Nick Ross (footballer, born 1991)

Nick Ross

Personal information
Date of birth	(1991-11-11) 11 November 1991 (age 32)
Place of birth	Inverness, Scotland
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Sacramento Republic
Number	19
Youth career
2008–2010	Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2015	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	149	(11)
2015–2017	Dundee	56	(1)
2018	Sepsi OSK	5	(0)
2018	Brora Rangers	3	(1)
2019–2021	El Paso Locomotive	69	(6)
2022–	Sacramento Republic	55	(2)
International career‡
2010	Scotland U21	1	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 October 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2010

Nicholas Ross (born 11 November 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Sacramento Republic in the USL Championship. Ross has previously played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Dundee, Brora Rangers, El Paso Locomotive and the Scotland under-21 team.

Club career

Inverness CT

Ross came through the youth ranks at Inverness Caledonian Thistle and ahead of the 2009–10 season, manager Terry Butcher stated Ross was among several youngsters selected for the first team squad. ^[1] He made his debut for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in a match against Montrose, as Inverness won 5–3 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw in the first round of the Challenge Cup. ^{[2] [3]} His league debut came in a 0–0 draw against Ayr United on 15 August 2009. ^[4] Ross then scored his first goal for the club against Greenock Morton, in a match Inverness won 1–0. ^[5] Partly as a result of scoring his first goal, Ross's anticipated move to a club on loan was deferred. ^[6] Days after scoring his first goal, he helped the club win the Inverness Cup after beating Clachnacuddin. ^[7] Despite making only six appearances, he played a part in Inverness achieving promotion back to the Scottish Premier League.

He started more games for Inverness throughout the following season, putting in some good performances and becoming a first team regular. Ross was offered a new deal by the club and he signed a two-year contract. ^{[8] [9]} On 4 May 2011, Ross provided the 'assist' for the winning goal, from Shane Sutherland, in a 3–2 victory over Celtic. ^[10] A week later, he scored his first SPL goal, a 20-yard volley in a match against Hibernian. ^[11] He made thirty-four appearances, despite being sidelined twice through injury. ^{[12] [13]}

Ross found himself more on the bench in the 2011–12 season. Despite this, he scored his second SPL goal in a 3–1 loss against Dundee United in September 2011. ^[14] Unfortunately, in late October, Ross was sidelined, when he sustained a groin injury. ^[15] However, later in the campaign, on 17 February 2012, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Dunfermline Athletic. ^[16]

Ross scored in the opening game of the 2012–13 season, a 1–1 draw against St Mirren. ^[17] He suffered a serious injury during a match against Celtic, dislocating his shoulder ^[18] and eventually had to undergo an operation. ^[19] Manager Butcher announced that Ross would be out for three months, which he described as a "massive blow". ^[20] Whilst on the sidelines, Ross signed a new two-year contract with the club. ^[21] He made his return, on 29 December 2012, when he came on as a late substitute for Billy McKay, in a 0–0 draw against St Johnstone. ^[22] Despite his successful return, Ross stated that he was working hard to improve his strength and fitness. ^[23] Later in the season, he scored two goals in two games, netting against Celtic on 9 February 2013 ^[24] and also against Kilmarnock, four days later. ^[25] In April, Ross 'called' for the club to push on, and seal a Europa League place for the first time ever, but ultimately, Inverness narrowly missed out on that target. ^[26]

Ross started his 2013–14 season with an 'assist' for Aaron Doran, in a 2–2 draw against Celtic on 24 August 2013. ^[27] Following the departure of Terry Butcher, Ross scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Hibernian on 9 November 2013. ^[28] In the fourth round of Scottish Cup, Ross scored another, in a 4–0 win over Greenock Morton. ^[29]
Then, in the semi-final of Scottish League Cup against Hearts, Ross came on as a substitute in the last few minutes and scored a dramatic equaliser, sending the match into extra-time. He then converted the fourth penalty in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, helping Inverness to win and reach the final. ^[30]

A few weeks later, on 18 February 2014, Ross scored in a 2–0 win over Stranraer to send Inverness through to the next round of the Scottish Cup. ^[31] He played in the final of the Scottish League Cup, when he came on as a substitute for Marley Watkins in the 80th minute. Ross then converted the fourth penalty in the penalty shoot-out, as Inverness CT lost 4–2 on penalties, after extra-time, against Aberdeen. ^[32]

Ross was predominantly used as a substitute by new manager John Hughes. Despite this, he stated his desire to sign a new contract with the club and fight to regain his place in the team. ^[33] Ross continued to be mainly used as a substitute in the 2014/15 season. ^[34] One of those substitute appearances was in the 2015 Scottish Cup Final, in which Ross replaced Marley Watkins during time added on at the end of the match. ^[35] At the end of the season, he left Inverness under freedom of contract. ^[34]

Dundee

Ross signed a two-year contract with Dundee in June 2015. ^[34] Ross scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory against rivals Dundee United on 2 January 2016. ^[36] He left Dundee after the 2016–17 season, at the end of his contract.

Sepsi OSK

After he left Dundee, Ross trained with Inverness Caledonian Thistle to maintain his fitness. ^[37] He played as a trialist in a charity game against local rivals, Ross County, on 8 November 2017. In February 2018, he signed a short-term contract with Romanian club Sepsi OSK. ^{[37] [38]}

Brora Rangers

After a somewhat unsuccessful time in Romania, Ross returned to the Highlands with Highland League side, Brora Rangers in October 2018 with the hope of securing a full-time contract in the coming weeks.

