Ross County F.C.

Ross County Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Dingwall, Highland. They play all of their home matches at Victoria Park in Dingwall. The club currently play in the Scottish Premiership, after being promoted from the Scottish Championship in the 2018–19 season. Prior to the 1994–95 season they played in the Highland Football League, a competition they won three times. They have also won the Scottish First Division, Scottish Championship, Second Division, Third Division (once each) and the Challenge Cup on three occasions. In 2010, they reached the Scottish Cup Final, and in 2016 they won the Scottish League Cup. Nicknamed The Staggies, County's colours are dark blue, red and white.

Ross County
Full nameRoss County Football Club
Nickname(s)The Staggies
Founded1929 (1929)
GroundVictoria Park, Dingwall
Capacity6,541[1]
ChairmanRoy MacGregor
ManagerStuart Kettlewell
LeagueScottish Premiership
2019–20Scottish Premiership, 10th of 12
WebsiteClub website

History
See also: List of Ross County F.C. seasons

The club was formed in 1929 after the previous local clubs from the North Caledonian Football League, Dingwall Victoria United (the 'Dingwall Victors') and Dingwall Thistle (the 'Dingwall Jags') successfully applied for Highland Football League membership. The club was subsequently renamed Ross County. Playing in the Highland League from 1929, they won the championship on three occasions, first in 1967, then in 1991 and 1992. They also gained a reputation for their good performances in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup, upsetting league teams on eight occasions. The most notable of these upsets came on 8 January 1994, when they won 4–0 at Forfar Athletic, and were elected to the Scottish Football League three days later.

At the beginning of season 1994–95 the Scottish Football League was restructured into four tiers, and, following a vote on 11 January 1994, County were allocated one of the two vacancies in the new 10-club Division Three. County gathered 57 votes. They were joined also by a new club, formed as a result of the proposed merger to form Inverness Caledonian Thistle, having amassed 68 votes.

In 1998–99 Ross County were crowned Champions of the Third Division and thereby won promotion to the Second Division, where they finished in third place. This resulted in promotion to the First Division thanks to a reorganisation of the League, with the Premier League being expanded from ten clubs to twelve. After seven seasons in the First Division Ross County were relegated back to the Second Division in 2006–07. They won the Second Division in 2007–08, and were promoted back to the First Division. Ross County finished their first season back in the First Division in 8th place.

Their manager for a very short spell until October 2005, was former Inverness and Hearts manager John Robertson. He left the club on 24 October 2005, due to differences of opinion on a number of fundamental issues with the chairman. Gardner Spiers, a former Aberdeen coach, was appointed caretaker manager, but he too left in April 2006 after being told he would not be considered for appointment on a permanent basis. Director of Football George Adams took temporary charge before former Motherwell player Scott Leitch was appointed on 18 April 2006. Ross County won their first ever nationwide trophy when they won the Scottish Challenge Cup in November 2006 on penalties with Jason Crooks scoring the deciding spot kick on his competitive debut.[2] Leitch, after winning the Challenge Cup but suffering relegation, stood down at the end of the 2006–07 season, almost exactly one year after his appointment.[3] Former Partick Thistle manager Dick Campbell was announced as his replacement in May 2007.[4] However, after a good run of results to start their Division 2 campaign, Campbell and the Ross County board decided to part company on 2 October 2007. Derek Adams (son of George Adams) took over as caretaker, and was confirmed as permanent manager a month later, after the side's good form continued. County again reached the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2008. They played Airdrie United at McDiarmid Park. Unlike two years previously, County lost in a penalty shootout where four penalties were missed. Ross County also reached the Challenge Cup final on April 2011 in which they beat Queen of the South 2–0.

Chart of table positions of Ross County since joining the League.

