THAT REF WAS A REAL PAIN IN THE GRAZ

Arthur hopes Gers avoid a repeat of his Austrian woe

- BY ANDY NEWPORT

RANGERS' last trip to Graz ended up being a night to forget for Dick Advocaat's stellar side.

But the name of Antonio Lopez-Nieto won't be fading from Arthur Numan's memory bank anytime soon.

Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the Dutchman's infamous brush with the Spanish referee at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium.

And yet his name remains seared into Numan's mind, with the burning anger that exploded that night back in October 2000 still to simmer down.

Advocaat's star-studded Gers squad made the journey to Austria high on confidence having stuck five past Graz in their Champions League opener.

But they ended up slipping to a costly 2-0 defeat after Numan was sent off for two yellow cards.

It was the first of those bookings which proved to be controversial as he was punished for reentering the field of play without permission - despite having been clearly WAVED on by the ref himself.

And with Russell Martin's lineup set to make their own trip to Graz this week, all those memories have come boiling back to the surface for the Rangers legend.