Celtic fan and former top ref Steve Conroy reveals he used to tell SFA he was a Dumbarton supporter

Diehard Celtic fan Steve Conroy walked out onto the Parkhead pitch and was intoxicated by the astonishing atmosphere – the only issue was he was the referee!

It was the vital new year game in 2010 with Tony Mowbray chasing down Walter Smith, whose side held a seven-point lead.

It was Conroy’s first and only Glasgow derby – and he left his fellow Celtic supporters sick by disallowing a goal and failing to send off Kyle Lafferty.

And he has revealed that he had to kid on he was a Dumbarton supporter - because it's simply not on to reveal your allegiances if you follow one of the big two.

Sadly, Conroy was lost to the game two years later when he felt the SFA didn’t back him properly over a penalty decision in favour of Rangers against Dunfermline.

He told the Get Involved Referee podcast: “My claim to fame is that I was the first non-FIFA ranked official to cover an Old Firm game and I don’t think there has been one since.

“It didn’t work out the way I had hoped in terms of the way I was treated afterwards.

“But there are very few that can say they have refereed a Celtic-Rangers game at Celtic Park.

“I remember being told in the week building up to the game ‘don’t look at the crowd’ – I looked at the crowd.

“I was nervous as hell the couple of nights leading up to it and could hardly sleep.

“Until you experience it you have no idea what it’s like. It’s a cliché, but the hairs on my arms and neck were literally standing on end.

“It was an amazing feeling.

“Even although we were all connected on the communication system, I couldn’t hear a thing.”

Scott McDonald’s goal was cancelled out by Lee McCulloch’s header on a day that was clearly better for Rangers but Conroy was under the spotlight.

He said: “There were a