38 min: Cantwell’s not happy with Hatate but there was no real malice. Happily he’s able to continue.

36 min: Cantwell is clipped by Hatate. It’s a garden-variety foul, but Cantwell, who was mid-turn, catches his other leg in the turf as he twists and falls, and grabs his groin in pain. On comes the trainer.

34 min: It’s all a bit scrappy. Neither keeper has had any serious work to do.

32 min: Scales plays a risky backpass to Hart from the Celtic left flank. He’s fortunate that Dessers slips, because otherwise the Rangers man would have been able to intercept and take a whack at goal. The ball gets through to Hart, who clears.

31 min: Johnston makes an almighty nuisance of himself in the Rangers box. He’s swarmed yet somehow manages to get a shot away on the turn. The ball squirts towards the bottom right and Butland is forced to change direction and tip around the post. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

29 min: An old-fashioned rumble between McGregor and Sterling in the centre circle. Then Dessers clatters into Hatate. The heat suddenly cranked up to 11. Scottish Gas will be delighted.

27 min: The corner’s hit long. Dessers takes a spectacular overhead swish at the ball. Goal kick.

26 min: Rangers nearly compound their irritation by going up the other end and creating a scoring opportunity. Cantwell, causing bother on the right, crosses low for Dessers, who attempts to sweep home from the penalty spot. Blocked and out for yet another Rangers corner on the right. Diomande to take.

24 min: A low cross from the right. The ball rears up off Kyogo and onto Davies’ hand. Celtic want a penalty but his arm’s in a natural position and it all happened at close range. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Celtic not totally happy about that.

23 min: Celtic stroke it around for a bit. Hey, it’s about time we heard from Simon McMahon, isn’t it? “Cup final day!” he exclaims. “It was thirty years ago last Tuesday that Dundee United lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time, beating Walter Smith’s Rangers 1-0 at Hampden. Still feels like yesterday. After today, there’s only the small matter of the SPL play-off to be decided, the second leg of Ross County (2) v Raith Rovers (1) being played in Dingwall tomorrow. This season’s roll of honour has Celtic, Dundee United, Falkirk and Stenhousemuir as league winners, with Rangers claiming the Scottish League Cup in December. So today will see either a cup double for Rangers, or a league and cup double for Celtic. But, frankly, who cares? Scotland are in the Euro finals, and Dundee United are back, baby!” He’s going to be lost all summer without Clockwatch, isn’t he, readers?

21 min: Cantwell crosses from the right. Carter-Vickers slips and for a second it looks as though the mistake will allow Dessers a shot, but the Celtic man regains his composure to clear.

19 min: Taylor wedges into the Rangers box for O’Riley, who heads down for Hatate. A first-time shot is on target but blocked bravely by Davies. Both teams beginning to warm up in the final third.

18 min: Cantwell drives at the Celtic defence again. He’s got Sterling in acres on the right but doesn’t spot the pass. Instead the ball’s shifted left for Silva, who attempts to thread a shot across Hart and towards the bottom right. No power, though. Scottish Gas will be fuming. Easy for the keeper, who drops and smothers.

16 min: Cantwell strides purposefully down the middle and finds Dessers to his right. Dessers swings a leg at a shot but doesn’t connect properly. The ball nearly rebounds to Cantwell, but not quite, and the chance is gone.

14 min: Scales embarks on a Beckenbaueresque dribble down the middle, then ends up on the left wing. He eventually runs out of road, but it was fun while it lasted.

13 min: Sterling probes down the Rangers right. Then Maeda sends a header along the left flank and chases after it himself. Balogun nips in to halt his gallop. It’s end to end.

11 min: … but then again, it’s Rangers who are winning corners. Scales needlessly concedes one under the slightest pressure from Silva. Diomande takes again from the right, but Hart punches this one clear with confidence.

10 min: Pretty much as expected, Celtic are totally dominating possession. Rangers seem happy enough to sit back for now.

