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Ross County

Full name	Ross County Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Staggies
Founded	1929; 95 years ago (1929)
Ground	Victoria Park, Dingwall
Capacity	6,541
Chairman	Roy MacGregor
CEO	Steven Ferguson
Manager	Don Cowie
League	Scottish Premiership
2023–24	Scottish Premiership, 11th of 12
Website	www.rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Ross County Football Club is a professional football club based in Dingwall, Scotland. The club currently play in the Scottish Premiership, being promoted after winning the Scottish Championship in the 2018–19 season.

Prior to the 1994–95 season Ross County 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.

History

The club was formed in 1929 in what was then Ross and Cromarty after the previous local club from the North of Scotland Junior League Dingwall Victoria United (the 'Dingwall Vics') 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 by a new club created as a result of a merger of two teams to form Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who 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. 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. Former Partick Thistle manager Dick Campbell was announced as his replacement in May 2007. 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 in April 2011 in which they beat Queen of the South 2–0.

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

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. In the semi-final, they played Celtic on Saturday 10 April 2010. In one of the biggest upsets in cup history, Ross County won 2–0 at Hampden Park and reached the final of the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history. 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. The match was watched by more than 17,000 Ross County fans.

Ross County secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League for the first time 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. 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.

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. The team's fortunes declined after this success, and they were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season.

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.

Kit history

Period	Manufacturer	Sponsor
1929–1977	Unknown	None
1977–1982	Admiral
1982–1984	Litesome
1984–1985		MacLean Sports
1985–1987	Umbro
1987–1990		Ken's Garage
1990–1991	Admiral
1991–1992		MacGregor Industrial Supplies
1992–1993	RCFC Collection	The Boutique
1993–1994	Activity	MacGregor Industrial Supplies
1994–1996		MacGregor Group
1996–1998	Victoria Collection	MacLean electrical
1998–2000	Avec
2000–2004	Xara	Aberdeen Asset Management
2004–2007		MacLean electrical
2007–2008	Crest Teamwear	Roxburgh
2008–2010	Adidas	Highnet
2010–2012	Nike
2012–2014	Diadora	CRC-Evans
2014–2016	Carbrini
2016–2018	Macron
2018–2020		McEwan Fraser Legal
2020–2021		Ross-Shire Engineering
2021–present	Joma

Rivalry

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 Billy Mckay, 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.

Players

Current squad

As of 13 September 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SCO Ross Laidlaw 2 DF  IRL James Brown 3 DF  WAL Ryan Leak 4 DF  ENG Akil Wright 5 DF  SCO Ricki Lamie 6 MF  SCO Scott Allardice 7 MF  CAN Victor Loturi 8 MF  ENG Connor Randall (captain) 9 FW  IRL Ronan Hale 10 MF  ENG Noah Chilvers 12 MF  ENG Max Sheaf 14 FW  ENG Jack Grieves (on loan from Watford) 15 MF  SCO Aidan Denholm (on loan from Hearts) 16 DF  ENG George Harmon

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 GK  GER Jordan Amissah 19 DF  ENG Eli Campbell (on loan from Everton) 20 DF  POL Kacper Łopata (on loan from Barnsley) 21 MF  SCO Charlie Telfer 22 GK  SCO Jack Hamilton 23 MF  AUS Josh Nisbet 24 DF  COD Michee Efete 25 FW  WAL Alex Samuel 26 FW  SCO Jordan White (vice-captain) 27 FW  SCO Eamonn Brophy 31 GK  SCO Logan Ross 35 DF  ENG Will Nightingale (on loan from AFC Wimbledon) 41 GK  SCO Jayden Reid 43 DF  SCO Josh Reid

On loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  SCO Jay Henderson (on loan at Ayr United) 30 DF  SCO Dylan Smith (on loan at Arbroath) 32 DF  SCO Connall Ewan (on loan at Inverness CT) 33 MF  SCO Andrew Macleod (on loan at Brora Rangers)

No. Pos. Nation Player 34 MF  ENG George Robesten (on loan at Brora Rangers) 36 MF  SCO Jamie Williamson (on loan at Nairn County) 45 DF  SCO Alister Morrison (on loan at Nairn County) 49 FW  SCO Calum Brown (on loan at Invergordon)

