Thomas Ross (27 February 1946 – 18 May 2017) was a Scottish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as an

inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

for

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

and

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

, in the Highland League for Ross County and in non-League football for

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

and Rossendale United. He holds the '' Guinness World Record'' for the fastest time to score a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

. Ross joined Ross County in 1961, at the age of 15, and scored his first goal for the club in his debut season. During the 1964–65 season, he scored 44 goals, including a record-breaking hat-trick against Nairn County on 28 November 1964, where he scored three goals within a 90-second period. His record was not recognised until April 2004, with the official record being held by

Jimmy O'Connor Jimmy O'Connor is an Irish former footballer notable for being the fastest hat-trick scorer in top level domestic league history. He scored three goals for Shelbourne in 2 minutes and 13 seconds, versus Bohemians at Dalymount Park on 19 Nov ...

of Dublin side Shelbourne, for his 2m 14s treble against Bohemians on 19 November 1967. After his playing career ended, Ross managed Tain St Duthus in the 1990s. His sons Stuart and Andrew now form the management team of the club, which was revived in 2016. Ross also worked as a scout for Tottenham Hotspur. His death was reported on the website of St Duthus FC on 19 May 2017.

References

External links

* * 1946 births 2017 deaths People from Ross and Cromarty Scottish footballers Association football forwards Lochee United F.C. players Ross County F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players York City F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players English Football League players Place of death missing Tottenham Hotspur F.C. non-playing staff Deaths from dementia in Scotland {{Scotland-footy-forward-1940s-stub