Nipper

The Scott Thomson Testimonial Match
Dunfermline Athletic 0-4 Manchester United XI
East End Park
Adult £16

Ten years with same club, not something you hear of too often nowadays. Scott "Nipper" Thomson has been a major player for Dunfermline over those ten years and four years ago the terraces used to ring with the Pars fans singing "Thommo for Scotland". Then came the day he got carried off after a particular bad tackle and he's spent the last two seasons fighting to get fit again, most would have given up. Finally he's starting to feature in the Under 21 games that see four or five senior players take a leading role for the youngsters, he's been in all the pre-season friendlies and last Saturday he made it back to the substitutes bench. Will we see him back with Captains band bringing Dunfermline to win the First Division, I wouldn't be surprised.

Testimonial games are always so un-competitive that your in danger of shouting gibberous that everyone in the ground will hear rather than just the 20 foot in front of you. Also when your lucky enough to attract a big team like Man U to come and play you expect to get beaten. Your playing a non-aggresive passing game against one of the best teams in the World, you will lose. I predicted 3-1 to Man U, it was 4-0 in the end. The reason I predicted we would have a goal is that there is usually a gentlemen's agreement that that the player whose testimonial it is will usually get a "soft" penalty to score. Usually this comes in the dying minutes of the game and usually the opposition keeper will let the player know which way he will jump. Its the nice thing to do. Tonight it didn't happen. I'd say that most of the Man U team expected it to happen but someone should have told players like Rooney who obviously decided it was good idea to try and score goals instead of giving the the player whose testimonial they where playing in a good night to remember.

So that aside it was a reasonable display of football to witness. Giggs was superb and showed some class on the field and chipped the keeper to score, needless to say when he was substituted he was given a standing ovation by the whole ground. Man U fielded a team of half regulars and half side liners but all seemed to play well. Dunfermline passed well in the first half but didn't really threaten until the second half when the three (count them) forwards of McManus, Crawford and Burchill teased the goal for a good twenty minutes. It never happened though.

A good evening overall and I hope it isn't the last time we see Nipper.