Fleetwood Town’s pantomime villain delighted to ‘shut up’ Bristol Rovers

Fleetwood Town's pantomime villain Shaun Rooney claimed that he 'shut up' Bristol Rovers fans. The 26-year-old scored a brace against the Gas at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Rooney kicked the ball away twice on two occasions when he was unable to keep the ball in play in the first-half. The former St Johnstone man opened the scoring at the Mem when he cut inside and beat James Belshaw with an effort. His celebrations weren't muted and he celebrated in front of the passionate Thatcher's End.

On-loan Middlesbrough striker Josh Coburn equalised before the hour mark before top scorer Aaron Collins scored to put Rovers in front. The atmosphere at the Mem intensified after Rovers got themselves in front. Former Celtic captain Scott Brown made an admission that his players were 'frightened' by the home supporters.

After Collins scored his 10th goal of the season, the home supporters directed a chant toward Rooney, who assumed the role of pantomime villain for the day. Rooney was reminded of the score once Rovers went ahead, but it was him who had the last laugh.

"To score a last-minute equaliser in front of them in the last minute was amazing to be fair," he said to Fleetwood's official club website.

“When we went one-nil up, the crowd went quiet but that all changed when they went a goal up in the second half, I think they were all chanting my name saying, ‘what’s the score?’ I scored the header in the 97th or 98th minute to level it up and that seemed to shut them up.

He added: “The fact we came back into the game at the end shows the fighting spirit we’ve got, not just the players but the fans as well. It’s a great point to take home and I’m happy with the goals I scored today.

“For the first goal, I’ve not been good on my left foot so far this season, I’ve had a couple of shots and missed them, so I gambled by cutting back, so I had a chance to score the opener.

“When Danny [Andrew] runs down the left line, you know you’ve got a chance because he’s got a wand of a left peg and puts it exactly where you want it. Luckily enough for me, it landed right on my head, so I’m delighted for the lads and the fans alike.”