The midfielder, who got his first goal for the Ibrox club to open a six-point gap at the top of the SPL, was carried off late in the game with a suspected fractured shin after a controversial clash with Georgios Samaras.

Furious Celtic keeper Artur Boruc stood over the stricken Thomson accusing him of diving and trying to con referee Stuart Dougal. He was then rushed to hospital for X-rays on the injury but although medics gave him the all-clear the 23-year-old was still seething over claims he had taken a dive.

Speaking exclusively to Record Sport he said: "Anyone who knows me knows I'm not that type of player. I had to turn the car radio off on the way home because I could not believe some of the comments.

"To call me a cheat and a diver is outrageous because that kind of thing is just not in my nature.

"I've had a look at the incident again on TV and I can see why people are saying I was trying to win a foul. But that's not cheating.

"I had beaten Samaras with my first touch and I knew he was going to make contact with me. What was I supposed to do - jump out of his way?

"If a striker is going through on a keeper and he knows he's going to get hit does he try to jump out of it or does he wait for the contact?

"That's not cheating or diving, that's just part of football. So I'd be very disappointed if people levelled those kind of accusations at me. I play the game with my heart on my sleeve - I'm not a con artist.

"The bottom line is that I wasn't going to jump out of a challenge when I knew I had beaten him. It was up to him to alter his stride or get out of my way. He didn't do that.

"In fairness to him, he wasn't trying to kick me or injure me but I took a bit of a clatter. It was just one of these things that happen."

The midfielder said: "Boruc wanted me to get a second booking which would have been ridiculous. I saw a lot worse going on out there that was going unpunished.

"But for Boruc to react the way he did? That lacked class.

"I'm not going to get dragged into anything controversial but let's just say I was disappointed with his reaction.

"He could clearly see I was hurt. If I was acting or milking it then that would have been a different matter - I get frustrated with players who do that myself, but football players know when people are at it and when they are genuinely in pain."