IT was 20 years ago, the song told us, that Sgt Pepper taught the band to play.

And at the time of writing, the album which that line was taken from - Beatles classic Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - looked destined for a return to the top of the charts.

Incredible to think then that it is now decades since that sunny day in May at Ibrox when Ray Montgomerie captained Kilmarnock to Tennent's Scottish Cup glory as they defeated Falkirk 1-0.

The Saltcoats man recently marked the occasion with a dinner organised by the Supporter's Association in the Grand Hall, attended by cup-winning manager Bobby Williamson and goal hero Paul Wright.

He told Sportscene: "It was great to catch up with everyone and incredible to think the final was 20 years ago. The club are planning a function in September to celebrate the anniversary and that should be a good night."

Ray, nicknamed Monty, has great memories of the Scottish Cup final season which saw a major upturn in the club's fortunes.

He said: "At the end of the year we were near the bottom of the league, Alex Totten was sacked as manager and Bobby Williamson took over as caretaker. He could really relate to the players as he played with us and had also done some coaching. We suddenly started climbing the table and we were in the quarter-final where we beat Morton.

"We battered Dundee United in front of over 9,000 fans at Easter Road and just won 1-0 after drawing the first game and the realisation at the end that we were in a cup final was almost as exciting as playing in the final itself."

He remembers the preparations for the big day well.

"Some of the players stayed overnight on the Friday at the Menzies Hotel but I opted to stay at home with my family and travel in the morning."

And the game itself?

He said: "There was a great atmosphere with a crowd of 54,000 and I remember the sponsors were pleased that it was a big occasion without the Scottish Cup. I don't think we needed a team talk as the motivation for us all came from within. We played well and Paul Wright scored a good goal.

"I remember when the final whistle went it sunk in quite quickly and when I lifted the trophy it felt that light because I felt the whole of Kilmarnock was lifting with me. We were a really good team - you couldnt' single anyone out and if one cog in the wheel was missing we couldn't have done it.

"The scenes were incredible in John Finnie Street, there were 40,000 people on the streets, on rooftops and waving out of their windows. It was something you will never forget and you couldn't have dreamed it up, you just had to experience it. I remember my three children, Matthew, Jenna and Raymond were all on the bus with me and my wife Alison."

However while delighted with the cup triumph, Montgomerie recalls three other key moments in the club's relatively recent history.

He said: "When we got out of the Second Division we had 9,000 to 11,000 fans watching us beat Cowdenbeath at Rugby Park, which was a record. Drawing with Hamilton in 1993 to reach the Premier Division was a huge milestone. Then the following season the manager Tommy Burns had a team talk when he told us we would all be going part-time unless we stayed up.

"But we went to Easter Road and drew 0-0 to stay up and that was the one of the biggest games I have been involved in. The future of the club was riding on the success of the game against Hibs. That match was pivotal and it was a tremendous achievement to stay up considering that year that three of the teams - a quarter of the league were relegated.

Burns he said was such a key figure.

"Tommy is much missed. He was a great guy to work with and achieved a lot with the club, " he added.

Montgomerie says the club owe so much to the Fleeting and Moffat family, who were at the helm in the late 80s and 90s.

"The Fleeting Family and the Moffats invested a lot of money in the club and built a really good stadium. They laid the foundations for the future."

The defender also enjoyed strutting his stuff on the major stage with Killie.

"Playing in Europe was absolutely out of the world, we played in Nice, Bosnia and Czechoslovakia and that was a great experience," he added

He still feels success for the club is possible.

"We won the League Cup in 2012 and I believe we are capable of winning a trophy again, if you have a good run in a competition."

Ray still works for Killie.

"Twenty-eight years after sighing I am still here and people come up and talk to me. I work as a match day host and with the commercial department and I wouldn't do anything differently - I have been blessed," he said.