Claus Lundekvam has revealed just the thought of walking off the St Mary's pitch for the final time virtually reduces him to tears.

The big Norwegian defender is a man known for his cool head rather than raw emotion.

But after 12 seasons on the south coast, Lundekvam still hasn't come to terms with his impending retirement.

Lundekvam has racked up over 400 appearances for Saints since joining in September 1996, scoring two memorable goals.

He will say his final farewells to the fans he adores in a testimonial match against Gordon Strachan's Celtic on Friday, July 18.

Retirement due to a serious ankle injury has hit Lundekvam hard as he still believes, even at 35, he had another season or two in him to achieve his ambition of guiding Saints back to the top flight.

Now, though, he is preparing himself for a tearful goodbye.

He said: "It makes a tear in my eye just thinking about walking off that pitch for the last time. It's very emotional for me.

"It might hit me on the night but I will try and look at it as a celebration of my career and what I've achieved.

"I'm pretty proud of what I've done here as a foreign player and how many games I've played.

"I'm sure it will be an emotional night because it will be the last time I will run on that pitch after so many years."

As revealed in the Echo earlier this week, Lundekvam has forked out over £100,000 for the St Mary's pitch to be returfed in time to accomodate Celtic.

The Glasgow giants could only offer a handful of dates and, in order to secure them, Lundekvam had to pay for the pitch to be relaid in time.

He also has to pay Celtic's appearance' fee - though that is reduced thanks to Gordon Strachan's help - and other stadium costs of hosting such a game.

But a 20,000 attendance could see him claim a tax-free sum of over £300,000.

Full story: see today's Daily Echo.

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