APART from a picture of Moussa Dembele on a plane down to London, which caused the kind of flustered airborne stooshie that made you think Leslie Nielsen was on the flight, there wasn’t much to get excited about as far as transfer deadline day was concerned in Scotland.

While our money-soaked neighbours down south were flinging bits and bobs around with all the carefree nonchalance of a tycoon at a wedding scramble, the purse strings up here remained tight.

As ever on deadline day the nocturnal activity was fevered and Efe Ambrose’s proposed move on loan to Blackburn was one of a number of ‘will he, won’t he’ deals as the night wore on.

Rangers’ business was kept brief as experienced goalkeeper Matt Gilks departed for Wigan after seeing his spot filled a day earlier by Jak Alnwick.

It was Partick Thistle who got the ball rolling in the morning by terminating the contract of young midfielder Declan McDaid, who was then posted holding up the shirt of his new club Ayr United while bearing an expression that looked like he’d just stubbed his toe.

Inverness Caley Thistle announced the return on loan of striker Billy Mckay to the Highlands as well as the loan signing of Celtic youngster Jamie McCart, before Lonsana Doumbouya and Ali Sutherland’s contracts were terminated. Hamilton had been chasing the services of Mckay too but given they trounced Inverness last night, they didn’t look too concerned at missing out.

As the afternoon arrived Kilmarnock got involved in the to-ings and fro-ings, securing the services of centre-back Scott Boyd permanently as the Ross County stalwart tore up his Staggies contract to sign an 18-month deal at Rugby Park.

The Ayrshire club made another telling move later in the day by bringing former striker Connor Sammon back until the summer. The 30-year-old, who joined Hearts last June, made 25 appearances for the Tynecastle outfit. The Republic of Ireland man previously played with Killie between 2008 and 2011 and has had spells with five English clubs.

Lee Clark, the Kilmarnock manager who has certainly not been shy in bringing in a series of new faces, added to his squad with the loan signing of Charlton striker Joshua Umerah as he looks to bolster his attacking options after the sale of top scorer Soulemayne Coulibaly.

Up in the City of Discovery, Dundee waved goodbye to Yordi Teijsse, sending the striker out on loan to German club Wuppertaler SV, but the Dens Park club bolstered their ranks with a double swoop.

From Go Ahead Eagles in Holland came Henrik Ojamaa, which gave headline writers the opportunity to fill a hole with the phrase ‘Ojamaa, jute and journalism’. Or perhaps not? On the day that the transfer countdown ticked and tocked, Paul Hartley, the Dundee manager, also signed perhaps the most aptly named player of the day in the shape of Marc Klock. At the other end of Tannadice Street, meanwhile, Dundee United parted company with Tope Obadeyi, who left “by mutual consent”.

Back in the central belt, there was plenty of humming and hawing at Motherwell. Stephen Pearson, an old Firhill favourite, was poised to return to his old club for another stint while Mark McGhee failed in his attempts to finalise some form of loan deal for Celtic’s out of favour Nadir Ciftci as the deadline passed.