"The supporters, and I predict some of the players, feared these fixtures."

But he says all that changed last December after the Light Blues claimed a long-awaited victory over the Hoops at Ibrox thanks to Ryan Jack's precious winner.

While they could not stop Neil Lennon's team clinching their eighth title in a row, they did back up their earlier triumph with another home win in May.

Now ahead of the opening showdown of this season on Sunday, he insists his men – who go in level on points with the champions – will walk out at Ibrox with heads held high.

"Over the course of the 12 months we've proved that's no longer the case and on our day we're a good match for Celtic," he said.

"This club has had a tough time. It's been down the leagues and been back up. Celtic continued to have Champions League money and to strengthen and bolster the squad.

"It's been a real catch-up. The gulf was huge and it was always going to take time to close that gap.

"But the Christmas fixture last year when we beat them 1-0 lifted a lot of the fear and gave us a lot of belief that if we find the right level we're a match for anyone, especially at Ibrox.

"That's what gives us confidence going into this fixture."