'Fond farewell to Love Street'.

Byline: JOHN HILLCOAT

ST MIRREN waved goodbye to Love Street last weekend and I made the farewell party by the skin of my teeth.

I was resigned to missing out on my old club's emotional clash with Motherwell because of commitments with my new team Alloa.

But the man upstairs smiled on me as Alloa's derby clash with Stirling bit the dust.

The big freeze made Albion's pitch as hard as Buds' legend Billy Abercrombie's shinbone so the match was called off.

And that gave me the chance to blag a ticket for the big Love Street party.

A couple of frantic phone calls to St Mirren commercial manager Brian Caldwell did the trick and I was thrilled to join the other Buddies old boys.

The memories flooded back on an emotional day but I never thought I'd be joining in with the fond farewells.

When I woke up last Saturday, Alloa's clash with Stirling was the main focus of my attention.

Boss Allan Maitland decided to change his pre-match routine and ordered the squad to Recreation Park at 11.30am for soup and sandwiches.

He wanted to make sure the players bonded before the derby showdown and nobody dared turn up late due to the club's fining policy.

Allan runs a tight ship and we even have to watch what we wear for training.

So big Andy Ferguson ran a huge risk when he turned up sporting a dodgy jogging suit that looked like an MC Hammer cast-off.

I couldn't believe how hideous his baggy blue outfit was - one gust of wind could have swept him away.

But the stick didn't bother Andy one bit - he could pull birds wearing a bin bag given his catwalk-style looks.

The set-up at Alloa is fantastic and I've been impressed by the way everyone works together.

There are no egos at this club and that was summed up last Saturday when owner Mike Mulraney and wife Val were head chef and dishwasher for the players.

I couldn't imagine David Murray or Dermot Desmond showing the same kind of dedication to their clubs.

After our pre-match meal the squad hopped on the bus to Stirling but rumours about the game being called off were starting to circulate.

And they were confirmed when we arrived at the stadium because parts of the pitch were fit only for Torvill and Dean.

The Binos staff had tried everything to get the game on and had even put electric radiators under the covers.

But their efforts were in vain and the match was called off.

That left most of the lads twiddling their thumbs for the rest of the day but my fingers went straight for the mobile.

And I managed to book a seat for the biggest party Paisley has seen since The Cotton Club closed its doors for the last time in the 1990s.

I sped down the motorway to Love Street at rate of knots that would have shamed Lewis Hamilton and made it just in time for kick-off.

I was honoured to be there for the club's final game at the old stadium alongside legends like Gordon McQueen.

But it was the guys I played with back in 1987 I was most familiar with. And I was thrilled to hook up with Ian Cameron, Derek Hamilton, Neil Cooper, Tommy Wilson and Campbell Money again.

Former player and physio Bobby Holmes was also there and actually looks younger these days.

He could probably challenge anyone to a 50-yard sprint and wipe the floor with them.

A different generation was represented by guys like Tommy Turner, Barry McLaughlin, Barry Lavety and big Mark Yardley.

It was fantastic to see so many characters from the club's past turn up to pay their last respects to the stadium.

And the only disappointment was the game itself as Well held St Mirren to a 0-0 draw. The punters turned up expecting a few goals but both sides drew a blank.

It didn't put a dampener on the day though and the party continued after the final whistle.

When I walked down the stairs to grace the pitch for a final time I saw Buddies legend Abercrombie deep in thought.

It must have be an emotional rollercoaster for the former midfielder as he remembered all his battles on that pitch.

We then went into the centre circle with old boys Gerry Baker, Tommy Leishman and Gerry Burrell.

And it was hard not to smile when names were called out of the old Tannoy we used to fart into as younger players.

A fireworks display brought proceedings to an end and I stood shoulder to shoulderwith chairman Stewart Gilmour.

He's the man responsible for leading St Mirren forward and will be hoping the new stadium creates more special memories.

When the smoke faded away from the sky above Love Street the Paisley pilgrims started to head off into the night.

And I will never forget my last experience at the old ground on Saturday night.

When I walked out of the front door for the final time it was with the guy who was responsible for bringing me in as a scrawny 16-year-old.

Campbell Money is the biggest legend of them all in my eyes - and itwas a pleasure to leave Love Street for the last time with him.