RANGERS were on the brink of something special. So was Ally McCoist.

The 1990/91 campaign ended with a dramatic title win at Ibrox but there was more to come from Walter Smith’s side and the man who would become the club’s record scorer.

In Smith’s first full season in charge, he put his faith in McCoist. The striker delivered in style, with his 34 Premier Division goals, 39 in all competitions, enough to earn him the Golden Boot as well as a title medal.

This was Rangers’ fourth successive championship and there was no stopping them during a dominate term as McCoist lead from the front. History shows just how important 1991/92 was for the Light Blues and Super Ally.

“We won the league against Aberdeen the season before and it was Walter’s first full season in charge,” McCoist said.

“We were really comfortable in that season. We created a heck of an amount of chances and scored lots of goals.

“That title meant a lot to Walter and we fed off his belief. From his point of view, after taking over from Graeme (Souness) and winning the league, he got a lot of confidence from that and we were feeding off that.

“We were very lucky that we had Walter there to take over when Graeme left because it just seemed a natural progression.

“He didn’t change much, there was just a continuation and a good feeling about the club and that carried into that season.”

The departure of Souness to Liverpool was a shock to the system but it was never a setback for Rangers as Smith led his side to a league and Scottish Cup Double.

Rangers finished nine points in front of Hearts and broke the 100-goal barrier for the first time since 1939 as they won 33 of their 44 league fixtures.

McCoist had famously earned the nickname of ‘The Judge’ during Souness’ reign as he spent as much time on the bench as he did on the park. For many fans, the jury was out.

“It was a massive season for me in terms of my Rangers career,” McCoist said.

“Walter brought me in, I scored a few goals and I never really looked back after that.

“Walter claims full responsibility for that because his claim is that I would still have been languishing on the bench if it wasn’t for him!

“I think there is probably an element of truth in that! He gave me an opportunity and thankfully it was one that I grabbed.

“The boys were keen on me scoring to win the Golden Boot. It was such a team effort.

“It was a brilliant season for the team to go and retain the title but from a personal point of view, to win the first of my two Golden Boots was a massive thrill.

“I can remember going up to Pittodrie in the last game of the season and we were going for 100 goals. We got 100 and 101 against Aberdeen.

“I can remember Willie Miller being the manager and he was such a great competitor so he wouldn’t have wanted us to get the 100 up there. I got two and they were arguably two of my best goals for Rangers.”

The form of McCoist was instrumental for Rangers that term but it was not a one man effort at Ibrox as Smith's side swept all before them in the Premier Division. The only negative was a semi-final defeat to Hibernian that denied them a shot at League Cup glory and a Treble.

Smith added the likes of Andy Goram, David Robertson, Alexei Mikhailichenko and Stuart McCall to his squad that term but it was a signing from the previous season that would forge a legendary partnership with McCoist.

Mark Hateley had hit the goals that won the league against Aberdeen in his debut campaign in Light Blue and his second saw him paired with McCoist as Maurice Johnston made just 16 appearances before he joined Everton. It would become one of the best relationships that Scottish football has ever seen.

McCoist said: “Mark and I, with the greatest of respect, were very comfortable domestically and we felt we had the beating of just about everybody.

“There were some good partnerships in Europe as well, but Mark was big, strong, aggressive and he could play. I would class myself as more of an out and out finisher.

“So, as a partnership, it was terrific, and the goals we got were incredible.

“I was very fortunate because I played with Maurice and wee Flecky (Robert Fleck) and boys like that as well. We had good, good players.

“But, at that time, Mark and I formed a partnership that was certainly as good as anything that was around.”

Fittingly, but not unsurprisingly, McCoist scored twice on the day that four-in-a-row was secured, with Gary Stevens and Peter Huistra also on target against St Mirren at Ibrox.

Smith had his second title and the best squad in the country but few dared to dream what could be possible in the coming years. There was plenty more to come for Rangers and McCoist.

“I knew if we kept that group of players, it could be very successful,” McCoist said.

“You always hope that you stick together but nobody was thinking about nine-in-a-row because you don’t look that far ahead.

“I was convinced, though, that we had a serious team and a serious group of players. If we kept ourselves fit and kept the spine of the team and the squad, it would take an extremely good team to beat us.

“A lot of our players were coming to a good part of their careers and their lives, both individually and collectively. If we had a bit of stability at the club, I felt we would continue to progress.

“I also didn’t think for a minute that the following season we would be one goal away from the Champions League final.

“But I knew we had something pretty special and that is how it turned out to be.”