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Ross County
Ross County F.C. logo.png
Full name Ross County Football Club
Nickname(s) The Staggies
Founded 1929; 96 years ago (1929)
Ground Victoria Park, Dingwall
Ground Capacity 6,541
Chairman Roy MacGregor
CEO Steven Ferguson
Manager Don Cowie
League Scottish Premiership
2015–16 Scottish Premiership, 6th

Ross County Football Club is a professional football team from Dingwall, Scotland. They are often called The Staggies. Their team colours are dark blue, red, and white.

The club currently plays in the Scottish Premiership. They earned their spot there by winning the Scottish Championship in the 2018–19 season. Ross County has won many trophies over the years. These include the Scottish Championship, Scottish Second Division, and Scottish Third Division. They have also won the Scottish Challenge Cup three times. In 2010, they made it to the Scottish Cup Final. In 2016, they won the Scottish League Cup.

Club History

Ross County Football Club started in 1929. Before that, a local club called Dingwall Victoria United played in the North Caledonian Football League. When that club joined the Highland Football League, it changed its name to Ross County.

Early Years and League Entry

Ross County played in the Highland Football League from 1929. They won this league three times: in 1967, 1991, and 1992. The team also became known for doing well in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup. They often beat bigger league teams. A famous win was on January 8, 1994, when they beat Forfar Athletic 4–0.

Just three days later, Ross County was voted into the Scottish Football League. This was a big step for the club. The league was changing to have four levels. Ross County joined the new Division Three. Another new team, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, joined at the same time.

Climbing the Leagues

In the 1998–99 season, Ross County won the Third Division. This meant they moved up to the Second Division. They finished third there, which led to another promotion. They moved up to the First Division because the top league was getting bigger.

Ross County played in the First Division for seven seasons. Then, in 2006–07, they were moved down to the Second Division. But they quickly bounced back! They won the Second Division in 2007–08 and were promoted right back to the First Division.

RossCountyFC League Performance
This chart shows where Ross County has finished in the league tables since they joined the Scottish Football League.

Cup Success and Promotions

Ross County won their first national trophy in November 2006. They won the Scottish Challenge Cup after a penalty shootout. They reached the Challenge Cup final again in 2008 but lost this time. In April 2011, they won the Challenge Cup once more, beating Queen of the South 2–0.

A huge moment came on March 23, 2010. Ross County beat Scottish Premier League club Hibernian 2–1 in a Scottish Cup game. Then, in the semi-final on April 10, 2010, they played Celtic. In a massive upset, Ross County won 2–0 at Hampden Park! This meant they reached the Scottish Cup Final for the first time ever. Over 7,000 Ross County fans traveled to Glasgow to cheer them on. In the final on May 15, 2010, they lost 0–3 to Dundee United. More than 17,000 Ross County fans watched that game.

On April 10, 2012, Ross County secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League for the first time. They had an amazing 40-game unbeaten streak in league football. This run continued even into the Scottish Premier League. It finally ended on September 22, 2012, when they lost to St Johnstone.

The team had a big success on March 13, 2016. Ross County won their first major trophy! They beat Hibernian 2–1 in the final of the 2015–16 Scottish League Cup. After this win, the team's performance dropped, and they were moved down a league at the end of the 2017–18 season. However, they quickly returned to the Scottish Premiership. They won the 2018–19 Scottish Championship after a 4–0 win against Queen of the South on April 26, 2019.

Team Rivalry

Ross County v Livingston - geograph.org.uk - 1083839
A matchday at Victoria Park, Ross County's home ground.

Ross County's main rivals are Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Both teams are from the Highlands of Scotland. Their games are called the Highland derby. Even though they are rivals, the fans usually get along well. This is because many fans live and work together in the same area.

Many players have played for both Ross County and Inverness CT. This includes players like Billy Mckay and Don Cowie. It's quite common for players to "cross the bridge" (referring to the Kessock Bridge) between the two clubs.

Team Nickname and Mascot

The club's nickname is the Staggies. This comes from their badge, which shows a stag's head. A stag's head is also known as a Caberfeidh. This symbol was taken from the badge of the Seaforth Highlanders. Many local people fought and died in this army regiment during World War I.

Ross County's mascot is a stag named Rosco. His name is a fun play on the club's name.

Current Players

First Team Squad

No. Position Player
1 Scotland GK Ross Laidlaw
2 Republic of Ireland DF James Brown
3 Wales DF Ryan Leak
4 England DF Akil Wright
5 Scotland DF Ricki Lamie
6 Scotland MF Scott Allardice
7 Canada MF Victor Loturi
8 England MF Connor Randall (captain)
9 Republic of Ireland FW Ronan Hale
10 England MF Noah Chilvers
12 England MF Max Sheaf
14 England FW Jack Grieves (on loan from Watford)
15 Scotland MF Aidan Denholm (on loan from Hearts)
16 England DF George Harmon
No. Position Player
19 England DF Eli Campbell (on loan from Everton)
20 Poland DF Kacper Łopata (on loan from Barnsley)
21 Scotland MF Charlie Telfer
22 Scotland GK Jack Hamilton
23 Australia MF Josh Nisbet
24 Democratic Republic of the Congo DF Michee Efete
25 Wales FW Alex Samuel
26 Scotland FW Jordan White (vice-captain)
27 Scotland FW Eamonn Brophy
31 Scotland GK Logan Ross
35 England DF Will Nightingale (on loan from AFC Wimbledon)
41 Scotland GK Jayden Reid
43 Scotland DF Josh Reid

Players on Loan to Other Clubs

No. Position Player
17 Scotland MF Jay Henderson (on loan at Ayr United)
30 Scotland DF Dylan Smith (on loan at Arbroath)
32 Scotland DF Connall Ewan (on loan at Inverness CT)
33 Scotland MF Andrew Macleod (on loan at Brora Rangers)
No. Position Player
34 England MF George Robesten (on loan at Brora Rangers)
36 Scotland MF Jamie Williamson (on loan at Nairn County)
52 Scotland DF Alister Morrison (on loan at Nairn County)
57 Scotland FW Calum Brown (on loan at Forres Mechanics)

Club Staff

Coaching Team

Position Name
Manager Don Cowie
Assistant manager Carl Tremarco
First team coach & performance analyst Paul Cowie
Goalkeeping coach Scott Thomson
Head of recruitment Greg Strong
Chief scout Stuart Millar
Head of performance Jason Moriarty
Physiotherapists Beth MacIver
Fiona Hogg
Football development director Campbell Money
Academy manager Gary Warren
Head of youth & academy operations Gordon Duff

Club Records

  • First league goal scored: William D Herd in 1994 against Cowdenbeath.
  • Highest attendance ever: About 8,000 fans against Rangers in the Scottish Cup on February 28, 1966.
  • Highest league attendance: 6,590 fans against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on November 18, 2017.
  • Biggest win: 11–0 against St Cuthbert Wanderers in the 1993–94 Scottish Cup.
  • Biggest defeat: 0–7 against Kilmarnock in the 1961–62 Scottish Cup.
  • Most expensive player bought: £100,000 for Ross Draper from Inverness Caledonian Thistle on August 9, 2017.
  • Most expensive player sold: Over £300,000 for Liam Boyce to Burton Albion on June 20, 2017.

Club Honours (Trophies Won)

League Titles

Cup Competitions

  • 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
  • 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 Team Success

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ross County Football Club para niños

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