Ross County F.C.
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Ross County Football Club is a professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...
, Scotland. The club currently play in the , being relegated after losing the Scottish Premiership play-offs in the 2024–25 season. Prior to the 1994–95 season Ross County played in the
Highland Football League The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scott ...
, a competition they won three times. They have also won the
Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
,
Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...
, Second Division, Third Division (once each) and the
Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
on three occasions. In 2010, they reached the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
. The club's nickname is ''The Staggies'', and its colours are dark blue, red and white.


History


Formation and early years

The club was formed in 1929 in what was then
Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty (), is an area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In modern usage, it is a registration county and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. Between 1889 and 1975 it was a Shires of Scotland, county. Historical ...
after the previous local club from the North of Scotland Junior League Dingwall Victoria United (the 'Dingwall Vics') successfully applied for
Highland Football League The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scott ...
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 The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Forfar Athletic, and were elected to the Scottish Football League three days later.


Entry to the Scottish Football League

At the beginning of season 1994–95 the
Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4&nbs ...
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 Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
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 Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
coach, was appointed
caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
, 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 Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
player Scott Leitch was appointed on 18 April 2006. Ross County won their first ever nationwide trophy when they won the
Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup, 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 The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Airdrie United Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in the . They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United Football Clu ...
at
McDiarmid Park McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone F.C., St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an All-seat ...
. Unlike two years previously, County lost in a penalty shootout where four penalties were missed. Ross County also reached the
Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
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 Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
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 The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
club Hibernian 2–1 in a
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
on Saturday 10 April 2010. In one of the biggest upsets in cup history, Ross County won 2–0 at
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
and reached the final of the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
to watch the game. In the 2010 Scottish Cup Final on 15 May 2010, County lost 0–3 to
Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
at
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
. The match was watched by more than 17,000 Ross County fans.


Rise to the top flight

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 Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
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.


League Cup victory

On 13 March 2016, Ross County won their first ever major trophy when they beat Hibernian 2–1 in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
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.


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 Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...
, the regiment in which many locals had fought and died during the
Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The club's mascot, a stag named Rosco, is a play on the club's nickname.


Highland Derby

Ross County's 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 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 A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
"'' 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 Inverness. 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 Inverness.


Stadium

The club's home ground, Victoria Park, has a greater capacity than the population of
Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...
, which was 5,491 at the 2011 census. However the County of
Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty (), is an area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In modern usage, it is a registration county and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. Between 1889 and 1975 it was a Shires of Scotland, county. Historical ...
, from which the club draws much of its support, has a population of over 60,000. The largest crowd ever to watch a match at Victoria Park was reported as 8,000, for the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Rangers in February 1966. The revenue from this match helped to fund construction of the Jail End terrace.


Kit history


Players


Current squad


Club staff


Coaching staff


Managerial history


Club records

* First league goal scored: William D Herd 1994 v
Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath () is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 1890. According to a 20 ...
* Record all-time attendance: 8,000 approx v Rangers (
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
(
Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
18 November 2017) * Record win: 11–0 v St Cuthbert Wanderers ( 1993–94 Scottish Cup first round) * Record defeat: 0–7 v
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
( 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 In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
(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 The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scott ...
** Winners (3): 1966–67, 1990–91, 1991–92 * North Caledonian Football League ** Winners (2): 1965–66, 1996–97 (Reserves)


Cup

*
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
: ** Winners (1): 2015–16 *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2009–10 *
Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
** 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 The North of Scotland Cup is a knock-out tournament, knock-out tournament for association football, football teams in membership of the North of Scotland Football Association. The teams involved are based in the Highland, Highlands and Moray an ...
** 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 The SPFL Development League was the top level of youth football in Scotland, which was contested in various formats between 1998 and 2018. History A youth league was founded as the Scottish Premier under-18 League in 1998. Clubs fielded under-1 ...
(Under-20) ** Winners (1): 2016–17


References


Sources

*


External links

* {{Authority control 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