Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday admits the broken nose he copped from former team-mate Kenny Miller was not the reunion gift he was looking for.
Veteran frontman Miller was at Ibrox with Dundee on Saturday for the first time since his bitter split from Gers in the summer.
And it turned out to be a nightmare return for the striker who served the Light Blues over three different spells as he was sent off late in the Dark Blue’s 4-0 thumping from Steven Gerrard’s men.
Miller was shown a straight red card after lunging in on Borna Barisic but was already on a yellow after barging into ex-colleague Halliday as the pair tussled for the ball.
The collision left Halliday with a broken nose – his third in the last four years – and the Gers midfielder joked he will not let the matter lie with his old pal, who will appeal against his dismissal.
There was at least an ovation for the 38-year-old as he trudged off the pitch, with the Ibrox crowd rising to register the contribution he made before his dressing room fall-out with former boss Graeme Murty last season ensured his Rangers career ended on a sour note.
But Halliday was saddened to see his friend’s afternoon end early.
“Kenny’s a very good friend of mine,” he said. “It’s disappointing how it ended for him at this football club.
“But I wish him all the best at Dundee. It wasn’t the return he would have been hoping for – but I’ll be having a few words with him for breaking my nose again.”
Dundee remain rock bottom after five straight defeats but boss Neil McCann felt their afternoon could have ended differently had midfielder Elton Ngwatala not hesitated on pulling the trigger when his side were 2-0 down.
He said: “Elton takes an extra touch when he probably doesn’t really need to. It was a blistering counter attack and a lovely ball. He should just take it early but he allowed the defender to recover.
“Take it early and the whole goal is there. That could’ve changed the outcome of the match but it’s been the story of our season.”