Anniversary of Ibrox disaster marked in Glasgow

​On January 2, 1971, 66 Rangers supporters lost their lives in a crush following an Old Firm clash with Celtic.

There were more than 80,000 packed into the stadium at the time.

Outside the stadium on Tuesday, current manager Philippe Clement and the club’s directors laid wreaths on the 53rd anniversary as hundreds of supporters looked on, many with their heads bowed, from behind crash barriers.

The wall plaque at the memorial reads: “In memory of the 66 fans who tragically died at Stairway 13 on 2nd January 1971.

The ceremony takes place every year at the statue of Rangers legend John Greig, who was captain on the day of the tragedy.

At the time, the stadium crush was the worst sporting disaster the UK had ever witnessed.

The message on the Rangers FC wreath had the simple message “Always remember’.

In a post on social media, a club spokesperson said: "We will never forget those who went to follow Rangers and never made it home. Forever in our hearts."

As well as the 66 people who perished, more than 200 others were injured.

Following the 1.30pm service at the memorial, a minute’s silence was also observed before the 3pm kick off inside the stadium.

Rangers also posted some video footage of the commemoration online, in which a lone piper played a lament.

During the service, the names of the dead were read aloud by the directors.

In an earlier statement, the club said: "On Tuesday, we mark 53 years since the Ibrox disaster on 2nd January 1971, which led to the loss of 66 supporters and impacted many more.

"This day remains an important part of our club's history, as we remember those who were tragically lost in this and previous events at Ibrox."

Children were among the victims, including five school friends from Fife.

The youngest to die was nine-year-old Nigel Patrick Pickup from Liverpool.