Ross County F.C.

Ross County

Full name	Ross County Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Staggies
Founded	1929
Ground	Victoria Park (Capacity: 6,310 (2,800 seated)
Chairman	Roy MacGregor
Manager	Derek Adams
League	Scottish Premier League
2011–12	Scottish First Division, 1st (Promoted)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Ross County Football Club are a Scottish professional football team from the town of Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty. Founded in 1929, they will play in the 2012–13 Scottish Premier League after winning promotion as champions of the First Division. They play their home matches at Victoria Park. 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, Second Division, Third Division (once each) and Challenge Cup twice. In 2010, they produced a remarkable run to reach the Scottish Cup Final. Nicknamed The Staggies, County's home colours are dark blue and white. They are currently managed by Derek Adams.

History

The club were formed in 1929 after the previous local club, the Dingwall Victors, applied for Highland League status. The club was subsequently renamed Ross County. Initially playing in the Highland Football League, 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 the 8th January 1994, 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 League underwent changes in its structure, 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, while the proposed merger to form Inverness Caledonian Thistle amassed 68.

In 1998–99 they were 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 followed 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 the 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. 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.^[1] Former Partick Thistle manager Dick Campbell was announced as his replacement in May 2007.^[2] 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.

In November 2010 Derek Adams left to become Colin Calderwood's assistant at Hibernian.^[3] Former Celtic player Willie McStay was appointed as his replacement in November 2010.^[4] Although McStay's tenure was short – lasting only 9 games.^[5] Jimmy Calderwood was then appointed until the end of the 2010/2011 season.^[6] In May 2011 it was announced that Derek Adams was to return as manager.^[7]

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.^[8]

Two years later County again reached the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup. 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 2011 in which they beat Queen Of The South 2–0.

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.^[9]

In the semi-final, they played Celtic on Saturday 10 April 2010. Described as the biggest match in their history^{[citation needed]}, they won 2-0 in Hampden Park and reach the final of the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history.^[10] 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.^[11] 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.

Players, managers, and rivalries

Managers of Ross County have included Neale Cooper and Alex Smith and they have had players such as Mark Hateley, John Hewitt, Brian Irvine and former Celtic player David Hannah.

Their main rivals are fellow Highlanders, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who they contest the Highland derby with. However, County have only finished above their rivals twice in their 18 seasons in the league. 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 Iain Vigurs, Grant Munro and Michael Fraser in recent years. Both Stuart Golabek and Andy Barrowman had two spells at County each, with the former also having two spells at ICT.

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

• First League Goal Scored: William D Herd 1994 v Cowdenbeath
• Record attendance: 8,000 approx v Rangers (Scottish Cup 28th February 1966)
• Record win: 11-0 v St Cuthbert Wanderers ( 1993 Scottish Cup first round)

Honours

• Scottish Football Association
  • Scottish Cup Runners Up 2009–10
• Scottish Football League
  • First Division champions 2011–12
  • Second Division champions 2007–08
  • Third Division champions 1998–99
  • Scottish Football League Challenge Cup Winners 2006–07, 2010–11
  • Runners Up 2004–05, 2008–09

• Non League
  • Highland Football League champions 1966–67, 1990–91, 1991–92

Managers

• John Buchanan
• Bobby Wilson (1987–1996)
• Neale Cooper (1996–2002)
• Alex Smith (2002–2005)
• John Robertson (2005)
• Gardner Speirs (caretaker) (2005–2006)
• Scott Leitch (2006–2007)
• Dick Campbell (2007)
• Derek Adams (2007–2010)
• Willie McStay (2010–2011)
• Jimmy Calderwood (2011)
• Derek Adams (2011–Present)

Current squad

As of 25 May 2012^[12][13]

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

No. Position Player GK Michael Fraser GK Joe Malin DF Scott Boyd DF Alex Cooper DF Johnny Flynn DF David McNamee DF Scott Morrison DF Grant Munro MF Richard Brittain MF Mark Corcoran

No. Position Player MF Russell Duncan MF Marc Fitzpatrick MF Stuart Kettlewell MF Paul Lawson MF Rocco Quinn MF Iain Vigurs FW Kurtis Byrne FW Steven Craig FW Colin McMenamin FW Sam Morrow

For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers summer 2012

References

External links

• Official site
• Un-official Ross County fan site
• Hate mascot