Celtic supporter Gary Rodgers was jailed for life yesterday for killing a Rangers fan with a knife his own doorstep.

Hours after his team beat Rangers 6-2, Rodgers, 30, a season ticket holder, repeatedly stabbed father-of-six James Hardie, 43, to death.

He fled leaving his Celtic baseball cap behind in the blood-stained garden.

It had the words ''Fighting Tims'' printed on it and police scientists matched it to DNA from his dandruff left inside it.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow took two hours to unanimously find him guilty of repeatedly stabbing and murdering his victim. It was never made clear during the trial if Old Firm rivalry had anything to do with why he set about Mr Hardie on his own doorstep with such violence.

Jailing him, the judge, Lord Nimmo Smith, told Rodgers: ''We have not heard the whole story about your motive, but you had a grievance which led you to go to your victim's home There you inflicted brutal and grievous and fatal injuries, leaving a widow and six children in grief.''

The court heard Rodgers had attended the match on August 27 last year while Mr Hardie had watched the game on TV in a pub.

Rodgers returned home and was told Mr Hardie had allegedly made insulting remarks about his mother. When Mr Hardie went to his door, Rodgers set about him with a knife slashing him across the face several times. One stab wound under the chin went right into the man's mouth piercing his tongue. The victim was also slashed across the body before the fatal blow entered his liver and cut an artery.

Mr Hardie, who lost a massive amount of blood, died in hospital hours after being attacked at his home at Invercanny Drive, Drumchapel, Glasgow.

Lord Nimmo Smith jailed Rodgers, of Drumry Road East, Drumchapel for life. He was also found guilty of attempting to strike a 15-year-old girl with a knife at the scene.

Co-accused Derek Proctor, 20, of Glasgow Road, Silverton, Dumbarton was cleared of the murder and of setting fire to a car to destroy evidence.