By Ray Mcgrath
January 9 2004

KEVIN THOMSON has come up against the best midfield players in Scotland - and he reckons there’s no-one better than the guy who lines up alongside him, Hibs ace Grant Brebner. And today the 19-year-old admitted he’s been astounded at how his team-mate, a former Scotland Under-21 captain, has been overlooked by Berti Vogts.

Although many believe 26-year-old Brebner is in the form of his life, he hasroutinely been overlooked by Vogts, failing even to make the German coach’s Future Team. Despite his tender years and the fact tomorrow’s Tennent’s Scottish Cup clash with Rangers will be only his 11th game in a green and white shirt, Thomson believes he is better placed than most to judge Brebner’s worth to a team.

While agreeing he’s been forced to "grow up quickly" after making his first-team debut barely two months ago, Thomson can’t praise enough the part Brebner has played in his seemingly easy transition to top level football. He said: "Playing in central midfield means I have had to take more responsibility but having Grant alongside me helps with his experience and ability to talk you through games.

"Grant is so under-rated it is unbelievable. I watch him every day in training and in games and I don’t know how he doesn’t have a Scotland cap.

"His attitude is next to none. His technique and ability make him one of the best and his passing, with either foot, is unbelievable. He has great vision and while I think Grant himself will admit he’s not quite a box-to-box player or a renowned goal scorer, he does get his share of important goals."

There was none so vital as Brebner’s leveller from the penalty spot in last month’s CIS Cup triumph over Celtic as Hibs stunned Martin O’Neill’s side by coming from behind to clinch a Hampden clash with tomorrow’s opponents in the semi-final.

Thomson said: "That was typically Grant, I don’t think he fears anything which is a great attitude to have. And I think we saw a little bit of the Hibs’ fan inside him with his celebrations afterwards. He was delighted with his goal as was every Hibs fan in the ground."

Thomson, of course, went on to score the winner that night, his first goal for Hibs a memorable strike which left Celtic and Scotland goalkeeper Rab Douglas helpless.

And he revealed he’ll never tire of watching a video of that moment. He said: "Yes, I have it recorded. I fast-forward the video to 81 minutes and 37 seconds and then sit back and enjoy it.

"Everyone who comes into the house has to watch it and I think that no matter what I achieve in my career it will always remain one of my favourite moments. It’s hard to imagine scoring a more important goal although, hopefully there will be one."

Naturally, he’d like to repeat the feat tomorrow although he proved as adept at handling such a suggestion as he is with the ball at his feet, trotting out the time-honoured cliche: "I don’t mind who scores as long as we win.

"Obviously, though, it would be wonderful for me if it happened to be me who scored the winner again."

Thomson, though, is one for keeping his feet firmly on the ground, insisting he and his team-mates can’t afford to be hoodwinked by talk of all the pressure being on Rangers following their 3-0 hammering by Celtic which leaves them trailing their arch-rivals by 11 points in the race for the SPL title.

Rangers boss Alex McLeish has already said Celtic can only throw the title away, but Thomson begged to disagree saying: "If they want to say they’ve chucked it away then that’s up to them but I don’t think it’s over for one minute.

"When teams aren’t doing so well in the league they always try to get the fans going and a wee cup run can do that for them. Rangers will want such a run - but we do as well and if we can go as far in the Scottish Cup as we have already done in the CIS Cup then we’ll be a very happy side.

"It’s a big game for Rangers but every team will tell you every match is a big one. Rangers are a good side with very good players but even good players find it difficult if you make it hard for them.

"If we can work hard and press them then the young legs we have in the side could make the difference again tomorrow just as they did against Celtic.

"The gaffer and his assistants have hammered into us that work-rate is the way forward, we are fit young lads and we will never say never - I think we proved that against Celtic.

"Perhaps when they went 1-0 up people thought that was it as far as we were concerned but to come back and win shows the attitude of the side."

Thomson appears to have made the journey from virtual unknown to instant recognition as one of Scotland’s top young players with little difficulty, but he admitted it’s not been as easy as it looks.

He said: "The difference between the reserve team and first-team is quite massive, I don’t think any young boy realises that until he makes that step.

"It’s a man’s game and you have to be prepared to put your tackles in. Some games are nice and pretty, you can get the ball and knock it about. In others, though, you have to get your foot in.

"We have a few boys willing to do that. If the ball is there to be won you should be going in to win it. If you are going to shimmy out of tackles then I don’t think you should be playing football at this level."

While Brebner’s lack of international recognition bemuses Thomson, it hasn’t passed him and a number of his team-mates by, the Peebles-based youngster having been named in Rainer Bonhof’s Under-20 squad to face Portugal along with Scott Brown and Derek Riordan while Ian Murray, Garry O’Connor and Tam McManus were all called up for Vogts’ Future squad to face Turkey.

The CIS clash with Celtic, of course, meant Thomson, Brown and Riordan all had to pull out of the trip to Lisbon as the quarter-final was taking place the next day.

But Thomson admitted the disappointment of having to do so was quickly eased by that memorable win.

He said: "It’s every boy’s dream to play for the international side but for me Hibs were more important at that moment. All three of us wanted to go and play for Scotland but at the end of the day I think we were all very glad we stayed in Edinburgh."