False start ruined Queens' Euro dream, admits gutted skipper Jim Thomsom

Aug 31 2008

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH skipper Jim Thomson admits the first TWO of his only 180 minutes in European football will haunt him forever.

The Doonhamers came so close to a stunning comeback win against Nordsjaelland on Tuesday night.

They struck fear into the Danes with a 1-0 lead that lasted until the 85th minute before one final cavalry charge left the back door open and sent them spinning to a 2-1 defeat.

For Thomson though, it was his slip in the opening seconds of the 2-1 defeat in the first leg that set the tone for the tie and left Queens with a mountain to climb.

On a sodden Broomfield surface the 37-year-old stopper lost his footing as he tried to guide the ball out for a goal-kick and only succeeded in knocking it out.

The resultant corner saw Benjamin Kibebe net the opener and a gutted Thomson said: "I'll always regret the first two minutes of that first game - no matter what. It wasn't even a corner as I never touched the ball when I fell but we should have defended better.

"We can be proud of our efforts over the two games though.

"We can look back on the experience and know we gave it everything. We will be able to walk down the street in Dumfries and hold our heads high knowing we never let anyone down.

"Our fans were also magnificent, particularly in Denmark, and I felt so proud going to them at the end."