John Rankin leaves Falkirk to join Queen of the South

Rankin made 17 appearances for Falkirk this season

Midfielder John Rankin has joined Queen of the South following his release by Scottish Championship rivals Falkirk.

Rankin, 33, has signed a contact until the end of next season.

"He has taken a cut in wages to join us, so that says a lot about the player and his willingness to join us," said Queens manager Gary Naysmith.

"He is a fitness fanatic who takes care of himself, so age isn't a concern to me as he is probably one of the fittest players in the division."

A former Manchester United youth player, Rankin played for Ross County, Inverness, Hibernian and Dundee United before joining Falkirk in July.

He has made more than 500 senior club appearances, scoring 48 goals, and was capped by Scotland B in 2006.

Rankin follows Dom Thomas and Joe Thomson in moving to Dumfries, with the Motherwell and Celtic players joining on loan.

"Once I spoke to John I could tell he is going to be a big help to me when it comes to bringing the young players on," Naysmith added.

"He wasn't a player that I thought I would get, but when I was speaking to [Falkirk manager] Peter Houston about the availability of other players he mentioned that John might be available and allowed us to speak to him, which is great.

"I haven't worked with him before but after doing some homework it's clear that he is highly thought of, the feedback has been good and anyone who has worked with him all say the same, that he is one of the best professionals they've worked with."