Lomas wins race as Vine joins Saints

St JOHNSTONE have completed the signing of former Queens Park Rangers striker Rowan Vine. The 29-year-old, who cost Birmingham £3 million from Luton in 2007, has signed a one-year deal with the Perth club.

Vine, who was a free agent, scored both goals as a trialist in Saints’ 2-1 friendly win over Bristol City on Saturday. It is believed St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas had to fend off late interest from Rangers to get his man. “There were options in Scotland and also in England,” said Vine. “Obviously more clubs began to show an interest after I had scored against Bristol, but I wasn’t going to go touting myself around.”