sport news Nathan Rooney's wedding day video went viral... now the FCB Magpies coach is in ... trends now
It's been a fairytale few months for Nathan Rooney. He has taken a one-time pub team from Gibraltar into Europe then got married to a Liverpool right-back. Come Thursday it could get even better.
Rooney is the former Blackburn Rovers and Crawley Town coach who is now managing FCB Magpies and, on Thursday night, they face Northern Ireland's Crusaders in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier. The prize for the winners is a glamour tie with Swiss side FC Basle.
'This was the dream when I came here,' say the 32-year-old who only took over in January. 'Fingers crossed it goes well, as to be playing in a game like this gives us a great platform.'
FCB Magpies boss Nathan Rooney married Liverpool and Wales right-back Rhiannon Roberts
Not that he's been short of the limelight lately, although that's mainly down to his new wife, Liverpool and Wales defender Rhiannon Roberts.
It was inevitable at the reception of their recent nuptials, that a girls v boys kickabout amongst guests ensued and Rhiannon, still resplendent in her white wedding dress, played a one-two with her Liverpool team-mate Jasmine Matthews before nutmegging the goalkeeper to score. Footage went viral with over 240,000 views on social media, causing a stir even in neighbouring Spain.
'I'm glad I put my father-in-law in goal,' laughs Rooney, 'but it was a fantastic day. We'd been planning the wedding for over three years but kept having to put it off because of Covid so you can see the elation of the day in that clip when everyone is celebrating.'
After a quick honeymoon in Rome though, Mr and Mrs Rooney are back to their respective football lives. For Rhiannon it's pre-season training and for Nathan the small matter of putting Magpies on the European football map.
The club was only formed in 2013 by a group of friends who drank at Bruno's Bar and Restaurant, hence 'FC Bruno's Magpies'. The challenge, was thrown down to him by club co-chairman Haig Oundjian, a former Olympic figure skater and ex Watford chairman, who on studying Rooney's CV saw similarities with former England manager Graham Taylor, the man who took Watford from the fourth division to the first in five years.
A video of a wedding day kickabout went viral after Roberts scored in her wedding dress
'Haig's a great character, full of passion with some great stories,' says Rooney. 'Not just about football but life. He worked with Elton John at Watford and when he says things like he did about Graham Taylor, it gives you great belief.'
Taylor was the same age as Rooney when he took over at Watford but Oundjian's analogy was formed after noting his new manager has never been afraid of working at football's coalface in order to reach the top.
Rooney had already coached at Blackburn Rovers, Fleetwood,
