Nipper no more

Pars longest serving player Scott Thomson is one of four players informed today by the Manager that he will not be offered a new contract.

Nipper celebrates his last goal for the Club

Jim McIntyre has informed four players today that he will not be requiring their services next season. He has taken the decision not to offer new contracts to Scott Thomson (37), Kevin Harper (33), Callum Reidford (21) and Stuart Dearden (18).

Greg Ross (22) and Paul Willis (17) have been offered one year contracts and a decision has yet to be made over the contracts of the full time Under 19s - Lee Graham, Ryan Thomson, Jordan White and Harry McGregor.

Simon Wiles (24) has been offered a short term contract up to the end of August to give him time to prove his fitness.

Players remaining, still under contract are goalkeepers Paul Gallacher and Greg Paterson; defenders Greg Shields, Calum Woods, Austin McCann, Scott Muirhead; midfielders Nick Phinn, Steven Bell, Graeme Holmes, Stephen Glass, Alex Burke, Scott McBride and forwards David Graham, Andy Kirk and Graham Bayne. Former Airdrie United player Joe Cardle (22) has already been signed on a pre contract agreement.

Macca said that it had been a hard day but one that he accepts goes with the job. He added that he had himself experienced the disappointment of not being offered a contract when expected so he understands how those players feel.

Stuart Dearden went on loan to Forfar for experience but didn't get the run of games there to earn a new contract at Dunfermline.

Scott Thomson is Dunfermline's longest serving player having been signed by Bert Paton at the start of the 1998-99 season but despite playing well in previous seasons, it was under Jimmy Calderwood that his full potential developed.

'Nipper' as he is known at the club was a bit of a utility man but was deployed in recent years in the back four. Whatever position he played, he always put in a good shift.

Scott Thomson, born Aberdeen 29th January 1972, started his route to become a professional footballer at Tillydrone Boys Club in Aberdeen, he was taken on as an apprentice at Shrewsbury Town but the stay in England was short and he was soon back nearer home at Brechin City. There he played under John Ritchie and Dick Campbell before Alex Smith signed him for Aberdeen.

While at Aberdeen Scott was a member of the Aberdeen team that played Dunfermline in the play off for a Premier Division place at the end of season 1994-95. He played the full 90 minutes of the first leg but competition for places meant he never started another game for the Dons before his transfer to Raith Rovers in March 1996.

Scott was brought to East End Park by Bert Paton although it was a chance meeting with Dick Campbell at a Balwearie Golf Club Dinner that alerted him that the Pars would be interested in him. Jim Baxter was the guest speaker but it Campbell's discussion in the toilets at the golf club that mattered most, it led to a hand shake and a contract meeting with Bert Paton.

His first match as a Par was a 5-0 defeat at Celtic Park when Scott openly admits that he got a 'bit of a roasting' from Jackie McNamara. The Dunfermline Athletic team that day:-
Westwater, Shields, Tod, Linighan, Ireland (Den Bieman 55), Thomson, Millar, Huxford, French (Ferguson 57), Smith (Faulconbridge 8), Shaw.

His first Pars goal came against Dundee in March of 1999 but was a continual threat at setpieces. Nipper has had more than his fair share of injury problems and injury kept him out for the entire 2006-07 season. Even at the age of 37 Scott has had a fiercely competitive season and his dressing room banter will be sadly missed. Fittingly his last goal was from a free kick in the home match against Ross County back on 20th September and the last of his 306 appearances was against Falkirk in the Homecoming Scottish Cup Semi Final at Hampden.

The Club thanked Nipper with a testimonial year in 2007-08 but it is impossible to pay tribute in words to a player who has given one club eleven seasons of his football career.  Everyone at East End Park wishes Scott well for the future.