Adam Rooney

By Phil Tooley

This article was originally published in the Macclesfield Town home Matchday Programme

Dublin born Adam Rooney (19), on loan from Stoke City, played for a number of clubs in his native Ireland before moving to the Britannia Stadium, "I started playing when I was only seven or eight and I went to Home Farm, stayed there and got some very good coaching before moving on to Cherry Orchard and finally Crumlin United before I got a trial at Stoke and the chance to come over here to England."

The striker's older brother Mark is a pro too, currently plying his trade as a front man, "My brother Mark plays for Shelbourne, he's been with a few clubs. He's won the Irish Cup, played for a few clubs, he's a good player." Home Farm, Drogheda and St Patrick's Athletic have also had Mark on their books, but it's only recently that he's become an attacking spearhead, "He's only recently become a striker, when he was younger he played right full back then right wing and eventually he got put up front, he can play in a few positions."

Like many young Irish lads, Adam played a few Gaelic sports, but never for any clubs, it was always football for him though he no doubt speaks about Hurling and Gaelic Football with the existing Emerald Isle contingent here at Saltergate, though he didn't know either Barry Roche or Alan O'Hare before coming here, "I'd heard of Barry before I came over to England from when he was at Nottingham Forest, I knew a lad who played at Forest."

The young Rooney first shot to prominence as a schoolboy, helping the Irish scholars to victory in the Centenary Shield. "That was a selection of players from different schools around Ireland, we did well in that, I got a couple of goals, we played against England, Northern Ireland and Scotland if I remember and we managed to win the trophy, so that was a good experience."

More glory for the U17's side, Adam's bow came just across the Channel, "That was my debut for Ireland at International level and I managed to get the winner against France. It was a good confidence booster as I was coming over for a couple of trials at the time." Of the goal, "I was played through by a midfielder and the ball came between me and the defender and I managed to hold him off for 20 yards and put it into the top corner."

Stoke, Bolton, West Ham and Forest were the sides that took a good look at the promising striker, "It was between Stoke and Forest really in the end but the main reason I went to Stoke was because of the youth team coach there, Noel Blake, I thought he was a great coach and I hadn't seen many around like him."

His International sorties saw him bag 19 goals in 2 seasons including a couple of hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Belarus. Of the trio against Bulgaria, he reminisced, "I managed to get a goal early on, from the back post, it came across the box and I managed to get it in, then I got two more chances in the next ten minutes or so and I put them away."

And Belarus, "That was early as well, we got a penalty, I took it and the keeper saved it but I managed to get the rebound, two more chances and I managed to score from them."

His U19 success led to the chance in the U21's, coached by ex Blades man and Irish legend Don Givens, he played in a recent defeat at home to Portugal, a 2-0 loss but an excellent learning event, "It was great experience, we played against some good players like Fernandez who's just gone to Valencia and Veloso who scored the second goal, I've seen him playing in the Champions League for Sporting Lisbon against Manchester United, so there were plenty of good players that were great on the ball so it was a fantastic experience."

His beginnings at Stoke saw him make his bow in January last year when he came on as a sub with ten minutes to play in an FA Cup tie at Tamworth. City were heading for an embarrassing defeat, they were 1-0 down when he came on, but his impact was immediate, "My first ever touch in senior football was a header from a corner that the keeper saved on the line, I was devastated, but Paul Gallagher managed to get a header in from the rebound so I was happy enough."

That earned extra time and 30 more minutes on the park, no further goals, but Stoke won on penalties, "It didn't get that far for me to take one, it didn't come to me. I'd have taken one of needed, I'd have been nervous but I'd have taken one."

Sub again, and booked, in 3-0 win at Hull City, a few more minutes in a cup loss with Birmingham City and a home defeat against Southampton before he got 45 minutes at Premiership bound Reading, "I remember being told I was coming on at half time on the right wing so I hoped I'd come on and do a job. I'm naturally a forward but played down the wing and managed to get in at the back post, Gallagher crossed it in, it hit the post and came out and I managed to put it in." His first league goal, a 3-1 loss, but Rooney's off the mark.

His first 90 minutes game at home to Coventry City, who scored a late winner, "It was a great experience, first start, it's much better to start the game rather than come on, it seems to take longer to get into the game when you come on as a sub, to get into the pace of it, so to start the game against a team like Coventry was a great experience."

Then came the match that thrust him onto a much wider stage, Brighton & Hove Albion away on the last day of 05-06. The Potters won 5-1 and Adam bagged a hat-trick to become the youngest ever scorer of three for City, knocking Stanley Matthews off that particular perch.

He scored on 6, 22 and 63 minutes, the 1^st,2^nd and 4^th goals all against Dubliner Wayne Henderson who was in Brighton's goal, "Wayne used to play with my brother in Dublin, so I'd known him for years, so it was good to score a few goals against him and I still rub it in now he plays for Ireland."

It was manager Johan Boskamp's last game as manager in a game that saw Adam alongside big man Mamady Sidibe, so is that type of player his favourite foil? "I don't really have a favourite style of partner, I don't mind playing up front on my own or with two or three, it doesn't really bother me, just as long as you play football and get the ball down."

Boskamp left and Tony Pulis came in but having bagged three in the last match of the season, he wasn't involved at the start of the new campaign, "It was frustrating because I picked up a knee ligament injury in pre-season so that set me back a bit after ending the previous season so well. A new manager came in as well and he had his own ideas and brought in some new players. You have to respect that but I still made quite a few appearances last season and got some good experience and that's always good."

Lots of sub appearances after he returned to fitness but as the season drew to a close, he went on loan to Yeovil Town, where he made two sub appearances, one a cameo appearance in a home win against The Spireites, then he started in a win over Rotherham United at Huish Park, but he was subbed and that was that, "It was a bit frustrating at Yeovil, I was down there for about six weeks or so but didn't get much football. I wasn't there to train all week so I perhaps couldn't expect to get any more starts, still, it was good to see what other clubs have to offer and what styles other managers have. Their manager Russell Slade was a good guy though, I liked him."

This summer there was talk that he may cross the sea for a loan with St Patrick's Athletic in Ireland and Royal Antwerp in Belgium mentioned as possible borrowers, "I was asked about going back to Ireland at Saint Pat's. My brother had just left them a week before, so I could have been a replacement for him, but I felt the standard over here may be better. I've seen a few games in Ireland and the standard's not as bad as people over here think but I want to play in England at the moment."

So on to Chesterfield and he's shown in a number of decent sub appearances plus 90 minutes in the JPT against Hartlepool that he's got plenty to offer.

But which result does he always look for first at the weekend? "I'm obviously Celtic, coming from the Republic, there are a lot of Rangers lads here so there's plenty of banter always flying around, but it's all good fun!"

Finally, he must be well impressed to see so many folk in England sporting shirts bearing his surname, "I never knew I had so many fans! I do get asked a lot about the name but we're not related."