Rooney brace helps Dons sink Saints
Ruthless Aberdeen swept aside St Mirren as they maintained the pressure on Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 3-0 demolition of Gary Teale's side.
The Saints boss was powerless to help his team as he served a one-match touchline ban, and could only look on as Adam Rooney's double and a Mark Reynolds header saw his side well beaten.
Derek McInnes' side were on top for much of the first half, and threatened early through former Saint Kenny McLean, his header from a Ryan Jack cross just lacking the conviction needed to pose any real threat.
There were a couple of further half-chances for the Dons without Saints goalkeeper Mark Ridgers being tested, but the former Hearts man was picking the ball out of his net midway through the half.
Rooney saw his header from a Willo Flood cross deflected away off Sean Kelly for a corner, and McLean's deep delivery saw Lewis McLear clear off the line from Andrew Considine.
Peter Pawlett played the ball back in, and Considine again rose at the back post, his knock-back this time forced over the line by Rooney, who could hardly miss from a yard out.
The home side looked to build on that lead, but Pawlett saw his shot on the half-hour slide just wide of the near post, before McLean's low shot two minutes later was held by Ridgers.
St Mirren had struggled to threaten so far, but a low Stevie Mallan free-kick found Yoann Arquin at the back post, his low shot forcing a save from Scott Brown in the Aberdeen goal.
Two minutes later, Jason Naismith's delivery from the right wing found John McGinn bursting in from the left flank, but Brown threw himself to his right to turn away the midfielder's header and preserve his side's lead.
If those chances had led to a sense of nervousness amongst the home support, the feeling was eased when Rooney doubled his side's lead just two minutes into the second half.
Niall McGinn supplied the cross from the left, and, when McLean headed back across goal, Rooney applied the finishing touch for his 23rd goal of the season.
The first change of the game was forced upon the visitors, with Jack Baird replacing injured captain Marc McAusland after 53 minutes.
And their second change came on the hour when former Don Gregg Wylde took the place of McLear.
It was almost a nightmare return to Pittodrie for Wylde though, as, just seconds after his introduction, Rooney came within inches of turning home McLean's right wing cross.
However, a third Aberdeen goal did come, after 66 minutes. McGinn was the provider with his deep left-wing corner finding Dons captain Reynolds at the back post, and he powered a header past Ridgers.
St Mirren threatened in the 75th minute when the dogged McGinn raced down the right and worked his way inside, only to slip as he shot, leaving Brown with an easy save.
Aberdeen countered, and substitute David Goodwillie could have added a fourth with a left-footed shot just minutes later, but he fired over the bar after good work by Jack.
With the outcome all but settled, Rooney was denied the chance of a hat-trick as he was replaced for the closing stages by youngster Lawrence Shankland.
Source: PA
