newspaper reports suggested that Celtic's Malky McDonald was convinced that a Rangers player was offside at the moment Young unleashed his shot. The official in charge took exception to the tone of McDonald's argument and sent him off. Appearing later before the Scottish FA, McDonald was fined £10 and suspended for the remainder of the season. Matt Lynch, having continued to protest, was also sent off, fined £5 and banned until March. In front by 4-1 and with Celtic obliged to play for most of the second half with nine men, Rangers took full advantage. Torry Gillick finished with a hat-trick, with Waddell bagging two and Young adding a penalty to his long-range effort. Jimmy Duncanson, who had given Rangers an early lead, was the other name on the scoresheet, along with Celtic's Davie Duncan. The final margin may have been unusual but the notion that the result was a freak, skewed by the circumstances of wartime, does not really stand close scrutiny, according to Robert McElroy, author of several books on Rangers history. "Celtic had won the Scottish title in 1938 but that team had grown old together and they were in a bit of a slump," he said. But that continued following the peace in 1945, after which it was six years before they won another trophy, nine years before they would regain the championship. They refused to use guest players - they even turned down an offer from Matt Busby to play for them - but though Rangers did field guest players, the only one in the 1943 line-up was Torry Gillick, who had left Ibrox to join Everton in 1939 but rejoined Rangers after the war. David Mason, the official Rangers historian, believes the game should be afforded the same status as any in the history of the Old Firm. "In wartime football the leagues had to be reorganised and some players were unavailable," he said. "However, it was a competitive league and should have been recognised as "official" for that simple reason. The match was of huge interest and the competitiveness of the fixture is clear by Celtic losing two men through brushes with the referee. There is no question that both teams wanted to win that match and there is no suggestion that either was weakened. Certainly, the Glasgow Herald proclaimed it to be a 'record' scoreline and, while I can imagine that some would like to airbrush it from history, that is how it is regarded, certainly at Ibrox.