McManus makes himself a hero

Tam McManus might be only 26, but he already has something of the journeyman about him. He was a Hibs kid (he came through around the same time as Kenny Miller) and went out on loan a couple of times before breaking through into the first team. He looked a bright player for the Easter Road side, too, but when Tony Mowbray took over, it was clear he had no future at the club. He went on loan to Boston, but returned to Scotland before gaining a free transfer to Dundee.

Their subsequent relegation to Division One necessitated strigent cost-cutting, and McManus was eventually moved on, this time to Falkirk. That didn't work out, and he was released in January. A trial at Hibs didn't result in an offer of a return to his first club, and so, as a free agent, he pitched up at Dunfermline.

After such a stop-start career over the past few seasons, it's no surprise that McManus was desperate to resume playing regularly. But he was in for a shock. Despite his lack of appearances for Falkirk, the fact that he was an unused substitute in an earlier round of the Scottish Cup meant that he was cup-tied for the rest of the competition. With Dunfermline heading to Hampden to play Hibernian in the semi-finals, McManus would have to watch from the stands. Of course, he's going to miss the final now, too.

Perhaps that was why he played with such vigour last night. Dunfermline travelled to Love St knowing that only a victory would give them any chance of avoiding the drop into Division One. A predictably tense relegation six-pointer, the game was very low on quality in the first half. After the break, though, Dunfermline started to get the upper hand. Perhaps inspired by the perpetual motion of their striker, they realised that if they started to actually pass a bit and play some football, the game was there for the taking. McManus was always going to be the one to profit: he had one effort blocked and another ruled out for offside before finally netting the only goal of the game.

The Pars are now just a point off St. Mirren at the bottom, and in a much better run of form. For all their Scottish Cup heroics, manager Stephen Kenny always stressed that staying in the SPL was his over-riding priority. If they do survive, McManus will feel a great sense of satisfaction at the way his season ended, even if he misses out on a Cup final appearance.