Jake Rooney seals transfer after Derby County exit

Boston United have beaten off competition to land former Derby County defender Jake Rooney on a free transfer.

Rooney was released by Derby at the end of last season having spent the second half of last season on loan with the Pilgrims.

And they have now won the race to land the talented centre-back who was a key performer under Paul Hurst last season, scoring three goals as the club soared from relegation danger to a comfortable mid-table position.

The length of Rooney's contract has not been disclosed but it is an excellent signing for the National League side who have also recruited centre-back Jamie Grimes following his exit from Chesterfield.

Rooney has proven to be a popular figure with Boston fans just as he was at Derby having joined the club from Burnley in the summer of 2022.

Speaking about his exit from Derby, Rooney said: "A massive thank you to everyone at Derby County for the last few years.

"Although things didn’t go exactly how I hoped after my injury, I’ll always be grateful to have played for such a huge club and to have worn the badge.

"I’ve met some unbelievable people during my time here — teammates, staff and fans — and the memories and relationships I’ve made will stay with me forever.

"Through the good moments and the difficult ones, the support never went unnoticed and I’ll always appreciate that.

"Wishing everyone connected with the club nothing but success moving forward and I’ll definitely be supporting from afar."

Rooney is the cousin of former manager, Wayne, and made 23 appearances in all competitions for Derby. He looked to be breaking into the first team under Paul Warne in the 2023/24 season.

However, a serious knee injury at Bolton ended his season as the Rams went on to win promotion and he then suffered another setback in the following pre-season.

He did eventually return and played in the Carabao Cup against Burnley last term before being sent on loan to Barnsley in League One.

However, that did not yield as many performances as the player would have hoped and he was recalled in January before moving to the Pilgrims where he instantly found form in the centre of defence.