From the Kop to the Kelpies: The Alex Totten Story

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Brown and his board identified Totten as the man to spearhead the on-field transformation of a club which was on its uppers before they breathed new life into it.

Going through on the Wednesday, we had nothing to lose, just keep things tight. You’ve always got a chance in a one off situation.” To beat Celtic over two games in Glasgow was a miracle, what a feeling to take your club to a cup final.” We scored on 19 minutes. Jamie McGowan crossed it and David Hagen set up Paul McGrillen who headed it past the keeper, who was well off his line. It was good thinking from Paul. On 19 minutes, all that time to go.” Listening to Totten is a pleasurable amble into the past, to encounters with any number of friends, like Ferguson, or Walter Smith, or Craig Brown, who Totten has invited along to Saturday's Scottish Cup final. The goal was also offside and that was the final straw. Naturally, Wattie took exception to my comments and a war of words flew from dug­out to dug­out. It was heated but not anything out of the ordinary, although just moments later all hell would break loose.

It is the fifth in their history, and the fourth that he has been involved with. He was there as a young boy, taken by his grandfather and uncle, when Falkirk last won the cup in 1957. He managed the side in 1997, and he was a working for the club in a business role when they made the final again in 2009. He added: “As a boy, I was a Falkirk fan. My grandfather used to take me and then I went with my mates from Denny High. I used to watch from behind the goals and Alex Parker was my hero.

The sense is of a man at ease with his place at the club, with his place in history and with his connection to the game. Sibbald joined the Falkirk Academy when he was just eight years old – and has gone on to make more than 150 top-team appearances for the Championship side. Totten parted company with St Johnstone 30 years ago, on December 14 1992, following a five-year spell in charge after being appointed by chairman Geoff Brown. As if the 70 minutes of trying to keep the lead wasn’t enough, the five minutes of added on time were torture for the underdogs, who had given all they had and couldn’t give much more. They were so close.

We turned up while that game was on and the stadium was full – there were about 100,000 people in there. I was on a coaching course in Largs two or three weeks before the final and I saw Tommy. He said ‘I told you’ so there were a lot of feelings and emotions at that time. Read more: Matthew Lindsay: Alex McLeish must build for the future - by making Kieran Tierney his captain and starting John McGinn FALKIRK legend Alex Totten would’ve loved players like Craig Sibbald and Will Vaulks at the club when he was Bairns’ boss.