Scott Thomson reflects

"I have had great years here and I can't complain. The Club has been great for me and I would like to think that I have been decent for the Club as well."

For Auld Lang Syne

Before the last game of the season Scott Thomson was presented with a quaich engraved to commemorate 300 appearances for Dunfermline. He gave his thoughts to the website:-

"Football is cut throat and it is part and parcel of that. Unfortunately the gaffer has had his budget slashed and I was one of the players who had to pay the price. These things happen.

"I would have liked to have said farewell on the pitch but it was still nice to get a presentation and get to wave at the fans. I am no stranger to Dunfermline, I stay in the town and I will still see people to speak to as I usually do."

Nipper actually made 306 appearances, his last at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Semi Final against Falkirk last month.

"It was nice to go out on a high but it wasn't the best of games because we got beat 2-0 and I was struggling with sore ribs. I could have done a bit better on Scobbie who got in to score the first goal but I had already said five minutes before that I was struggling. Instead of playing through the pain barrier as you sometimes do in games that size, I maybe should have come off.

"You want to keep playing as long as you can. I feel fit, I have played 35 games this season and I am going to keep playing. Blair Morgan is my agent, he has been on the phone straight away and we have got a couple of clubs sniffing. We will just see what happens in the summer. Teams don't start speaking to you until June so that they don't have to pay you."

In all those appearances for the Pars there are obviously some memorable moments. Scott said that there were loads of them.

"Aberdeen in the Cup this year was the most memorable for me, Dundee United when we stayed up was another. I can't remember who were the opposition but the first game as captain. Jimmy Calderwood told me that he was going to move me after Fergie left, from vice captain to captain.

"I have had great years here and I can't complain. The Club has been great for me and I would like to think that I have been decent for the Club as well."

Scott arrived at Dunfermline for the start of the 1998-99 season back in the Bert Paton and Dick Campbell era. He reflected:-

"There have been massive changes - the new stands - they weren't there, we came out the middle of the Main Stand. Big changes in the town as well, not just for me. It has been 11 great years for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

"I don't think the leagues are as competitive as they used to be. I remember when we were playing in the Premierleague and finishing in the top six, two three four seasons on the trot. We were playing players like Gazza, Brian Laudrup, Henrik Larsson - I don't see players like that now in the Premierleague.

"The First Division is a hard league to get out of, as we have seen in the last couple of years when we thought we had the best squad. It is sad to see Dunfermline where they are now especially since I have seen the really good times. There was the bad times when they just about went into administration and we all had to take the wage cuts. You didn't know what was going to happen.

"The day it all broke, our match against Clyde in the Scottish Cup had been called off and we were called in on the Sunday for a meeting. We just thought it was a meeting and a bit of training because the cup games was re-scheduled but then we saw the men in black suits come in and tell us what was going to happen. It was a horrible time for the Club; not just the playing staff but the Club in general. We were training here on the astroturf and we saw people that we were seeing every day losing their jobs. It was a horrible feeling. I had good times but you have to take the good with the bad.

"Jimmy Calderwood was my favourite manager, he did everything for me - the boot up the backside when needed. Managers knew about my ability but he gave me the confidence as well and definitely helped me.

"I would like to go into coaching, learn my trade somewhere else and maybe come back and be manager or coach here one day."