Rangers No. 2 responds to Celtic ticket stance as Neil Banfield admits 'it's always nice to have opposition fans'

Neil Banfield admits it's always "nice to have opposition fans" as Rangers manager Michael Beale's assistant was quizzed on Celtic's refusal to take tickets for the first Old Firm derby of the season.

The ongoing row over briefs for the derby took another twist on Thursday when the Parkhead club officially rejected the offer of just over 700 tickets for the match at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday, September 3. Rangers, however, still expect an allocation for the return fixture at the end of the year in the east end of Glasgow. The Ibrox club have written to the SPFL to make it clear they expect an allocation.

SPFL rules don’t state any mandatory minimum allocation for away fans, stating only that “a reasonable number” is made available, in agreement with the opposition. Speaking at the pre-match press conference for the Viaplay Cup last-16 clash against Morton, Banfield was asked about the situation.

While making it clear other people at the club dealt with such matters, he did admit his own personal view is that he prefers visiting fans. He said: "It's always nice to have opposition fans but we'll leave that to Michael and the board and their decision and we'll respect whatever they decide to do. That's the powers above me who make those decisions, along with the manager. What they decide, we'll do."

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