ONE year after the death of Alan Ball, his son, Jimmy, has said he has never felt more emotional about the loss of his dad.

Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the Saints legend's passing.

The 61-year-old died of a heart attack, as he was attempting to put out a bonfire in the garden of his home in Warsash.

Jimmy admitted it was beginning to hit him harder now than it ever has before.

He added tomorrow would be a difficult day for the whole family.

"It's probably the most emotional I have been the whole time," he said.

"It happened quite quickly at the time and I knew he had a great life, so I was philosophical about the whole thing and I handled it.

"I knew he enjoyed every minute until his last day, so I was happy for him that he lived such a fantastic life.

"But I must admit that it is a bit of a different feeling now to what I felt over the last year.

"We are hoping the day passes as quickly as possible, to be honest.

Full story in today's Daily Echo