THE Old Firm are set to play in front of their fans for the first time since trouble erupted at a "shame game".

City rivals Rangers and Celtic will clash in the under-17s Glasgow Cup final later this month.

Rangers beat Celtic in last year's final but the game, which was the first meeting of the Old Firm since Rangers were relegated to the lowest tier of Scottish football, was marred by crowd trouble.

The kick-off at Firhill, home of Partick Thistle, was delayed after flares and smoke bombs were set off and seats ripped up.

Around 7000 football fans are expected to turn out for the Glasgow Cup Final at Parkhead on Monday April 28. In a statement on their website, Rangers said the game was set to be "an enthralling affair".

It is understood 2500 tickets will go to schoolchildren and around 500 will be given to players' family and friends.

Rangers said in a statement the club have been allocated 1800 seats which are on offer to season ticket holders.

Tickets for all fans cost £5 for adults and £2 for concessions and under-16s.

Discussions have taken place between police and Old Firm representatives.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said the match would be "policed appropriately".

Fans were also reported to have invaded the pitch at last year's match, which was attended by around 6000 supporters.

The scenes led to a series of arrests as police reviewed CCTV images in a bid to find the thugs behind the trouble.

Last month, the Evening Times revealed Old Firm youth clashes were to be played behind closed doors following last April's match.

Rangers blamed the cost of high level policing "dictated by Police Scotland" for the decision. The Under-20s clash with Celtic last month was played behind closed doors.

A decision has also been made to host Celtic v Rangers, on May 6, under the same circumstances after talks between both clubs, Police Scotland representatives, and SPFL officials.

Meanwhile, Partick Thistle moved to ban Celtic supporters from their historic main stand after the trouble-torn match.

It came after police and officials raised fears that flare-carrying fans could set fire to the wooden structure.

rebecca.gray@eveningtimes.co.uk