Bradford X1 2, Rangers X1 4: Stuart McCall has always known him as The Goalie. Andy Goram's new nickname - as from 5.10pm yesterday - should be The Spoilsport.

Goram had clearly not read the testimonial script. Or if he had, perhaps the veteran keeper decided to rewrite the intended happy ending.

Like all good fairytales, McCall's emotional farewell at Valley Parade should have ended with our hero scoring the late goal to ensure his two favourite clubs, City and Rangers, finished all square.

Clearly nobody had told Goram, who was back in the Gers goal as part of the star-studded touring side from Scotland.

With four minutes to go Peter Beagrie, whose wing wizardry had already set up both City goals, floated another delicious centre from the left. Up went McCall with the perfect glancing header... and there was Goram to somehow defy his seemingly certain equaliser with a fantastic point-blank block.

"It was a world-class save but that doesn't surprise me," said McCall. "He's done that sort of thing right through his career. But I'd agreed before that I wasn't going to score for either team!

"Rangers didn't want me to play second half because they were winning 3-0. But that was the script in my mind, for me to play poorly for Rangers so Bradford came back to 3-2 and then I'd change again and get the equaliser!"

McCall, as he promised, played a half in each kit before returning to the Claret and Amber for the final ten minutes. Yet amazingly in a match that saw six goals - and some surprisingly lively football amid the carnival atmosphere - the guest of honour was never on a scoring team.

Rangers were 3-0 while McCall started for City, then the home side pulled back to 3-2 after he had switched sides. And his final change round only brought a fourth goal for the visitors!

Not that he was taking this one last defeat in Bantams colours too seriously. It was an afternoon of fun and fiesta for all supporters and team-mates alike to salute a fantastic player.

The tone was set before the game when two Rangers fans dashed on to the pitch with a ball and set up a quick penalty before being ushered back into the crowd. Then McCall appeared to a rapturous welcome, trotting out with his four children as the mascots. City chairman Geoffrey Richmond presented McCall with a crystal glass although it was hard to hear what was being announced over the cacophony of noise that cascaded from the Rangers-occupied Carlsberg and Ciba Stands.

Ten thousand, around half the gate, had descended on Bradford in Rangers colours, not just from Glasgow but all corners of Scotland and England. Even the Stockport branch flew their flag.

The regular pitch invasions early on were tiresome but calmed down after an appeal from McCall. The vast majority had come to pay homage and the sight of two whole stands awash with blue and white bobbing up and down will stay long in the memory.

They didn't have to wait long for a goal to celebrate. Seven minutes in fact, just after a streaker, as Ally McCoist latched on to a rebound after Mark Prudhoe tipped over a low drive by Gordon Durie.

Prudhoe, City's reserve coach, excelled himself in goal with a hatful of fine saves. But he had no answer to Question of Sport pundit McCoist who struck again in the 16th minute from a cross from Mark Walters.

McCoist, so recently still playing with Kilmarnock, looked sharp and was proving a handful for Peter Jackson. He clearly felt the pace after 20 minutes and made way for John Dreyer for the first of 22 substitutions. It was also catching up with McCoist as half-time approached and he amused the crowd with his attempts to be substituted. Walter Smith, the Rangers gaffer for the day, eventually took pity on him and as McCoist disappeared to a standing ovation, his team scored a third with a hammer drive from Jorge Albertz which even Prudhoe couldn't stop.

McCall changed to blue for the second half but the first blow went to the chairman of his testimonial committee and confirmed Celtic man John Hendrie. Beagrie's low cross was expertly turned past Goram and Hendrie saluted his effort with a trademark cocked right arm.

Beagrie was having a ball on the left wing and, even in the tackle-friendly atmosphere of a testimonial, was demonstrating all the skills that had many fans mourning his departure last season. His run and angled pass to tee up the unmarked Don Goodman for City's second in the 59th minute was Beagrie at his best.

At 3-2, the more cynical would have been looking towards a McCall-inspired City fightback to share the honours. It turned out to be nothing of the sort.

Rangers were still hunting for more and after Prudhoe brilliantly denied Dave McPherson, Mark Hateley rattled the bar with the rebound. The City keeper was not finished, though, and pulled off two more stops from Walters before taking a well-earned breather.

McCall also disappeared for another quick change while Hendrie was replaced by Steve Longbottom, a fan who had paid £1,500 to charity at McCall's testimonial dinner for the privilege of 15 minutes of Valley Parade fame. He didn't do too bad - I counted three short passes and they all went to his own team-mates.

With McCall back as a City player once again, it seemed the stage was set.

Dreyer miskicked in front of goal - thankfully he didn't do that at Sunderland two Easter Mondays ago - before seeing another close-range attempt turned away by Goram. Then the keeper eclipsed everything with his party-pooping block from McCall's head.

McCall and Goram had a good-natured wrestle in the six-yard box but their personal duel wasn't finished yet. Again The Goalie came out on top in the final minute as he tipped wide a low drive from his old pal - more material for the after-dinner circuit. By then, Rangers had made sure of the victory as Paul Gascoigne set up Gordon Durie for a floater from the angle of the box.

The result, though, was secondary - unless you were Goram! This was all about McCall, a legend for both clubs, and he couldn't have asked for more in a tremendous farewell party.

Except perhaps a goal.

CITY: Prudhoe, Wright, Jackson, Moore, Jacobs, Abbott, McCall, Beagrie, Mills, Windass, Goodman. Subs: Dreyer (for Jackson 20), Hendrie (for Mills 32), Westwood (for Wright HT), Withe (for McCall HT), Sinnott (for Jacobs HT), Evans (for Windass HT), Jewell (for Goodman 63), Ellis (for Whalley 63), Worsnop (for Prudhoe 70), Longbottom (for Hendrie 75), McCall (for Ellis 80).

RANGERS: Goram, Gough, Stevens, Robertson, McPherson, Gordon, Albertz, Gascoigne, Walters, McCoist, Durie. Subs: Steven (for Gordon 26), Murray (for McCoist 39), McCall (for Albertz HT), Hateley (for Durie HT), Brown (for Murray 51), Albertz (for Gascoigne 59), Durie (for McCall 75), Durrant (for Gordon 80), Steven (for Robertson 80), Gascoigne (for Hateley 86), McLaren (for Brown 86).