Rooney soars to new heights to secure Saints win Defender heads in crucial second goal against Livi
LIVINGSTON ...................................... 1 ST JOHNSTONE ................................. 2 Matthew Gallagher
The question on the lips of many on Saturday evening was: “Is Shaun Rooney simply unbeatable in the air?”
That very question was put to the man himself at full-time after he again climbed high to help secure St Johnstone victory.
“Nah, not really,” Rooney replied with a laugh. “Sometimes I misjudge the flight of the ball and that’s something I want to improve.”
His modesty and answer was refreshing. It shows he is not content to settle for his current level of performance (which is very high, by the way).
This is a player who continually wants to better himself and you imagine that would still be the case if he netted a hat-trick of headers to win Saints the Betfred Cup later this month.
He has history of nodding in at the national stadium. A stunner of a semifinal leap to net against Hibs last month highlighted his threat and he was at it again on Saturday.
Perhaps not as powerful a connection this time, but his glancing effort from Liam Craig’s precise free-kick had the same end result at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
“It was a great ball in from Liam Craig and I’ve just flicked it on,” Rooney recalled.
“You are meant to flick it to the back stick. That’s where Kano (Chris Kane) and