Nobody saw the abject display which Celtic produced against Dundee in their William Hill Premiership match at Dens Park on Tuesday night coming.
Sadly, the coordinated and large-scale pyrotechnic display which a sub-section of their travelling support staged in the Bob Shankly Stand before what was one of the most entertaining matches in Scottish football this season, was all too predictable.
There were numerous fans wearing green, white and orange balaclavas – an article of clothing which is, despite it now being a prohibited item inside stadia, de rigueur for any bam intent on setting off fireworks - dotted along the front rows of the away end long before kick-off.
So the flares, smoke bombs and rockets which were ignited as the two teams emerged from the tunnel and made their way onto the pitch were by no means unexpected.
But the organised and illegal show begged a question. Could the stewards and police officers who were present not have taken pre-emptive action? It was glaringly obvious to onlookers what was going to occur long before it happened. So why did they just stand idly by and allow the law of the land to be broken and the ordinary punters who were there to cheer on their team to be put at risk?
The simple answer is that wading into a crowd, particularly one which comprises a number of individuals who are wielding devices which can burn at extremely high temperatures, to arrest someone is highly dangerous and can potentially jeopardise the safety of spectators.
There were, though, more queries following the final whistle. Could the culprits not be identified, apprehended and punished retrospectively? Could a strong message not be sent out that committing such dangerous, irresponsible, and selfish acts will have serious repercussions? Could the offenders not be hit with football banning orders? It would serve as a powerful deterrent if they were.
Alas, the inability of the authorities to bring the "no pyro no party" brigade to book is at the heart of Scotland’s escalating and troubling pyrotechnic epidemic.
Mike Mulraney, the SFA president, last month bemoaned the fact that only one banning order, just one, had been issued in this country in 2023 as he called for greater use to be made of what could be a potent tool. He had a very good point.
The disparity with England and Wales is staggering. Home Office figures show there were 682 banning orders handed out for football related offences down south during the 2022/23 season and that a total of 1,624 of them were in force that term. It is no coincidence that pyro has become, while by no means non-existent, far less prevalent in those nations of late.
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SFA, SPFL, Police Scotland, Football Safety Officers’ Association (Scotland), PFA Scotland and Scottish government representatives have been striving to address this matter since Rangers fans caused a Premiership match against Dundee at Dens Park to be delayed when they set off dozens of flares and triggered fire alarms in the November of 2023.
They have found that the phrasing of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 leaves much to be desired. It is so badly worded that any lawyer with the slightest spark about them could get a client who is facing a banning order for pyro offences off easily.
Angela Constance, the Justice Secretary who was astonished and horrified at what she witnessed when she was invited to the Premier Sports Cup final at Hampden by the SPFL last month, has publicly admitted the legislation may need to be revised or changed going forward.
Club officials who have attempted to discipline ultras groups following a variety of misdemeanours at matches in the past couple of seasons have found, much to their astonishment and frustration, that their efforts have been thwarted by what one source closely involved in the battle against pyro this week described as “high-powered legal representation”.
So will MSPs at Holyrood, as MPs at Westminster did, take the necessary steps and give police and the courts the power they desperately need? They had their fingers badly burned when they last got involved in football. They were forced to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act (Scotland) 2012 after just six years. But it is imperative they act.
Those who are tasked with ensuring crowd safety on match days are growing increasingly fearful about the sharp rise in the use of flares, smoke bombs, strobes and rockets they have witnessed at all levels of the game in the last few years. They are convinced it is only a matter of time before there is a serious, possibly fatal, incident.
It is little wonder. A Hibernian fan who was stopped by police officers on the day of the Edinburgh derby against Hearts at Tynecastle on Boxing Day was found to be wearing a rucksack which contained no fewer than 200 pyrotechnic devices.
The Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 gave police the power to search people who they suspect may be carrying pyro outside of grounds. Would they have been able to act on the intelligence they had received and nab someone who was clearly determined to cause absolute carnage without it?
A plan to launch a marketing campaign warning about the dangers of pyro has been shelved due to a lack of funding. But politicians still have the ability to make a real difference. They have to step up before this worrying trend is allowed to spiral out of control.
