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Martin O’Neill will renew his rivalry with Rangers 20 years after they inflicted a pain on him that he admitted will last forever. The Irishman is set to lead Celtic out at Hampden for Sunday’s huge Premier Sports Cup semi-final - against a manager less than half his age in Danny Rohl - for a world famous fixture that gave him so much joy. It started with one of the most memorable derby wins for Celtic and THAT 6-2 demolition at Celtic Park - and ended with a triumph on enemy territory in his final season. That 2-1 at Ibrox Stadium in April 2005 - courtesy of of goals from Stiliyan Petrov and Craig Bellamy - looked certain to ensure O’Neill would leave Parkhead with a fourth title in his five seasons at the helm. But what happened after that has gone down in Scottish football folklore and it’s a moment that has haunted him ever since as the Hoops remarkably blew a five point lead in the final few games of the season. The final day - now known as Helicopter Sunday - is one O’Neill and Co would love to forget but admitted he can’t escape it as Celtic lost to Motherwell in the dying minutes while rivals Rangers defeated Hibs at Easter Road to secure the unlikeliest title triumph. Speaking in an interview back in 2021, he said: “I will never get over it. We’re talking about 16 years and, no, it’s still there. In fact, I was having toast this morning and I was thinking about it. I’m serious. It never leaves you. “Was it Gordon Marshall who was in goal for Motherwell that day? A very fine goalkeeper, but he’s never produced a performance like that in his life. “We could have won by about seven! You just felt it was going to happen. Rangers were at Hibs that day, they took the lead in the game and it became a stalemate after that because Hibs couldn’t afford to lose 2-0 otherwise they wouldn’t be involved in European football. “I think it was like the East vs West Germany game, when the teams just played it out. But we should have been able to take care of our own business.” Overall, in direct games against Rangers O’Neill’s record is favourable as he lost just eight of his 27 derby fixtures and won 16. It was a record that helped the Irishman swing the balance of power and launch a new era at Parkhead as he ended the Light Blues dominance under Dick Advocaat. However, Alex McLeish's arrival saw him go six games without a win over Rangers and that included some Hampden heartache with two defeats in 2002 - the League Cup semi-final and Scottish Cup final. He got back on track with seven wins on the spin - including a green and whitewash in 2003/04 - and as he prepares to walk back out at the National Stadium here is the 73-year-old’s complete record: MARTIN O'NEILL'S COMPLETE RECORD V RANGERS 2000/2001 Celtic 6 Rangers 2 (Premiership) Rangers 5 Celtic 1 (Premiership) Celtic 3 Rangers 1 (League Cup semi final) Celtic 1 Rangers 0 (Premiership) Rangers 0 Celtic 3 (Premiership) 2001/2002 Rangers 0 Celtic 2 (Premiership) Celtic 2 Rangers 1 (Premiership) Rangers 2 Celtic 1 (League Cup semi final) Rangers 1 Celtic 1 (Premiership) Celtic 1 Rangers 1 (Premiership) Celtic 2 Rangers 3 (Scottish Cup final) 2002/2003 Celtic 3 Rangers 3 (Premiership) Rangers 3 Celtic 2 (Premiership) Celtic 1 Rangers 0 (Premiership) Celtic 1 Rangers 2 (League Cup final) Rangers 1 Celtic 2 (Premiership) 2003/2004 Rangers 0 Celtic 1 (Premiership) Celtic 3 Rangers 0 (Premiership) Celtic 1 Rangers 0 (Scottish Cup) Rangers 1 Celtic 2 (Premiership) Celtic 1 Rangers 0 (Premiership) 2004/2005 Celtic 1 Rangers 0 (Premiership) Rangers 2 Celtic 1 after extra time (League Cup) Rangers 2 Celtic 0 (Premiership) Celtic 2 Rangers 1 (Scottish Cup) Celtic 0 Rangers 2 (Premiership) Rangers 1 Celtic 2 (Premiership) Complete record: P 27 W 16 D 3 L8
