In 2008 Ryan Finnigan and Sean McNeill were told to get off the bus they were travelling in — or they could die.

Just 12 hours after enjoying the roasting sunshine of Barcelona, the two Celtic fans were caught in a blizzard in the Pyranees, that brought the coach they were travelling in grinding to a halt.

Shortly after, a French policeman boarded the bus and ‘advised’ them to get off the bus, before having to walk a mile and a half to safety.

Sean and Ryan were feeling bad enough after watching the Hoops exit Europe when they lost 1-0 to Catalan giants, Barcelona, in the Champions League.

Ryan said: “It was quite scary when we got off the bus as no-one knew where we were and people’s hair turned white with the extreme cold.

“We were led to a chateau and it was good to get some shelter as guys like Sean had just Celtic tops and shorts on and no-one had a change of clothes.”

The pair had travelled to Spain on a supporters’ bus and were due back home on the Thursday morning, having left straight after the match on the evening of Tuesday, March 4.

But their travel plans were delayed by 36 hours, with the unscheduled stop that saw them spend a night in a chalet complex high in the mountains, although the fans made the most of the situation, according to Ryan.

He said: “Once we realised we were safe, and waking up the next day to warmth and sunshine, people were having a laugh and a snowball fight was staged.

“The only problem at this stage was folks’ mobile phone batteries were running out and it was a bit frantic as people tried to contact home.”

Although the Celts will had no more Continental jaunts that year, the Barrhead Bhoys were not been put off after the experience that Ryan described as ‘something to remember’.

He said: “We’ll go on the bus again, if we get a chance, as it was a great couple of days, even though we were in danger for a time.”