John Higgins laid in bed uncertain whether his first Crucible encounter with Ronnie O'Sullivan would even take place following a headbutt incident. Three decades on and the two legends are still locking horns. This week in snooker's most iconic venue, Higgins and O'Sullivan will clash for a record-equalling seventh time.

No pair has squared off more frequently in Sheffield and their accomplishments are remarkable with 11 world titles shared between them. The head-to-head record stands at 3-3 and, while O'Sullivan struck first in 1996 with a 13-12 quarter-final triumph, it was another showdown which left the Scot questioning whether he'd receive a bye into the semi-finals.

The fresh-faced Essex youngster's participation was thrown into doubt after a headbutt on tournament official Mike Ganley.

Higgins had caught wind of the incident and believed the young Rocket could be expelled from the competition.

O'Sullivan ultimately escaped with a £20,000 fine and a two-year suspended ban, which allowed him to compete.

With no mobile phones available at the time, Higgins cast his mind back and recalled: "I didn't know until one o'clock in the morning whether I was going to have to play Ronnie at 10am because that was the time, obviously, he stuck the head on Mike Ganley, or something.

"I thought it was every chance because there was conflicting reports that he was going to get thrown out of the tournament, so I was lying in my bed at night thinking: Am I going to get a bye into the semi-finals here?

"I got a phone call in the hotel. I was staying at the old Grosvenor that's not there anymore.

"The call basically says: Yeah, you're playing Ronnie at 10 in the morning and I was like, for f**k sake! So it's just funny how that was 30 years ago. I remember it as clear as day."

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It transpired, allegedly, that O'Sullivan had grabbed Ganley's groin and bitten him on the lip.

If that was painful, so too was Higgins' anguish at the conclusion of that first Sheffield encounter, having held a 12-10 lead before being eliminated.

Higgins said: "That is one match that sticks in my mind so much. I was 12-11 in front, potted the green. I've got easy clearance with the colours and I normally pot the brown, just play off the side cushion and be above the blue.

"But this time I decided just to stun down when you're under a bit of pressure. I was well below the blue. I went round the angles and landed a very tough rest shot.

"So if I'd have won that game 13-11, I might have won the World Championship two years earlier than what I'd actually done in 1998.

"But those are the games that sort of make you as a player. The games that can give you a bit of steel going forward.

"I thought it was a brilliant game. The two of us were only 19 or 20 or something, it was just like a slugfest, shot for shot, frame for frame and I got in front, but it was one of the matches."

It remains his most painful loss as he added: "Probably, yeah. Especially here and then I had a painful one against Mark Williams in the semis a couple of years later. I was 14-10 in front and he came back to beat me.

"You never think of your wins, it's just always the defeats that stick in your mind. I've thought about all the defeats more and it's terrible. That's just most people's psyche, the way they do it.

"It'd be great if you thought of your good wins over the years, but you just always think of the ones that got away."

Discussing Higgins, O'Sullivan and Williams, the remarkable fact that all three are still competing at the highest level sends a tingle down the spine, much like the reception they will receive at the Crucible when the pair are joined by the Welshman on the Saturday night stage.

All three members of the Class of 92 reunited once more, with the Welshman up against Barry Hawkins, while the Scot remarked: "I think we deserve a great pat on the back.

"Ronnie's got more pats on the back than anyone in the game has ever had, so, yeah, it'll be a special occasion playing him again.

"See I knew then what I know now, honestly. But listen, it's all experiences, that's all you've got in life.

"That's what probably the rest of your career is all about. Savour these nights, but you've got to put that to one side because you're there to win. It's only the second round as well, so you're there to actually make it through.

"Listen, I think I'm just behind Ronnie in appearances, 32 or something here. So I've seen it all.

"There's a big, big chance that this could be our final game. Probably every chance of that, yeah. So something to savour."

And the opportunity to claim a 4-3 advantage in their overall head-to-head record stretching back 30 years? Higgins smiled: "That's what I'll be trying."