In November 2010 Derek Adams left to become Colin Calderwood's assistant at Hibernian.[5] Former Celtic player Willie McStay was appointed as his replacement in November 2010.[6] McStay's tenure was short – lasting only 9 games.[7] Jimmy Calderwood was then appointed until the end of the 2010–11 season.[8] In May 2011, it was announced that Derek Adams was to return as manager.[9]

On 23 March 2010, they defeated Scottish Premier League club Hibernian 2–1 in a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay at home at Victoria Park.[10] In the semi-final, they played Celtic on Saturday 10 April 2010. In a match described as "one of the most astonishing afternoons the national stadium has witnessed", [11] Ross County won 2–0 at Hampden Park and reached the final of the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history.[12] More than 7,000 Ross County fans travelled to Glasgow to watch the game.

In the 2010 Scottish Cup Final on 15 May 2010, County lost 0–3 to Dundee United at Hampden Park.[13] The match was watched by more than 17,000 Ross County fans.

Ross County secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League on 10 April 2012 when their nearest rival to the title Dundee failed to beat Queen of the South. During this push to promotion, Ross County embarked on a 40-game undefeated run in league football, which continued into the Scottish Premier League. The run was ended by St Johnstone on 22 September 2012.[14] The Staggies parted company with George and Derek Adams on 28 August 2014 following a poor start to the 2014–15 campaign. Jim McIntyre was appointed manager on 9 September 2014, with Billy Dodds as his assistant.[15]

On 13 March 2016, Ross County won their first ever major trophy when they beat Hibernian 2–1 in the final of the 2015–16 Scottish League Cup.[16][17] The team's fortunes declined after this success, and they were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season.[18]

The club secured an immediate return to the Scottish Premiership after a 4–0 win at home to Queen of the South on 26 April 2019 saw them lift the 2018–19 Scottish Championship.[19]

Rivalry
Matchday at Victoria Park

Their main rivals are fellow Highlanders, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with whom they contest the Highland derby. This, unlike many rivalries is generally friendly as both sets of fans live and work together given their close geographic locations. Due to the geographical proximity of the clubs and despite the rivalry, Inverness CT have signed many former Ross County players over the years, including Barry Wilson, Stuart Golabek, Roy McBain, Graham Bayne, Richard Hastings, Steven Hislop, John Rankin, Andrew Barrowman, Lionel Djebi-Zadi and Don Cowie. Many former Inverness CT players have also "crossed the bridge" in the opposite direction, most notably Grant Munro, Michael Fraser, Ross Tokely and Coll Donaldson in recent years. Both Stuart Golabek and Andy Barrowman had two spells at County each, with the former also having two spells at ICT. A notable player is Iain Vigurs, who is one of (if not the first) few player(s) to cross the bridge more than twice, having spent two spells with both County and Caley Thistle.

Nickname

The Club's nickname is the Staggies, taken from their badge which is a Caberfeidh, or Stag's Head. This in turn was taken from the regimental badge of the Seaforth Highlanders, the regiment in which many locals had fought and died during the Great War.

Mascot

Ross County's mascot, due to their affiliation with the stag crest of the Seaforth Highlanders, is a stag named Rosco, a play on the club's name.

Club records
See also: Ross County F.C. Records and Statistics

[20]

Honours

League

Cup

Youth

Players

Current squad
As of 1 August 2020[23]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  SCO Ross Laidlaw
2 DF  ENG Connor Randall
3 DF  ENG Carl Tremarco
4 DF  ENG Liam Fontaine
5 DF  NIR Callum Morris (vice-captain)
6 MF  ENG Ross Draper
7 MF  SCO Michael Gardyne
8 FW  SCO Oli Shaw
9 FW  NIR Billy Mckay
10 FW  SCO Lee Erwin
11 MF  SCO Iain Vigurs (captain)
12 DF  ENG Tom Grivosti
14 MF  SCO Josh Mullin
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF  SCO Keith Watson
16 DF  SCO Alex Iacovitti
17 MF  ENG Regan Charles-Cook
18 MF  SCO Stephen Kelly (on loan from Rangers)
20 MF  SCO Blair Spittal
21 GK  SCO Ross Doohan (on loan from Celtic)
22 MF  ENG Jordan Tillson
23 MF  SCO Joe Chalmers
24 MF  CAN Harry Paton
25 DF  SCO Coll Donaldson
27 FW  SCO Ross Stewart
31 GK  SCO Ross Munro
43 DF  SCO Josh Reid

