Stuart McCall tips two Rangers stars to go out on Celtic 'blaze of glory' as he relives Walter Smith's last semi

Stuart McCall's first and last Scottish Cup semi-finals bookended a golden era for Rangers before the curtain fell on Walter Smith’s trophy-laden adventure.

And the former midfielder insists there’s still time for today’s band of departing stars to write one last glorious chapter before Michael Beale starts drafting an Ibrox story of his own.

McCall reckons victory over Celtic in the rain-lashed 1992 last-four tie was the moment that lit the fuse as Smith’s stuttering side clicked before rocketing off towards nine in a row. Down to 10 after Davie Robertson got sent off for cementing former Pittodrie pal Joe Miller inside 10 minutes, Smith’s squad gave the first display of the stoic mood of defiance that would become their derby hallmark in years to come as Ally McCoist’s strike proved decisive. And it didn’t take McCall long to realise the significance of that plot twist. He said: “My first semi-final was in 1992 and I always say that was the night Walter’s team was born.

"We’d been knocked out of the Skol Cup at the semis by Hibs, knocked out of Europe by Sparta Prague early and while we were top of the league, we weren’t miles ahead.

“If Celtic had won that night at Hampden who knows what would have happened? They’d have got a lift and it might have affected us.

“So it really was a huge win and the memories of it are still so clear. It was bouncing down with rain. I remember Archie Knox telling Robbo before the game to sort wee Joe Miller out early doors because they’d been pals at Aberdeen.

“To be fair to Archie, he didn’t mean to take him out by the throat like Robbo did! It was a deserved sending-off but we hung in there and I was happy to play my part in the goal, setting up Coisty to do what he did.

“It was backs