Ex-Hearts defender Jason Thomson combines job at Riccarton with Arbroath title charge

After well over a decade in full-time football, Jason Thomson is enjoying a new lease of life in the part-time ranks.
Jason 
Thomson, in 
Arbroaths colours, battles with Michael Gardyne of Ross CountyJason 
Thomson, in 
Arbroaths colours, battles with Michael Gardyne of Ross County
Jason Thomson, in Arbroaths colours, battles with Michael Gardyne of Ross County

The 31-year-old former Hearts right-back took the decision last summer to go part-time after Raith Rovers, the club he had represented for six years, blew their chance of promotion to the Championship.

Ironically, he is now part of an Arbroath side 16 points clear of Rovers at the top of League One and motoring towards the second tier under the wily Dick Campbell. “I’m really enjoying it,” Thomson told the Evening News. “In my last couple of years at Raith we got relegated and then should have got promoted but missed out so it ended on a bit of a sour note. I wasn’t really enjoying my football that much but I’m back enjoying it again. It’s my first season part-time which has taken a bit of getting used to, but once you get used to it, it becomes quite easy.”

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If Rovers had won promotion last season, Thomson, who was the captain, probably would have stayed at Stark’s Park. Having begun preparing for life outside football a few years ago, however, the defender was happy to move into the part-time ranks when the chance arose last summer. Ironically, Thomson’s career path has taken him back to Riccarton, where it all started as a teenager on Hearts’ books. “Raith had the chance to win the league on the last day of last season. All we had to do was score a goal and we’d have been in the Championship,” he recalls.

Jason Thomson pictured back in his Hearts daysJason Thomson pictured back in his Hearts days
Jason Thomson pictured back in his Hearts days

“I’d have had another year at Raith if that was the case so things could have panned out differently but I look back on it now and things have probably worked out in my favour in terms of signing for Arbroath and getting myself into work. In terms of getting a job, I’m probably a year ahead of where I would have been if Raith had got promoted.

“Playing full-time worked well for me but obviously it had to come to an end at some point. I had an offer to stay full-time at Raith but there were a number of things involved in my decision – less money, family commitments and the opportunity to get into a job at the Oriam.

“I’d been contemplating getting a job in the real world for the last few years. I started my degree in sports management three-and-a-half years ago and I graduated in January. It was an online course designed by Fifpro for athletes.

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“It’s a good qualification to have and it can open doors for me. I’ve now got my job at the Oriam and I’m really enjoying it. It’s not the easiest transition to go into your first job at 31 but it’s something a lot of footballers face and it’s something that had to be done. I’m glad I’ve settled in. It’s quite ironic that after 15 years in football I’ve come full circle and I’m back at Oriam where it all started for me with Hearts. I see Christophe Berra (Thomson’s former Hearts team-mate) now and again and have a coffee with him and I see Gogsy the kitman, who was there in my time at Hearts.”

The move to Arbroath has given Thomson the chance to win the first title of his career. “When I first spoke to the manager, his aspiration was that we could potentially win the league, which is obviously well in our hands at the moment,” he said. “It’s been good so far, but we’re not over the line yet. Sixteen points clear looks a comfortable position to be in but we can’t take our foot off the gas because anything can happen. The manager has mentioned a couple of times that Forfar were about 11 points ahead at one stage a couple of seasons and ended up losing the league.

“I’ve never won a league before so fingers crossed it can happen this season.

“Arbroath were only promoted from League Two a couple of seasons ago so it would be a great achievement if we can do it. It would be one of the 
highlights of my career.”