Club staff

Coaching staff

Managers

Dates	Name
1929–1930	Tom Pirie
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 – 30 April 2007	Scott Leitch
17 May 2007 – 2 October 2007	Dick Campbell
4 October 2007 – 11 November 2010 19 May 2011 – 28 August 2014 20 November 2023 – 7 February 2024	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
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 – 19 December 2020	Stuart Kettlewell
21 December 2020 – 24 May 2021	John Hughes
26 May 2021 – 15 November 2023	Malky Mackay
8 February 2024 – Present	Don Cowie

Club records

• First league goal scored: William D Herd 1994 v Cowdenbeath
• Record all-time attendance: 8,000 approx v Rangers (Scottish Cup 28 February 1966)
• Record league attendance: 6,590 v Celtic (Scottish Premiership 18 November 2017)
• Record win: 11–0 v St Cuthbert Wanderers (1993–94 Scottish Cup first round)
• Record defeat: 0–7 v Kilmarnock (1961–62 Scottish Cup third round)
• Club record signing: £100,000 – Ross Draper from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, 9 August 2017
• Club record sale: Undisclosed (>£300,000) – Liam Boyce to Burton Albion, 20 June 2017

Honours

League

• First Division/Championship (second tier)
  • Winners (2): 2011–12, 2018–19
• Second Division (third tier)
  • Winners (1): 2007–08
• Third Division (fourth tier)
  • Winners (1): 1998–99
• Highland Football League
  • Winners (3): 1966–67, 1990–91, 1991–92
• North Caledonian Football League
  • Winners (2): 1965–66, 1996–97 (Reserves)

Cup

• Scottish League Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2015–16
• Scottish Cup:
  • Runners-Up (1): 2009–10
• Challenge Cup
  • Winners (3): 2006–07, 2010–11, 2018–19
  • Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2008–09
• Qualifying Cup (North)
  • Winners (2): 1973–74, 1993–94
  • Runners-up (4): 1933–34, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73
• North of Scotland Cup
  • Winners (6): 1929–30, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1991–92, 2006–07, 2018–19
• Highland League Cup
  • Winners (4): 1949–50, 1968–69, 1978–79, 1991–92

Youth

• SPFL Development League (Under-20)
  • Winners (1): 2016–17

References

1. "Ross County Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
2. "Ross County 1–1 Clyde (aet)". BBC Sport website. 12 November 2006. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
3. Leitch quits post at Ross County Archived 20 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
4. Campbell confirmed as County boss Archived 7 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
5. Derek Adams exits Ross County to be Hibernian assistant Archived 12 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
6. Willie McStay named Ross County manager Archived 12 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
7. Willie McStay sacked as Ross County boss Archived 28 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
8. Jimmy Calderwood confirmed as Ross County manager Archived 12 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
9. Derek Adams returns as Ross County manager Archived 12 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine – BBC Sport
10. "Ross County 2 Hibernian 1". London: The Daily Telegraph. 23 March 2010. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
11. Gibson, Fraser (10 April 2010). "Celtic 0 – 2 Ross County". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
12. Murray, Ewan (18 May 2010). "Craig Levein raises hackles after Dundee United see off Ross County". The Guardian. Hampden Park, Glasgow. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
13. Bannerman, Charles (22 September 2012). "Ross County 1–2 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
14. "Jim McIntyre Appointed Ross County Manager". Ross County FC. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
15. "Hibernian 1 – 2 Ross County: Highlanders win League Cup". The Scotsman. 13 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
16. "Hibernian 1 – 2 Ross County". BBC Sport. 13 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
17. "Highland clubs got 'complacent' - Ross County chairman Roy McGregor". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
18. "Ross County 4–0 Queen of the South". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
19. "First Team Squad". Ross County F.C. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
20. "Ross County All-Time Records". Staggies Archive. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
21. "Ross County sign midfielder from Inverness Caledonian Thistle". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 9 August 2017. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
22. "Liam Boyce: Burton sign Ross County striker in club-record deal". BBC Sport. 20 June 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.

External links

• Official website

• Ross County F.C.
• Football in Highland (council area)
• Former Highland Football League teams
• Ross and Cromarty
• Association football clubs established in 1929
• 1929 establishments in Scotland
• Scottish Premier League teams
• Scottish Football League teams
• Scottish Challenge Cup winners
• Scottish Professional Football League teams
• Scottish League Cup winners