![]() Ross Sykes in 2023 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ross James Sykes [1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 26 March 1999||
Place of birth | Burnley, England | ||
Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) [3] | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Union SG | ||
Number | 26 | ||
Youth career | |||
2010–2012 | Burnley | ||
2012–2016 | Accrington Stanley | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2022 | Accrington Stanley | 131 | (10) |
2017–2018 | → Southport (loan) | 6 | (0) |
2022– | Union SG | 57 | (8) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 February 2025 |
Ross James Sykes (born 26 March 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Belgian Pro League club Union SG. [4]
Sykes was born in Burnley, Lancashire and attended Unity College in the town. [5] He started his career with local side Burnley, playing for their youth team between the ages of eleven and thirteen before being released. [6] After nearly giving up the game he was persuaded to go on trial at Accrington Stanley by his mother and was later signed up by the club. [6] In May 2016, he signed his first professional contract on a two-year deal, despite being a first-year scholar. [6] He made his senior debut for the club in August 2016, starting in the 3–0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra in EFL Trophy group-stage. [7] Accrington exercised a contractual option at the end of the 2017–18 season to retain him. [8]
On 23 June 2022, Sykes joined Belgian First Division A side Union SG for an undisclosed fee. [9] [10] On 28 February 2024, he scored a goal in stoppage time of 2–0 victory over Club Brugge in the Belgian Cup semi-final second leg, which granted Union SG a 3–2 win on aggregate and qualification to their first final since 1914. [11]
Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | League cup [b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Accrington Stanley | 2016–17 [12] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 [c] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
2017–18 [13] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 [c] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
2018–19 [14] | League One | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 [c] | 1 | 26 | 4 | ||
2019–20 [15] | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 [c] | 2 | 39 | 3 | |||
2020–21 [16] | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 [c] | 0 | 14 | 1 | |||
2021–22 [17] | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 [c] | 0 | 44 | 3 | |||
Total | 101 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 131 | 11 | ||
Southport (loan) | 2017–18 [18] | National League North | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise | 2022–23 [19] | Belgian Pro League | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 [d] | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
2023–24 [20] | 24 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | 4 [e] | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | ||||
2024–25 [21] | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 [f] | 1 | — | 23 | 3 | ||||
Total | 57 | 8 | 10 | 1 | — | 16 | 1 | — | 83 | 10 | ||||
Career total | 164 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 21 | 3 | 220 | 21 |
Union SG