91Èȱ¬

American singer Marie Osmond has performed her 1970s hit single Paper Roses for a specially-invited group of 500 Kilmarnock football fans.

The singer, who was in Glasgow with her brother Donny and Susan Boyle to play a concert at the SECC, was approached to make the Rugby Park appearance by fan Robert Morton.

The song has been adopted by the Kille fans as the club's anthem.

It reached number two in the UK charts in 1973.

On Twitter Marie said: "Hey @officialkillie fans. I'm on my way there to sing 'Paper Roses', your official #KILLIE theme song. Lets have some fun!!!"

The event, which was open to the club's season book holders, was an all-ticket sell out.

Kilmarnock supporters adopted the song Paper Roses in the early seventies and there are conflicting theories about the reason why, one of which was explained by Mr Morton.

"I was too young to know, but in 1975, when things were going against us, we were going part-time and maybe it was just a song about a failed love that was adopted by the Kilmarnock supporters at Dumbarton one day," he told 91Èȱ¬ Scotland.

"It is a sad song about a lost love, but sometimes that's the way you feel about Kilmarnock."

Mr Morton explained how he laid the groundwork for Ms Osmond's Rugby Park appearance ahead of her evening appearance at Glasgow's SECC.

"I went to Las Vegas for a holiday, took two signed Kilmarnock tops and managed to buy meet and greet tickets and get her to sign them and told her a little about Paper Roses being our song and she's been following us ever since," he said.

The singer answered fans' questions with a Kilmarnock scarf draped round her shoulders, standing next to the Scottish Communities League Cup, which the club won in March.

"She's a superstar," added Mr Morton. "She could not do enough for us. She ran over time because she wanted to go out and see the stadium as well, she signed so many things and there's still lipstick on the League Cup.

"Maybe the next thing I need to do is ask her for £10m to get us out of debt."