It had been one year since the last Old Firm derby was held but last night it felt like the rivalry had never been away, as Rangers defeated Celtic to retain the Glasgow Cup.

Junior Ogen scored twice for the Ibrox club's under-17s as Celtic were seen off 3-2 to ensure the trophy stayed in the south of the city.

Whilst the game was between under-17s, the atmosphere was as familiar as it was hostile. A crowd of 6125 turned up at Firhill to savour each other's company for the first time in a year – with the start of the match delayed after a deep haze was created by both sets of fans letting off flares. Referee Steven Brown waited for the smoke to clear fully before permitting the sides to kick off.

"It was like the Milan Derby out there and to be honest we expected it from the two sets of fans as they have not been at each other in a while," said Billy Kirkwood, the Rangers under-17s coach. "It was fantastic for our young kids to show the bit of class needed to win the game in front of what was a bigger crowd than most SPL games. Our third goal was a terrific goal."

It was, but it was Celtic who drew first blood on the night. After the Fire Brigade were satisfied that everything was in order and the smoke had subsided, Rangers' David Brownlie brought down Paul McMullan in the penalty area after 16 minutes and the Celtic midfielder converted from the spot.

It was a vulnerable lead in such a stirring atmosphere, though, and Rangers drew level on 28 minutes when Ryan Hardie controlled the ball on his chest before clipping a shot into the net. Ogen added a second four minutes later.

Rangers' third goal came just before the hour mark when Hardie twisted and turned on the left wing before chipping to the far post for Ogen to volley into the far corner of the net.

McMullan pulled one back for Celtic late on but it was not enough. "The atmosphere was a great learning curve for our players," said Tommy McIntyre, the Celtic coach.