Alex Scott fought back tears as the curtain came down on Football Focus after 52 years on air.
It was reported last month that the show would be scrapped by the BBC at the end of this season amid a decline in viewing figures over recent years.
The decision to axe the show has split opinion, but on the final ever episode on Sunday, Scott was left emotional after being handed a photo of her and Bob Wilson, who presented the programme from 1974 to 1994, and was its first ever host.
Popular BBC pundit Garth Crooks was brought back for the final episode and as he handed Scott the photo, she was touched.
‘That’s got me,’ she said as she looked at her present which had: ‘Alex, congratulations for all you have achieved’, written on it.
She later added: ‘Thank you Garth for being here today. For 52 years, wow, this show has done one thing. Week in week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons whether it was Bob Wilson in 1974 or any of the brilliant presenters that sat in this chair after him, the thing that never changed was you, the fans.’
Alex Scott was left emotional as the final episode of Football Focus was aired on Sunday
Popular BBC pundit Garth Crooks was brought back for Sunday’s emotional show
As Scott fought back the tears, she continued: ‘I won’t pretend this isn’t hard – as you can see – but what I know is the football doesn’t stop, the story doesn’t stop and the goals don’t stop, the drama, the heartbreak, it just finds a new home.
‘So from everyone who has ever worked on Football Focus, thank you for making Saturday lunchtime something to look forward to.
‘It has been an honour, this is Football Focus for the very last time and before we enjoy one more trip down memory lane, Bob, I would love for you to have the last word.’
Wilson, who was one of many former presenters to return on the programme’s final show despite now being 84, said: ‘Alex, thank you so much – all good things come to an end. Thank you to all of you at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years, we’ve had a ball.’
Earlier in the show, Scott had addressed the topic of it being the final episode, which was honoured with a tribute that included messages from several of its previous presenters, including Dan Walker.
The programme then ended with a montage of the show’s best moments over the years.
However, several fans didn’t appear to be sad that the Football Focus era was ending as they took to social media to express their thoughts.
One said: ‘Watching the last ever Football Focus and you can see why it’s come to an end… utter woke nonsense.’
Bob Wilson, who presented the show for two decades, appeared on its last ever episode
However, several fans took to social media to hit out at Football Focus as it came to an end
Another added: ‘Football Focus….A great example of what happens when you go woke with a long standing TV programme.’
A third fan chimed in with: ‘The last Football Focus is on. Died a woke death.’
Daily Mail Sport previously reported that the justification for the show’s axing was declining viewing figures, coupled with widespread criticism that the current iteration is ‘pedestrian, vacuous, uninspiring and uninformative’.
Pre-Covid pandemic viewing figures averaged 957,000 for Football Focus, and reached 1.12 million during the 2020-21 season. In the 2022-23 campaign, though, numbers were as low as 687,000.
