Ross County Football Club is a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in Dingwall, Scotland. They play all of their home matches at Victoria Park in Dingwall. 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 they 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 The Scottish football league syst ...

, a competition they won three times. They have also won the Scottish First Division, Scottish Championship, Second Division,

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

(once each) and the

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

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 Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

after the previous local club from the North of Scotland Junior League Dingwall Victoria United (the 'Dingwall Vics') successfully applied for

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 The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a 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 km south ...

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 gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

and Hearts manager

John Robertson John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to: Politicians United Kingdom politicians * J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918 *John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926) ...

. He left the club on 24 October 2005, due to differences of opinion on a number of fundamental issues with the chairman.

Gardner Spiers Walter Gardner Speirs (born 14 April 1963) is a Scottish football manager and former player. Career Playing During his playing career, Speirs played for St Mirren, Kilmarnock (on loan), Dunfermline Athletic (on loan), Hartlepool United, Airdr ...

, a former Aberdeen 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 (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...

, 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 ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

player

Scott Leitch Donald Scott Leitch (born 6 October 1969) is a Scottish former football player and coach, who played as a midfielder. He played professionally for Dunfermline Athletic, Heart of Midlothian, Swindon Town and Motherwell, and managed Ross Count ...

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 Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...

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 Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as 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

final in April 2011 in which they beat Queen of the South 2–0. RossCountyFC League Performance

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 The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

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 Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

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 The 2010 Scottish Cup Final was the 125th final of the Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition, the Scottish Cup. The match took place on 15 May 2010, at Hampden Park, Glasgow and was contested by first time finalists Ross Coun ...

on 15 May 2010, County lost 0–3 to Dundee United at

. 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 Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

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 St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...

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 2015–16 Scottish League Cup was the 70th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. It is also known as The Scottish League Cup presented by Utilita for sponsorship reasons. Ross County defeated Hibernia ...

. 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 The 2018–19 Scottish Championship (known as the Ladbrokes Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th season in the current format of 10 teams in the second tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 15 June 2018, with the ...

Kit history

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 Barry Wilson,

Stuart Golabek Stuart Golabek (born 5 November 1974 in Inverness) is a Scottish retired professional footballer who last played for Highland League side Brora Rangers. Career Golabek began his career with Highland League side Clachnacuddin, before moving to ...

, Roy McBain,

Graham Bayne Graham Bayne (born 22 August 1979) is a Scottish retired professional footballer who last played for Elgin City. Career Bayne joined Inverness Caley Thistle from local rivals Ross County, having previously played for Dundee, Arbroath and his l ...

Richard Hastings Richard Cory Hastings (born 18 May 1977) is a former Canadian soccer player and current manager of Highland League side Inverurie Loco Works. He played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Ross County, Grazer AK, MVV Maastricht, Hamilton ...

, Steven Hislop, John Rankin, Andrew Barrowman,

Lionel Djebi-Zadi Lionel Landry Djebi-Zadi (born 20 May 1982) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. Career Djebi-Zadi was born in Lyon. His previous clubs include SC Verl in Germany along with a string of lower league clubs in Fran ...

and Don Cowie. Many former Inverness CT players have also "crossed the bridge" in the opposite direction, most notably Grant Munro,

Michael Fraser Michael Fraser may refer to: * Michael Fraser (footballer) (born 1983), Scottish football goalkeeper * Michael Fraser (basketball) (born 1984), Canadian basketball player * Michael Fraser, Baron Fraser of Kilmorack Richard Michael Fraser, Baron F ...

Ross Tokely Ross Tokely (born 8 March 1979) is a Scottish professional football player and coach who plays for Nairn County in the Highland League. Tokely previously played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Ross County and Brora Rangers. Tokely joined I ...

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 Iain Angus Vigurs (born 7 May 1988) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish League One club Cove Rangers. He has previously played for Elgin City, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Ross County and Motherwell. Early life B ...

, 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 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 servic ...

, 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 all-time attendance: 8,000 approx v

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

( 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 Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

( 1961–62 Scottish Cup third round) * Club record signing: £100,000 –

Ross Draper Ross James Draper (born 20 October 1988) is an English football player and coach who plays for Elgin City. Draper, who plays as a central midfielder, has previously played for Shrewsbury Town, Stafford Rangers, Hednesford Town, Macclesfield ...

from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, 9 August 2017 * Club record sale: Undisclosed –

Liam Boyce Liam Boyce (born 8 April 1991) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian and the Northern Ireland national team. Boyce began his career at Cliftonville and returned to ...

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 *

(fourth tier) ** Winners (1): 1998–99 *

** Winners (3): 1966–67, 1990–91, 1991–92 ** ''Runners-up (2)'': 1967–68, 1972–73 * North Caledonian Football League ** Winners (2): 1965–66, 1996–97

Cup

* Scottish League Cup: ** Winners (1): 2015–16 * Scottish Cup: ** Runners-Up (1): 2009–10 *

** Winners (3): 2006–07,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 2018–19 ** ''Runners-up (2)'': 2004–05, 2008–09 * Qualifying Cup (North) ** Winners (1): 1993–94 ** ''Runners-up (5)'': 1933–34, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1973–74 * 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

Players

Current squad

On loan

Managers

Club staff

Coaching staff

References

External links

Official site
{{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