A Rangers supporter has been remanded in custody after admitting assaulting a member of Celtic’s backroom staff during the disgraceful scenes that followed March’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.

Marc Spence, 48, pleaded guilty to assault and breach of the peace after Celtic first-team masseur Allan Baird was pulled to the ground during the pitch invasion on 8 March.

Spence, a former youth football coach from Lanark, had entered the playing surface as violence erupted following Celtic’s penalty shootout victory. He was subsequently detained by police.

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Sheriff Owen Mullan remanded him in custody pending sentencing, which has been deferred for background reports. Spence has not yet received a prison sentence.

It is another ugly reminder of what happened that afternoon, and why the attempts to lump every supporter who entered the pitch into the same category deserve serious scrutiny.

Celtic supporters should never have entered the field of play. That much is beyond argument. However, there is a considerable difference between fans spilling onto a pitch to celebrate a dramatic cup victory and supporters charging onto it looking for confrontation.

That is not simply a partisan interpretation of events. The independent review commissioned by the Scottish FA made the distinction itself.

The SFA Report Was Damning

The review, led by experienced stadium safety consultant Mark Blackbourne, described the initial Celtic pitch invasion as jubilant, while characterising the subsequent movement of the Union Bears towards the playing surface as confrontational and threatening.

The report was unequivocal in condemning Celtic supporters for entering the pitch. It described that invasion as wholly inexcusable.

But it also identified the escalation that followed, including masked home supporters armed with poles and reinforced gloves.

According to the findings, a violent mass confrontation was narrowly avoided, with police taking four minutes and 28 seconds to restore control during a period when potentially life-threatening violence was possible.

That is an extraordinary finding from an independent review into a football match in Scotland.

Celtic supporters were wrong to enter the pitch, but the evidence does not support pretending that every action which followed was somehow equivalent.

One group had just watched its team win a dramatic penalty shootout. Elements of the other support responded by forcing their way towards the opposition.

The distinction between reckless celebration and deliberate confrontation is something our printed media and talking heads struggle with.

Spence’s appearance in court brings things into sharp focus. A Celtic employee, who was simply doing his job, ended up being assaulted in the aftermath of a football match.

Serious Questions About Ibrox Security

The conduct of supporters was not the only issue exposed by the investigation.

The independent review also identified serious shortcomings in planning and matchday security, both inside and outside Ibrox. It highlighted the danger of crowd crushing at the Broomloan Road entry points, where supporters had pushed past police and stewards before kick-off.

The report identified two major near misses: the potentially catastrophic confrontation on the pitch and the crushing risk outside the stadium.

Both, the reviewer concluded, had to be treated with the seriousness that actual casualties would have demanded. There are legitimate questions about how a fixture carrying such an obvious risk was allowed to deteriorate so dramatically.

Why were barriers and stewarding arrangements unable to prevent so many supporters from reaching the playing surface? Why did police find themselves trying to contain an escalating confrontation after supporters had already breached the security arrangements?

The police officers and stewards who faced the disorder deserve credit for intervening in dangerous circumstances. The wider operation, however, must be open to criticism.

Those are two entirely compatible positions.

Indeed, Police Scotland said its officers and stewards had faced sustained hostility and violence, with some individuals carrying items intended to cause harm.

Rangers subsequently acknowledged responsibility for areas within the club’s control and committed to implementing recommendations arising from the review. The Ibrox club also pointed to enhanced stewarding, ticket checks and other precautions undertaken before the match.

But the security arrangements ultimately failed to prevent a situation in which footballers, staff, police officers and ordinary supporters were placed in danger.

That cannot be brushed aside as an unfortunate consequence of a heated derby.

The Court Cases Tell Their Own Story

Spence is not the only Rangers supporter to face court proceedings over the aftermath of that match.

Earlier this month, Wilson Martin, 60, admitted breach of the peace after running towards Celtic supporters and challenging them to a fight. Sentencing in his case was deferred.

In August, two other Rangers supporters, Mackenzie Graham and John Smith, received community-based sentences and five-year football banning orders for offences connected to the disorder.

These are individual cases, each involving its own evidence and circumstances. They should be treated that way.

Nevertheless, they reinforce the seriousness of the violence and threatening behaviour that followed Celtic’s victory.

Spence now awaits sentencing after admitting his offences. Whatever punishment ultimately follows, Celtic should not have had a member of their staff assaulted while trying to leave the pitch following a cup victory.

That is the part of this story which should never be buried beneath arguments about which supporters crossed the touchline first.

Since then the Glasgow derby has locked out away supporters with Rangers again showing an unwillingness to be grown ups.