'It was tremendous' - Falkirk FC legend Alex Totten praises day held in his honour

Over 4000 fans turned out to see Totten lead the teams out as the Bairns took on Queen’s Park, who ended up triumphing 1-0 thanks to Simon Murray's free-kick goal in the 32nd minute.

But the scoreline seemed to take away little of the gloss of the occasion for Dennyloanhead-born Totten, 75, who was being recognised for devoting a significant chunk of his life to his beloved club as player, manager, commercial director and lifetime ambassador.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Totten told the Falkirk Herald.

"I thought it was tremendous.

"I was really very, very proud to be honest with you.

"It was great. It was a joy to walk out there in front of the fans who have been magnificent for me in the time I’ve been at Falkirk as a player and as a manager, just to acknowledge them because they acknowledged me.

“I had a lump in my throat, I was a bit emotional.”

Totten, who played as a fullback, initially joined Falkirk as a player from Dunfermline Athletic in 1969 and had two years at Brockville before signing for Queen of the South in 1971.

After retiring as a player, Totten first managed Falkirk between 1982 and 1984 before leaving to become Jock Wallace’s assistant at Rangers.

Managerial spells at Dumbarton, St Johnstone, East Fife and Kilmarnock followed before Totten took over at Falkirk again from 1996 to 2002, during which time he led the Bairns to the 1997 Scottish Cup final in which they lost 1-0 to Killie, who had sacked Totten earlier that season.

He added: "I’ve given a lot of my life to Falkirk. It’s my team.

"I was there in 1957 at the age of 11 when we won the cup.

"Obviously I have a soft spot for the other clubs I’ve been at but Falkirk is my club, my team.

"I’ve got my season ticket now so I know I’ll be welcome any time.

"I’ve had a collar and tie on since I was 15 years of age at Liverpool so it’s nice to go casual to the games now.

"I was sitting in the bar having a couple of beers with a few of the boys before the game. And I’m one of the fans now, sitting at the bar, that’s what I do.

"The chairman (Gary Deans) was brilliant on Saturday with what he said about me and they’ve got a lovely quaich with my name on it in the boardroom which has been named the Alex Totten Lounge and I’m chuffed to bits with that.

"It was a wonderful day, a special day in my life with the fans. I went up to thank them all.

"Wee Kevin McAllister was there, he was a wonderful player for Falkirk, the best player I signed in all my years in management.

“I signed him twice for Falkirk – firstly from Camelon Juniors in 1983 and then from Hibs in 1997.”

A Falkirk FC statement paying tribute to Totten read: “Alex will be missed by everyone at Falkirk FC as he enjoys his retirement to spend more time with his family and on the golf course.”