Ross County F.C.

Infobox Football club
clubname = Ross County


fullname = Ross County Football Club
nickname = "The Staggies"
founded = 1929
ground = Victoria Park
capacity = 6,310
chairman = flagicon|Scotland Roy MacGregor
manager = flagicon|Scotland Derek Adams
mgrtitle = Head Coach
league = Scottish First Division | season = 2007-08
position = Scottish Second Division, 1st (promoted)
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pattern_la2= _shoulder_stripes_white_stripes|pattern_b2 = _adidas_snake_white_white_shoulder_stripes |pattern_ra2= _shoulder_stripes_white_stripes|pattern_sh2 = _red_stripes | pattern_so2 = _3_stripes_white
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Ross County Football Club are a Scottish professional football team who currently play in the Scottish Football League. They play their home matches at Victoria Park in the Highland town of Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty.

Their manager, up 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 2006-2007 season, almost exactly one year after his appointment. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/ross_county/6607865.stm Leitch quits post at Ross County] - BBC Sport] Former Partick Thistle manager Dick Campbell was announced as his replacement in May 2007. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/ross_county/6659861.stm Campbell confirmed as County boss] - BBC Sport] 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.

History

Founded in 1929, Ross County initially played in the Highland Football League where 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 SFL teams on eight occasions. The most notable was on 8 January 1994, when they won 4-0 at Forfar Athletic. This result may have gone a long way towards their election to the Scottish Football League three days later.

At the beginning of season 1994-95 the Scottish League underwent a revamp, and, following a vote on January 11, 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 Caley Thistle, of Inverness, amassed 68.

Since joining the Scottish League, the club have progressed well. In 1998-99 they were Champions of the Third Division and thereby won promotion to the Second Division. As always with a promotion, there were doubts over the ability of the club to cope but cope they did, attaining 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 several successful seasons the Staggies were relegated back to the Second Division in 2006-07. Next season the club will return to the First Division, having become Second Division Champions before the end of the season.

Ross County won their first ever nationwide trophy when they won the Scottish Challenge Cup in November 2006 on penalties with youngster Jason Crooks scoring the deciding spot kick on his competitive debutcite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/6137982.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Ross County 1-1 Clyde (aet) |date=12 November 2006] .

The club has also shown their ambition by appointing top managers such as Neale Cooper and Alex Smith and attracting players such as Mark Hateley, Brian Irvine and former Celtic player David Hannah.

Their main rivals are fellow Highlanders, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who currently play in the Scottish Premier League, although rivalries from the days of the Highland League are still strong. Despite the rivalry between the two clubs, Inverness Caledonian have signed many former Ross County players over the years, including Barry Wilson, Roy McBain, Graham Bayne, Richard Hastings, Steven Hislop, John Rankin, Andrew Barrowman and Don Cowie. Stuart Golabek and Richie Hart are both currently in their second spells at County, having transferred from Caley Thistle.

Nickname

The Club's nickname is the Staggies, taken from their badge which is a Caberfeidh or Stag’s Head. This is 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.

Club records

*Highest Attendance: 10,000 v Rangers 1966
*Biggest league loss: 1-10 v Inverness Thistle 19??
*Best cup win: 11-0 v "St Cuthbert Wanderers" 1993

Honours

*Scottish Football League
**Second Division champions 2007-08
**Third Division champions 1998-99
**Challenge Cup winners 2006-07

**Highland Football League champions 1966-67, 1990-91, 1991-92

Managers

*flagicon|Scotland Bobby Wilson (1987-1996)
*flagicon|Scotland Neale Cooper (1996-2002)
*flagicon|Scotland Alex Smith (2002-2005)
*flagicon|Scotland John Robertson (2005)
*flagicon|Scotland Gardner Speirs (caretaker) (2005-2006)
*flagicon|Scotland Scott Leitch (2006-2007)
*flagicon|Scotland Dick Campbell (2007)
*flagicon|Scotland Derek Adams (2007-present)

Current squad

"As of 1 September 2008."

Players out on loan

References

External links

* [http://www.rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk/ Official site]
* [http://www.thejailender.com/ Un-official Ross County fan site]