Rooney swaps Saints for Fleetwood

ST JOHNSTONE’S double cup final hero Shaun Rooney last night left the club to join Scott Brown’s Fleetwood Town. The powerful right wing-back entered Perth folklore by scoring the only goal of the game in last season’s League Cup final against Livingston and then repeating the feat in the Scottish Cup final against Hibs. The 25-year-old also scored in both legs of the Premiership play-off final against his former team Inverness Caley Thistle as Callum Davidson’s men secured their top-flight status. Saints had wanted to keep Rooney and offered him a new deal but the out-ofcontract player elected to become former Celtic and Scotland captain Brown’s first signing for League One outfit Fleetwood. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed my two seasons at St Johnstone,’ Rooney told the St Johnstone website. ‘They have been the happiest and most successful of my career. ‘The memories of scoring in both cup finals will never leave me. The pleasure it gave the St Johnstone supporters was an absolute privilege and an honour for me. To round it off by scoring our fourth goal on Monday night will be unforgettable. ‘Getting the chance to celebrate in front of a jumping McDiarmid Park will never leave me. ‘However, I want to try my luck down south once again and Fleetwood Town are giving me the opportunity to do so. ‘I would like to wish the gaffer (Davidson), the coaching staff, Liam Gordon and the squad, the board and the supporters all the very best for the future.’ Before leaving, Rooney also paid tribute to the Saints fans for their support during a largely grim season. ‘The players didn’t turn up this year but the fans were always there for us,’ he said. ‘The fans have stuck by us all year. They turned up in their numbers the whole season. ‘I think we played well in the Europa League and in the Conference League but I don’t think we kicked on from there. ‘We were in the position we deserved to be in but we dug out the result we needed against Inverness on Monday night. It was brilliant.’