St Johnstone have won the Betfred Cup thanks to Shaun Rooney’s first-half winner against Livingston at Hampden.
The defender bulleted a header past Livi keeper Robby McCrorie in the 32nd minute to send Saints on their way to the second major trophy in club’s 137-year history.
The McDiarmid Park side’s triumph – with Callum Davidson in the hot seat – comes nearly seven years after Tommy Wright’s men lifted the Scottish Cup after beating Dundee United at Celtic Park.
Semi-final hero Shaun Rooney powers in a header and @StJohnstone lead in the Betfred Cup Final! 💥
And just look at how much it means to Callum Davidson and his players 🔵 pic.twitter.com/aBe8D90qOr
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) February 28, 2021
In the aftermath of the victory, Rooney paid tribute to his late mother Elizabeth, who passed away in July 2019 following a battle with cancer.
The 24-year-old told Premier Sports: “I’m over the moon. I can’t hide the emotion. I’m still buzzing.
“I want to thank my mum. Obviously she has passed away but this is massive for my whole family.
“I think everyone in the family will have a tear in their eye but I’m absolutely buzzing.”
Speaking just moments earlier to the BBC, he discussed his history-making goal.
Rooney said: “I just managed to get in front of my man and put it away.
“I love coming back here (to Hampden) – I played here with Queen’s Park and those were happy days for me.”
🎉 The trophy is coming back to Perth! 🎉@StJohnstone's players get their hands on the cup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/RlrCGldK4j
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) February 28, 2021
Asked about boss Davidson, he joked: “What a manager, what a gaffer – just a pity he didn’t play me much at the start of the season or we might be higher up the league!”
The St Johnstone boss fought back tears as he was interviewed by the Beeb after the victory.
He said: “I would like to thank my backroom staff. They work really hard to help me do my job.
“I would also like to thank my family for all their support.”
Former Scotland striker Billy Dodds – who had a spell at McDiarmid Park in the 90s – was adamant the better team won at Hampden.
The BBC pundit said: “It’s brilliant for Callum. I have to say, his team thoroughly deserved it.
“The back three were brilliant and Rooney was brilliant.
“You feel as if Livi didn’t want to lose it rather than win it. David Martindale (Livingston manager) will have real regrets.”
