He was called there to inspect the pitch, some 24 hours in advance of an Old Firm match which had been moved from Ibrox because Rangers were in the throes of renovating their stadium.

The official was soon joined by Willie Waddell and John Greig of Rangers and Celtic's Billy McNeill and John Clark, four men who would attempt to have their say on whether or not the field was playable.

Waddell and Greig seemed keen to have the match called off, hardly surprising since the blizzard which swirled in on Glasgow that week had forced Rangers to hold back a Champions Cup tie with Cologne until only the previous evening.

McNeill and Clark, no doubt sensing their rivals' discomfort at the prospect of playing such an important league fixture so soon after such a demanding European one, argued it should go ahead. Heated debate ensued.

What to do? McGinlay still was pondering his decision when he heard the sound of whistling emanate from the tunnel, with many feet marching down it to the tune of 'Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go'.

He turned then, as did the four protagonists, to see not the Seven Dwarves, but a squad of Celtic reserve players, each carrying a shovel over his shoulder, with the intention of clearing the snow.

Waddell, evidently suspecting some kind of subterfuge, failed to see the funny side of the situation. McGinlay viewed it as a rare flash of humour set against the age- old, and oft-bloodied, backdrop of the Old Firm.

He went on to officiate at no fewer than 21 matches involving football's sternest rivals during a career which spanned even more years and, in his reflections yesterday, admitted that the fun factor generated by them was almost zero.

'Those were the days when both sides played for the colour of the jersey,' he said. 'I'm thinking of guys like Alex MacDonald and Johnny Doyle, all the way through to Peter Grant.

No, there wasn't a lot of humour involved.' Nor will there be at Ibrox on Sunday when, despite the teams containing so many foreign players of arguably lesser passion, winning is of utmost importance to Rangers and only marginally less than that to Celtic.

Kenny Clark, whose refereeing appointment was announced on Tuesday, had better ready himself for the strain as Rangers fight to revitalise their challenge for the Championship and Celtic strive at least to preserve the huge points advantage they hold over them.

McGinlay? He'll settle into an easy chair in front of his television, crack open a can of ale, and remember how the MacDonalds, the Doyles and, eventually, the Grants, used to approach such an occasion as if it were a crusade.

'If I got a chance to book a player within the first five minutes, then I took it,' he confessed. 'I knew then I had that player in my pocket and, at the same time, hoped others would be less inclined to step out of line.

'But, in my 21 Old Firm games, I never had to send a man off. I did 17 Edinburgh derbies and, again, never had to send anybody off. Mind you, things have changed so much in the interval. I think it was in my first Old Firm match that Shuggie Edvaldsson punched a shot over his own crossbar. Such an offence now would mean an automatic sending-off. Then, I could only give a penalty.'

McGinlay's vast experience of the Old Firm, surprisingly, included only one cup tie, scheduled for Parkhead one Sunday when, similar to that day in 1979, the weather threatened to cause havoc.

He had been at Tynecastle the previous afternoon, watching Hearts play Motherwell, and decided to stop over at a Glasgow hotel where nothing could distract him from the big event.

'My wife phoned first thing in the morning to say the bold Jim Farry had been on requesting that I be at Celtic Park at 9.30 in case a pitch inspection was needed,' he recounted.

'The game went ahead but what worried me was that I hadn't brought my gear. I had to rely on Linda giving it to a neighbour, who was coming to the match, although I couldn't be sure she would pack everything.'

It was in a different Old Firm match, at the same venue, that McGinlay allowed play to continue after Terry Hurlock had left Steve Fulton lying in a heap. Ally McCoist promptly pushed through to score what was a late goal.

'Big Billy, who was Celtic's manager at the time, waited for me at the touchline when I sounded the final whistle,' he said. 'You can just picture him, standing there with his chest puffed out.

'I told the two linesmen to hang back a minute. I was in the habit at Old Firm matches of asking for a high-ranking police officer to escort us off and only when he arrived did we move.

'We were just passing the Celtic dressing room when the door was snatched open but the sight of the police commander, or whoever he was, ensured it got closed again immediately.'

McGinlay, since his retirement, has attended only one Old Firm game. It was at Ibrox and he and a pal decided on leaving five minutes before time. They were heading back to their car when round the corner came a menacing mob of fans, carrying sticks.