SAMMY THE TAMMY

Meet Dunfermline Athletic’s tobogganing, tank-driving, zipwiring prankster

It’s a Tuesday night in Scotland, and it’s pouring down with rain. Obviously, you start sunbathing. Or at least you do if you’re Dunfermline mascot Sammy The Tammy, who donned sunglasses and Hawaiian shorts (club colours, natch) before carting an umbrella and deckchair into the centre circle ahead of last season’s second-tier clash with Livingston.

Sammy is known for his odd capers. Most infamously, an incident with Raith Rovers in 2011 witnessed him cobble together a tank made of cardboard and pretend to take aim at the away fans. Cue inevitable complaints and even police involvement. “Regarding the behaviour of the Dunfermline mascot on Saturday, I can confirm I’ve spoken with the individual involved,” Dunfermline chief inspector Bob Baker solemnly told the media. “I’ve been assured that there will be no recurrence.”

It’s not the only time Sammy’s japes have exposed the authorities’ sense-of-humour failure: officials had voiced safety concerns when he rode a toboggan down the steps of a stand during the Winter Olympics.

The bunnet-wearing prankster has also been spotted zipwiring from the stadium roof, and he once went AWOL for so long that Dunfermline signed Hibernian’s Sunshine The Leith Lynx on loan. Sammy appeared on matchday, publicly tore up the wildcat’s loan contract and ushered him out of the ground. Nice try, Sunshine...