Celtic and Rangers semi-final draw means Colin Hendry is off Hugh Keevins' Christmas card list, says Tam Cowan

After making Monday night’s Scottish Cup semi-final draw – which paired Celtic with Rangers – I hope big Colin Hendry knows he has received his last ever Christmas card from my auld pal Hugh Keevins.

As he wrote in the Sunday Mail last weekend, my fellow columnist was desperate for a “showpiece” Old Firm final to help celebrate the Scottish Football Association’s 150th anniversary. (Well, just think of the family atmosphere and all those lovely songs…)

Lo and behold, fans of the “wee diddy clubs” left in the competition were up in arms. So was I. But, while blood pressure was at boiling point in Kirkcaldy, Inverness, Falkirk and Ayr, I was cool as a cucumber. (Do you know why cucumbers have that plastic film on them? So you can eat them afterwards…)

Listen, guys, I’m old enough and I’ve known and admired Shug long enough to appreciate that he’s a masterful troll. One of the original and best! Whether he’s broadcasting on Radio Clyde (did you know that Hugh’s first caller on Super Scoreboard was Alexander Graham Bell?) or writing for the Sunday Mail, you would be forgiven for thinking the crafty old sod is Chris Sutton’s great-grandfather.

Needless to say, I’ve been asked this week by a lot of Inverness CT and Falkirk fans (they go head-to-head in the other semi) if my pal Shug is OK. And I can assure you their concern has hee-haw to do with the recent cold snap…

He’s absolutely fine, thanks. And League One side Falkirk appear to be in pretty good shape, too. Four of my pals are Bairns diehards (hello to Bruce, Big Gordy, Gus and Paul) and they reckon their name is on the cup after being drawn against Wick Academy, Alloa Athletic, Darvel, Ayr Utd and now ICT.

If that lucky run continues, I can only imagine they’ll play