NEIL Lennon says the Ibrox Disaster will "never be forgotten" as Glasgow prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. 

The city will unite on Saturday to remember the 66 victims who lost their lives on January 2, 1971, following a league match between Rangers and Celtic. 

It remains one of football's greatest tragedies. As well as those who died, 145 were injured in a crush on Stairway 13. 

The Old Firm rivals will meet again this weekend and will honour the occasion before their Premiership game. 

Ibrox Disaster: Glasgow first aider remembers tragedy 50 years on

Speaking ahead of the visit to Govan, Lennon said: "I was at Ibrox a few years ago to lay a wreath.

Glasgow Times: Rangers players, including Colin Stein and John Greig, leave the Southern General Hospital after visitingRangers players, including Colin Stein and John Greig, leave the Southern General Hospital after visiting

"It was one of the most poignant moments I’ve had in my time here.

"It’ll never be forgotten. Going to a match and not coming back, I can’t think of anything worse." 

The tragedy was Britain’s biggest disaster at a football ground until 96 Liverpool fans tragically died at Hillsborough in 1989.

Thirty one of the victims at Ibrox were teenagers. The loss included many children, five of them schoolmates from the town of Markinch in Fife. 

Glasgow Times: Celtic manager Neil Lennon says the tragedy will never be forgotten Celtic manager Neil Lennon says the tragedy will never be forgotten

The youngest victim was a boy of nine, Nigel Pickup, who had travelled to the game from Liverpool. 

One woman was among the fatalities. Margaret Ferguson, 18, from Maddiston, near Falkirk, had made a doll for the daughter of Rangers centre-forward Colin Stein and had delivered it to his home before Christmas.

A fatal accident inquiry found the 66 had died through being crushed or covered by the bodies of others. 

Ibrox Disaster 50 years on: A day that changed football forever

The evidence suggested the accident was caused because at least one person fell or collapsed on the stairway when those who were descending were packed closely together and were being pushed downwards by the pressure of others above and behind them.

Glasgow Times:

The tragedy led to huge changes in football stadia across the country.

It spurred the UK government into a review of safety at sports grounds and in February 1971, Scottish judge Lord Wheatley was asked to conduct an inquiry. It formed the basis for the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide), published in 1973.

On their website today, Celtic shared their own tribute to the victims in an account by Dr Joseph M Bradley. In it, he wrote: "The last thing people expect to see when a loved one departs for a football match is that they never return. The pain and suffering of those that died, those who survived, and the many family and friends connected to all concerned, was, and for many still is, profound.

"On January 2, 2021, all connected to Rangers, Celtic, and Scottish football and society, should pause to recall this terrible tragedy of 50 years ago, and to remember its victims with the dignity they deserve." 

*As part of our series remembering those who lost their lives, Derek Johnstone will share his memories in tomorrow's Glasgow Times