Funerals, by their very nature, can be extremely sombre occasions, and without doubt the funeral of John Ritchie on Wednesday had extreme moments of both poignancy and sadness. Undoubtedly though, the general feeling at the end of proceedings was one of celebration, celebration of a life so richly lived and which had positively affected the lives of so many people.

The stand at Glebe Park would have been needed to accommodate the numbers who showed up to celebrate JR's life. From older legends like Archie Knox, Jocky Scott and Jimmy Bone to young emerging goalkeepers who had benefitted from JR's coaching. John spent more than 50 years devoting his life to his passion for the beautiful game, but as was mentioned in one of the eulogies, the happiest and most successful times were the years he spent as manager of Brechin City.

The atmosphere was elevated still further by eulogies from Ross Mathie and Dick Campbell, and some after dinner stories from Dick again, his brother Iain and John's son Paul.

It was such a joy to be surrounded by many of the players who had graced Glebe Park during John's reign as manager, and we had some fun putting together a team from the assembled company, some of whom looked as if they would still be capable of playing 90 minutes on a Saturday. How's this for a team: Allan, Paterson (young), Brown, Conway, Lees, Stewart, Miller, Pryde, Paterson (old), Ritchie, Baillie and Buckley. All in all, the day was a testament to a life well lived, and all those present agreed that knowing John and being part of his life had been a genuine privilege.

The Club was represented at the funeral by Chairman Ken Ferguson, Vice Chairman Martin Smith, Former Chairman David Birse and Trainer Alan Grieve, all of whom were greatly impressed by the number of former players who attended and who all had their memories of JR to share. The sight of so many City faces from the past gathering to show their respects was a special moment. RIP JR.