Rooney: That showing was for grandad
SHAUN ROONEY already felt he had one special fan watching him from above. On Saturday, he was doing it for another of his greatest admirers.
The Caley Thistle defender lost mum Elizabeth to cancer on July 18 this year, but returned from compassionate leave a far more driven and mature individual.
The strength of character he showed earned deep respect around the Highland club and, against Dunfermline, Rooney was at it again.
Just a fortnight after losing grandad Tom Rooney, the right-back netted with a magnificent volley and emotion poured out in the 23-year-old’s goal celebration.
The ex-Pars man said: “It’s good to be back scoring – my last goal was against Ayr back in October.
“My grandad, Tom, passed away two weeks ago, so that was for him this time. It was another emotional goal at an emotional time of the year.
“I’ve just got to try and do my best for my family. I will do anything for them.
“He tried to come to as many games as possible with my dad, but it was more difficult over time as he got older. It was an enjoyable day.”
Victory kept up Caley’s challenge for second place, with Rooney suggesting there is now no point in considering a tilt at the title with Dundee United 13 points ahead.
He said: “We are not interested in Dundee United. They are too far ahead now. We just have to take it one game at a time now until the end of the season, and see how it goes.”
It was also a fifth clean sheet from six games for the home side, although it took two fine Mark Ridgers saves from Kevin Nisbet to be sure of victory.
Mostly, though, the flow of play was in Pars’ faces with the breakthrough materialising after 34 minutes. A corner on the right was played back to James Keatings who curled in a fine cross. Rooney guided an angled volley into the corner of the net from 10 yards.
Before the break, another creative flourish from Dunfermline’s Ryan McCann split the home defence but Ridgers saved superbly at Nisbet’s feet.
Just before the hour, Lee Ashcroft made a terrific saving tackle after Miles Storey got in behind the Dunfermline defence.
The killer second came 10 minutes from time.
Aaron Doran’s corner from the left was fired high to the back of the penalty box where Jamie McCart made a towering leap to direct a header into the far corner of the net.
Pars manager Stevie Crawford said: “On the back of losing four goals last week, we’d worked on trying to have our back and midfield lines more structured.
“I felt we did – we hit them on the counter-attack and created a couple of chances which, on another day, possibly would have gone in.
“In the main, as much as our lines were decent, we ended up sitting too deep and Inverness got in too many crosses. In the second half, we huffed and puffed but it didn’t happen.”