8 min: Carter-Vickers finds Maeda down the left. A low cross. Kyogo slides in at the near post but can only shin wide left. Maeda is already causing all sorts of problems for Rangers down the left flank.

7 min: Diomande’s corner is launched long. It drops by the far post, inviting someone to smash it goalwards, but there’s nobody in blue to take advantage. Celtic clear their lines. A fairly brisk start to this final.

6 min: Hatate slips a ball down the left for Maeda, who is in acres near the Rangers box. Fortunately for Rangers, Maeda slips, allowing Tavernier to intercept. Rangers counter and Cantwell’s shot is deflected out for the first corner of the game. Diomande will send it in from the right.

5 min: McGregor and Forrest combine cutely down the inside-right channel. For a second, it looks as though Forrest has the opportunity to shoot goalwards from just inside the box, but he’s quickly swarmed and the flag goes up for offside anyway.

4 min: Diomande plays a lovely long diagonal pass towards Dessers on the left. Dessers can’t successfully cut inside Johnston but that’s Rangers’ first showing in attack.

3 min: Maeda gets the better of Tavernier down the left but can’t burst past Balogun, who block-tackles well. Celtic dominant in these very early exchanges.

2 min: Celtic keep hold of the ball for a while. Dessers and Cantwell snap at their feet. A precedent set early doors?

Celtic get the ball rolling. Hampden is rocking.

The teams are out! Celtic are nominally the home side, but for the first time this season, both sets of fans have been let into the stadium. So the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup final atmosphere, fuelled by 22 years of pent-up anticipation plus over a season gone without the opportunity to shout at each other, is pretty much as you’d imagine. It’s hotter than the Cookability Roadshow! It is warm in Mount Florida, to be fair.

The cup-final suits. No great surprises here, all very small-c conservative. The Spice Boys really did for fashion statements, didn’t they. Having said that, not 100 percent sure Bill Struth would have approved of Dujon Sterling’s cap, but then it’s a long time since Rangers players were made to wear bowler hats on match days.

Pre-match reading. Ewan Murray previews this first Old Firm Scottish Cup final for 22 years.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers speaks to the BBC. “It’s a wonderful occasion and one we’re really excited about … I didn’t need to change too much to the team … we arrive here playing some fantastic football and fighting for each other so no need to change … this is a different game, you still have to turn up to perform … they are only hurdles, we need to get over them … we look to impose our way … if we do that we have a great chance … this is a club that’s steeped in a great history of winning, but it’s also for this team to create its own history of winning and keep winning … we’ve won a fantastic title race and now we come into the Scottish Cup which has its own history and we want to add to that.”

Rangers boss Philippe Clement talks to the BBC. “These are the great moments … this is the second best thing to be here as a manager … the nicest is to be on the pitch … I know that feeling and to win things … it is an amazing occasion to have the Old Firm in the final … [keeping John Lundstram on the bench] is to do with fitness … he has played a lot of minutes this season … around 5,000 … it is a lot of games … I expect a really intense start … Nicolas [Raskin] has been pushing really hard … we go for his intensity at the beginning of the game, maybe Lundy will come later … we have had one training with the team that’s going to start today … you start with XI and you never finish with those XI so we worked with the whole squad.”

Celtic name the same XI they started with in the decisive league derby at Parkhead a fortnight ago. The in-form James Forrest out on the wing. Joe Hart makes his last appearance for the Bhoys. Kyogo, with seven goals in 13 derbies, leads the line.

John Lundstram is back for Rangers after his suspension for his sending off in that aforementioned Old Firm stramash. He’s only on the bench, though. Leon Balogun returns from injury, while 22-goal Cyriel Dessers is their main man up front.

The teams

Earlier this morning, the family of Walter Smith unveiled a statue of the legendary Rangers manager outside Ibrox. Smith led Rangers to the Scottish Cup on five occasions, in 1992, 1993, 1996, 2008 and 2009. Ten league titles, six League Cups and a Uefa Cup final appearance as well; that’s some haul.

Celtic are also remembering old heroes today. It’s the 57th anniversary of their greatest hour.

Preamble