THEY have played with and against some of the biggest names in the game. They have graced the finest areas at home and abroad. They have experienced nothing like the Old Firm game, though.

It is a fixture that Ian Durrant is a veteran of, one that has given him some exuberant highs and crushing lows. It is a game you don’t understand until you have played in it.

Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar got their first taste of Ibrox as Rangers players against Annan on Tuesday night and were given a rousing reception by the Light Blue legions.

There are far more important outings to come for Mark Warburton and his players, though, and his two highest profile signings of the summer will be integral to the action.

Within days, the former Premier League stars will kick-off their bid for the Premiership title but there is only one game that stands out on the Gers’ fixture schedule.

Saturday, September 10. Celtic Park. Noon. The Old Firm derby.

“It will blow Barton and Kranjcar away,” Durrant said. “You can talk about it and describe it but it’s not until you play in it.

“It’s still the same size of pitch and it’s 11 v 11 but when you add that atmosphere it’s completely different.

“You’ve got to make sure you don’t get caught in the atmosphere because it you let it get to you will not relish the game.

“It will be well drilled into them. I think it’s the [fifth] game of the season at Parkhead. It’s an intimidating arena but a fantastic place to play.

“A marker will be put down that day and if they can handle that occasion and Rangers can stay close to Celtic in the early part of the season then it will be interesting.

“I think we are looking to Rangers, Aberdeen and Hearts to put in a real challenge to Celtic so I think it will be a great league this year.”

The Glasgow giants may have locked horns at Hampden in successive seasons but those two cup meetings have only served to whet the appetite of what lies ahead this term.

The four derby days could be decisive in the Premiership title race and Rangers will head across the city hoping to have taken maximum points from their matches with Hamilton, Dundee, Motherwell and Kilmarnock.

The Glasgow duels will be the occasions where Warburton needs his players to stand up and be counted, 90 minutes that could see a hero or villain emerge.

The 53-year-old already has a victory over Celtic on his CV, but soon Rangers will look to claim three points behind enemy lines.

Durrant said: “Of course it will be [taken to a new level], Celtic will be hurting after the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat.

“I’ve been in that position when you’ve lost a game and your immediate thoughts are ‘when is the next Old Firm game?’

“I think it will be one to savour and one you wish you could play in. It will be an electric atmosphere and there’s the bitchiness that’s started already. Both teams will look to bring it on.

“I know there’s important games before that but to have an Old Firm game so early in the season, it’s one to look forward to.

“It’s a game you can easily get caught up in. There’s a lot of wasted energy if you don’t handle the atmosphere.

“You just have to go and play the game. It’s 11 versus 11 but with the most iconic and strangest atmosphere you’ll play in.

“It’s frightening when you walk out, the hairs on the back of your neck are standing up. When you come out that tunnel, it’s like a chorus and you’re going out to the lion’s den at Celtic Park.

“It’s an atmosphere you can relish, if you can handle an Old Firm game you can handle playing anywhere.”

The clashes with Celtic may be the ones that are circled on the calendar but they are far from the only dates that will define Rangers’ season on their return to the top flight.

Hopes are high amongst the Ibrox crowd that Warburton’s side can launch a bid for the Premiership crown at the first attempt in the coming months.

Whether they are successful or not, Durrant knows the prospect of the Old Firm going head-to-head for the silverware once again is an enticing and exciting one.

He said: “I think the Scottish game took a bit of a doing with Rangers going down and everybody thinking it was a one-horse race and there was less competition.

“But it has been shown that if everything is right and there is the right infrastructure and the right competition then we can still attract players like that.

“Celtic and Rangers have the added bonus of having fantastic training grounds and stadiums and that helps get these players to come.

“When you take players to Lennoxtown or Murray Park or Ibrox or Parkhead then it is a selling point, walking down those tunnels and envisaging the 50-60,000. That is a great selling point.

“Rangers’ ban had an impact on Celtic as well but they are getting there and we are seeing the coverage we are going to get next year, in terms of the Old Firm game and there are the games against Aberdeen and that will be a fantastic, as well as going to Tynecastle into a packed arena.

“Here we are 10-11 weeks before the Old Firm game, talking about it already.

“Can you imagine what it will be like in the week before it? It will be chaos.

“And then there is Aberdeen, who will be strong, and one of the hardest games for Rangers is always the trip to Pittodrie.

“It’s a hard ground to go to and the atmosphere will be electric, and everyone loves going to Tynecastle. It is always a special place when it is packed to the rafters.”