I have a tape of the supporters chanting my name and I still feel as emotional today as I did all those years ago. The game here could do with some more characters because the punters are telling the people who run the clubs they want to see something different. It's time to let the players go out and do what they're good at instead of restricting them." There had been no advance warning and, as it was the end of the season, I had gone out with my mates for a few beers. Well, more than a few, as I recall. But the new season was a long way off and I knew a lot of my fellow-professionals really let their hair down at the completion of a long, arduous campaign. I was no different. They’ve seen four unanswered goals scored in the Dundee rain and basked in the shared euphoria of Tommy Wright milking the moment and the shared glee of Neil McCann losing his rag.

I remember once saying to Billy McNeill, who was the Celtic boss at the time, ‘Why have you never signed me?’ Billy didn’t even blink as he replied, ‘Chic, son, I like to sleep at night!’ However, there was one evening when we were both at a function and Billy told me, ‘You know, Chic, my right hand tells me to sign you and the left hand says no.’ Unfortunately, the left hand won, but the Celtic manager, like everyone else, knew I would have done anything to sign for that club. What happened with Henrik was just part of football. He wishes he could change it but he’ll get over it. I've been singing his virtues for a while now. When he's playing like that he's a joy to watch – an entertainer. Chi Charnley is a big Celtic fan, and really was a talented playerwho could or should have played for Celtic.In any case, he got to live off this moment at many Celtic dinners as a speaker. Fair dues.All told, St Johnstone supporters have been spoiled for choice when it comes to derby/it’s not a derby highlights over the last few decades. READ MORE: Family going undercover at Ibrox, preserving Celtic history and learning from Van Hooijdonk - Simon Donnelly Big Interview We made a couple of stops on the way to the game and we passed several Celtic supporters’ buses heading for Manchester. My mates were pointing at me and saying, ‘See that guy there? He’s playing for Celtic tonight.’ The fans nodded their heads and replied, ‘Aye, so he is!’ It was a shame he left when he did. I’d have liked him to stay for another couple of years but the money down south was hard to turn down. He knew I wouldn’t stand for any nonsense and if he was losing his temper there would only be one winner.”

However, there was one evening when we were both at a function and Billy told me, ‘You know, Chic, my right hand tells me to sign you and the left hand says no.’ When Billy McNeill went through his quadruple heart bypass in the mid-nineties I sent him a message, saying, ‘You could have had that operation years ago if you had signed me.’ I hope he saw the funny side. I remember when St Johnstone won 1-0 against Dundee United in 1996,” he said. “Both teams were going for promotion out of the First Division. The good bit of the story was, my wife was in the hospital,” he added. “I went up for the 2.30pm visit with my hand bandaged, Margaret’s lying in bed and she said, ‘What happened to you?’ Gottskalksson; W Miller, Hughes, Welsh, Boco; Rougier, McGinlay, Charnley, Dow; Power (G Miller 82), Crawford (Tosh 89).He said: "It was the end of the season and I'd gone out with my pals to enjoy myself, little knowing Louie wanted me to turn out for Celtic in a testimonial match down at Manchester United Despite the Celtic boss singing his praises to the press in the aftermath of the match, Charnley's dreams were ultimately shattered. Then there are other stories like Bovril, which was invented by a Scot. It was popular in the Napoleonic wars, the Pope was in an advert for it and Rangers had a stand named the Bovril stand. There’s something about football in Scotland. It’s a part of everyone’s lives.” I cried during the warm-up with the Celtic players and the assistant coach Frank Connor had to console me. He asked me if I was alright. This was the moment I had waited for all my life so Frank asked me if I was ready for it because the tears were streaming down my face. You better believe I was ready for it. HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Chic Charnley in his solitary Celtic appearance against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1994.

I WAS still bubbling with enthusiasm and emotion afterwards when Lou Macari pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to go on tour with Celtic. I concocted some sort of story that went along the lines of me making my own way to Old Trafford and catching up with the rest of the team before the game. Celtic accepted my explanation and I breathed a sigh of relief. My mates and I had already arranged to go down to the game, anyway, to support Celtic. I boarded the coach with the rest of my new team-mates and I am not afraid to admit that my eyes filled up as we made our way through the thousands of Celtic supporters on our way to Old Trafford. Me? Crying like a baby? Given my so-called reputation that may be difficult to imagine, maybe, but it’s the truth nevertheless.The first thing that happened was the devil dog ran away. I got cut on the hand and the scar remains to this day but eventually my two assailants joined the dog down the road."

Me and Leigh are still big pals. You don’t keep in touch with many after your career is finished and he’s one of them.” Never a penalty One of them was dubbed a superstar, the other a dud. First impressions aren’t always the most important. The Celtic manager didn’t push me to go with them. He didn’t attempt to persuade me it would be better for my career if I travelled with the club. If he had informed me any chance of joining Celtic would end there and then if I did not agree to travel with them there would have been no alternative.Anybody who knew me would tell you that I would have jumped at the chance to go away with Celtic during that pre-season. I then got a phone call from a journalist who was in Canada and they told me that Lou Macari had said that if I wanted to be in Canada then I would have travelled to Canada. That totally destroyed me. Those wonderful fans had just taken me to a place I could only dream about. Lou Macari was so concerned about my welfare and ability to carry on that he sent on Frank Connor, one of his assistants, to see if I was okay. Charnley was entitled to celebrate his goal, especially as Celtic had declined to sign him on more than one occasion in the recent past and he became Scottish football’s biggest talking point for several weeks afterwards with this goal which was the winner on the day. That is the thing that soured everything about finally playing for Celtic. I was very hurt by that - I have been all over the world watching Celtic since I was five years of age and I still go to watch the team to this day - so for Lou Macari to say that about me was just wrong. Eventually the players were escorted to the away dressing room and the moment I had waited for all my life was only minutes away – I was about to pull that coveted hooped shirt over my head. My chest was pumping up and my heart was beating like never before. I was going to play for Celtic and I was going to enjoy every minute of it. And I did.