I SAT in my Press box seat on the final day with an overwhelming sense of melancholy.

Leeds Road - that special place we all called home - got a wonderful, winning send-off and there were fitting celebrations from start to finish.

But for those who had grown up supporting the club, standing on the same chunk of terracing and leaning against those familiar blue crush barriers, this was truly the end of an era.

No more would Town run out in front of the Cowshed, the East Terrace or the Open End.

No more echoes of Billy Smith, Clem Stephenson, Jimmy Glazzard and the rest.

I'll never forget the parade of Leeds Road legends before kick-off, with dear old Joe Walter given a standing ovation as a member of the club's most famous team - the first ever to win a hat-trick of English League Championships.

The colours in the crowd were incredible, fans being drenched in softening sunlight. And I can still see Ronnie Jepson hoisting Simon Baldry into the air after the first goal and Phil Starbuck swivelling to fire the winner past Lee Martin.

The crowd formed human touchlines in the closing minutes - a throwback to football's earliest days.

And then the invasion, with fans treading in the footsteps of Vic Metcalfe, Denis Law, Ray Wilson and all the ranks lucky enough to wear blue and white stripes.

Perhaps that's how it should have been, although a final whistle will never sound so haunting again.