Managers
Dates Name
1985–1987 John Buchanan
1987–1996 Robert Wilson
1 July 1996 – 11 November 2002 Neale Cooper
27 November 2002 – 11 June 2005 Alex Smith
21 June 2005 – 24 October 2005 John Robertson
24 October 2005 – 3 June 2006 Gardner Speirs (caretaker)
1 July 2006 – 17 June 2007 Scott Leitch
2007 Dick Campbell
2 October 2007 – 11 November 2010 Derek Adams
11 November 2010 – 25 November 2010 Craig Brewster (caretaker)
25 November 2010 – 12 February 2011 Willie McStay
12 February 2011 – 17 February 2011 George Adams (caretaker)
17 February 2011 – 15 May 2011 Jimmy Calderwood
19 May 2011 – 28 August 2014 Derek Adams
28 August 2014 – 9 September 2014 Steven Ferguson (caretaker)
9 September 2014 – 25 September 2017 Jim McIntyre
28 September 2017 – 1 March 2018 Owen Coyle
2 March 2018 – 10 June 2020 Steven Ferguson
Stuart Kettlewell
10 June 2020 – Stuart Kettlewell

Coaching staff
PositionName
Chief Executive OfficerSteven Ferguson
ManagerStuart Kettlewell
Assistant ManagerRichard Brittain
First Team CoachDon Cowie
Goalkeeping CoachScott Thomson
Head of PhysiotherapyWillie Nolan
Sports ScientistsGregor Campbell & Liam Jukes
Head of Youth AcademyRichard Hastings
Academy DirectorDavie Kirkwood
Head of Academy OperationsJim Kelly
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gollark: I don't think the constitution forbids that, so you could at least say that in *that instance* he does!
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References
  1. "Ross County Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  2. "Ross County 1–1 Clyde (aet)". BBC Sport website. 12 November 2006.
  3. Leitch quits post at Ross County – BBC Sport
  4. Campbell confirmed as County boss – BBC Sport
  5. Derek Adams exits Ross County to be Hibernian assistant – BBC Sport
  6. Willie McStay named Ross County manager – BBC Sport
  7. Willie McStay sacked as Ross County boss – BBC Sport
  8. Jimmy Calderwood confirmed as Ross County manager – BBC Sport
  9. Derek Adams returns as Ross County manager – BBC Sport
  10. "Ross County 2 Hibernian 1". London: The Daily Telegraph. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  11. "Celtic 0 Ross County 2". Daily Mail. London. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  12. Gibson, Fraser (10 April 2010). "Celtic 0 – 2 Ross County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  13. Murray, Ewan (18 May 2010). "Craig Levein raises hackles after Dundee United see off Ross County". The Guardian. Hampden Park, Glasgow. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  14. Bannerman, Charles (22 September 2012). "Ross County 1–2 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  15. "Jim McIntyre Appointed Ross County Manager". Ross County FC. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  16. "Hibernian 1 – 2 Ross County: Highlanders win League Cup". The Scotsman. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  17. "Hibernian 1 – 2 Ross County". BBC Sport. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  18. "Highland clubs got 'complacent' - Ross County chairman Roy McGregor". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  19. "Ross County 4–0 Queen of the South". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  20. "Ross County All-Time Records". Staggies Archive. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  21. "Ross County sign midfielder from Inverness Caledonian Thistle". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  22. "Liam Boyce: Burton sign Ross County striker in club-record deal". BBC Sport. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  23. "1ST TEAM". Ross County F.C. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
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