Striker Scott Quigley is sorry to see John Rooney leave Barrow AFC after the goalscoring midfielder’s departure to Stockport County earlier in the week.

Quigley was the National League’s top scorer in the season just finished after finding the net 20 times, although his tally was matched in all competitions by Rooney, who enjoyed a sensational campaign just behind the Bluebirds’ front man.

Together, it was their goals that really fired AFC towards promotion from the National League, and new manager David Dunn will be hoping the signing of Luke James will go some way towards replacing the attacking threat that was lost when Rooney signed a three-year contract with the Hatters on Monday.

Quigley, who recently agreed a new deal of that length with Barrow, said: “I’m gutted he’s gone, to be fair.

“I was really close to him, through travelling with him and speaking to him daily.

“There have probably been things that have been said that I can’t speak about but, personally, for someone like that, they should have tried a bit harder to keep him.

“But it’s hard to turn down Stockport, who you can’t deny are a big club and they’re going to be knocking on the door to come into this league [League Two].

“It’s obviously close to his home and you can’t really turn down a three-year deal, especially as he’s 29, but I’m just gutted he’s gone.”