IT was billed at the time as a unique experiment to combat football hooliganism in Glasgow.

Scotland’s two biggest clubs, Rangers and Celtic, opened their doors to fans on Sunday, April 24, 1977. The two-hour-long, open-house family days had been arranged at the suggestion of the government.

A working party on crowd behaviour at games had been set up the previous year, chaired by Frank McElhone MP, Under-Secretary of State.

A total of 15,000 fans attended.

At Parkhead, 8,000 mostly young fans watched a Celtic team beat a Glasgow schools select by 1-0.

Across the city, some 7,000 fans enjoyed a parade by majorettes before Harmony Row Boys’ Club, from Govan, recorded a similar victory over Rangers. Autographed balls were kicked into the crowd.

At both grounds, the players were mobbed by fans as they left the field. And both the Celtic and Rangers managers - Jock Stein and Jock Wallace, respectively - described the afternoon as a success.

Mr McElhone, who accompanied Secretary of State Bruce Millan to both grounds, said: “I hope this experiment will be copied elsewhere. We must educate the young fans and get back to the days when fathers took their sons, rather than have gangs of hooligans over-running the terraces.” He is photographed above with Rangers star Sandy Jardine.