El Paso Locomotive

After a brief stint with Brora Rangers, Ross signed for American side El Paso Locomotive on a one-year deal with the option of a further year. On 18 December 2021, Ross and El Paso mutually agreed to part ways. ^[39]

Sacramento Republic

On 5 Janiuary 2022, Ross signed with USL Championship club Sacramento Republic. ^[40]

International career

Ross was selected by the Scotland national under-21 football team in November 2010. He scored a goal on his debut in a win over Northern Ireland, but did not feature in the squad again. ^[41]

Career statistics

As of 25 October 2019 ^{[42] [43]}

Club	Season	Division	League		National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Inverness Caledonian Thistle	2009–10	Scottish First Division	6	1	0	0	2	0	2	0	10	1
	2010–11	Scottish Premier League	34	1	2	0	3	0	0	0	39	1
	2011–12		29	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	32	2
	2012–13		21	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	22	3
	2013–14	Scottish Premiership	33	1	2	2	4	1	0	0	39	4
	2014–15		26	3	6	0	0	0	0	0	32	3
	Inverness Total		149	11	13	2	10	1	2	0	174	14
Dundee	2015–16	Scottish Premiership	37	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	42	1
	2016–17		19	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	21	0
	Dundee Total		56	1	4	0	3	0	0	0	63	1
Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe	2017–18	Liga I	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	2018–19		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brora Rangers	2018–19	Highland League	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
El Paso Locomotive	2019	USL Championship	29	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	2
Career total			241	14	19	2	13	1	2	0	275	16

Honours

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

• Scottish Cup  : 2014–15 ^[35]

References

1. "Rising young stars make their mark". Inverness Courier. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
2. "Inverness 1–1 Montrose (5–3 pen)". BBC Sport. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
3. "Nick's 70 up!". Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
4. "Inverness CT 0–0 Ayr United". BBC Sport. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
5. "Caledonian Thistle 1–0 Greenock Morton". BBC Sport. 13 March 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
6. "Winger loan deal blocked". Inverness Courier. 16 March 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
7. "Nick's golden week ends with silver". The Highland News. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
8. "Duo offered Caley deals". Sky Sports. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
9. "Nick Ross signs new Inverness Caley Thistle contract". BBC Sport. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
10. "Inverness CT 3 – 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
11. "Inverness CT 2–0 Hibernian". BBC Sport. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
12. "Butcher New contract offer on the way in bid to keep Rooney". Inverness Courier. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
13. "Double injury blow for Caley Thistle". Inverness Courier. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
14. "Dundee United 3–1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle". BBC Sport. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
15. "Terry Butcher: We'll look back and laugh". Highland News. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
16. "Dunfermline 1–1 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
17. "St Mirren 2–2 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
18. "Inverness CT 2 – 4 Celtic". BBC Sport. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
19. "Ross set for scan on injured shoulder". Inverness Courier. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
20. "Caley ace Shinnie insists Celtic loss was a one-off". Daily Record. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
21. "Inverness CT boss Terry Butcher: I was so chuffed to see us go joint top of SPL I laminated a pic of the table". Daily Record. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
22. "St Johnstone 0 Inverness CT 0: the goal-run ends as Caley draw blank in Perth". Daily Record. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
23. "Nick Ross aims to stay on course in his comeback from injury". Daily Record. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
24. "Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1–3 Celtic". BBC Sport. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
25. "Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1–1 Kilmarnock". BBC Sport. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
26. "Nick Ross wants Inverness to seal Europa League place before facing Ross County". Sky Sports. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
27. "Celtic 2 – 2 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
28. "Hibernian 0 Inverness CT 2: Inverness CT take all three points as potential Hibernian boss Terry Butcher watches on". Daily Record. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
29. "Inverness CT 4–0 Greenock Morton". BBC Sport. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
30. "Heart of Midlothian 2–2 Inverness CT aet (2–4 pens)". BBC Sport. 2 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
31. "Scottish Cup: Inverness CT 2–0 Stranraer". BBC Sport. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
32. Campbell, Andy (16 March 2014). "Aberdeen 0–0 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
33. "Potential new deal helping to drive Ross on". Inverness Courier. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
34. "Dundee: Nick Ross signs after Inverness Caledonian Thistle exit". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
35. Lamont, Alasdair (30 May 2015). "Inverness CT 2–1 Falkirk". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
36. Davie, Scott (2 January 2016). "Dundee 2–1 Dundee United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
37. "Nick Ross signs for Romanian club Sepsi after summer Dundee exit". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
38. "Former Inverness CT and Dundee midfielder Nick Ross joins Romanian side Sepsi". Daily Record. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
39. "El Paso Locomotive FC Parts Ways with Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer, Midfielder Nick Ross, and Forward Leandro Carrijo".
40. "Midfielder Nick Ross Joins Republic FC Ahead of 2022 Season". www.sacrepublicfc.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022.
41. "Jordan Rhodes is given Scotland U-21 chance". BBC Sport . BBC. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
42. Nick Ross at Soccerbase
43. Nick Ross at Soccerway

External links

• Nick Ross at Soccerbase