ROONEY’S MESSAGE
Departing striker ‘proud’ of his Salford stint
Striker Adam Rooney says his farewells to Salford City
ADAM Rooney is backing Salford City to continue their meteoric rise up the Football League – even though he won’t be there to share the success.
The 31-year-old earned his place in club folklore last season after helping the ambitious Ammies complete their historic promotion to the EFL.
Now the former Republic of Ireland youth international is looking to embark on a fresh challenge after joining National League promotion-chasers Solihull Moors on a two-year deal.
Rooney joined the Ammies from Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen in a big-money deal in July 2018 and scored 23 goals as the club part- owned by Manchester
United’s
Class of 92 won promotion through the National League playoffs.
But the striker has found life a bit tougher in League Two this current campaign, scoring just nine goals in 38 appearances for Graham Alexander’s men.
Move
Rooney had been linked with a loan move to Jimmy Shan’s Moors but instead this week made the move permanent, joining the Damson Park club for an undisclosed fee.
While Rooney will now be challenging for honours in Non-League top tier for the rest of this season, he leaves behind a Salford side chasing an historic double.
The Ammies are chasing a third straight promotion into League One and have also reached the final of the Leasing.com Trophy, where they are set to face Portsmouth, coronavirus-permitting, at Wembley on April 5.
And in an emotional statement released on Twitter, Rooney told of his genuine affection for the Greater Manchester club and predicte
d their rapid rise up the Pyramid to continue.
It read: “I just want to wish everyone involved at Salford City all the very best for the future. I’m sure the club will keep climbing the Football League. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club and I’m very proud to have been part of a great group of lads who got the club into the Football League for the first time.
“Good luck to all the players and management staff with the rest of the season and thank you all the fans for your support.”
Support
Coming through the academy system at Stoke City, Rooney joined Birmingham City from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2011.
He scored four times in the Championship, twice in the FA Cup and once in the Europa League - against NK Maribor – for the Blues before joining Swindon Town on loan on deadline day in August 2012. After a spell at Oldham, he re-ignited his career north of the border at Aberdeen before returning to England with Salford in 2018.
On his arrival at Moors on Thursday, he said: “I’m really excited to be here and the club are in a good position at the minute – in the play-offs and that’s where we want to stay.
“The ambition of the club and where it wants to go enticed me. I’ve had experience of this league and promotion from it, so I want to bring my experience, hopefully some goals to the team and get us into the Football League. “I lived in Solihull when I was at Birmingham, so I know the area very well and I enjoyed my time. It’s a really good area and I’m looking forward to getting back down and settling in.
“It’s about getting points on the board now and making sure we stay in and around that mix. Once it comes to the play-offs, you never know what can happen.”