2019–20 Ross County F.C. season
| 2019–20 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Roy MacGregor | ||
| Manager | Steven Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell | ||
| Ground | Victoria Park Dingwall, Ross-shire (Capacity: 6,541) | ||
| Scottish Premiership | 10th | ||
| Scottish League Cup | Second Round | ||
| Scottish Cup | Fourth Round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Ross Stewart, Billy McKay (7) All: Ross Stewart, Billy McKay (11) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 6,575 vs Rangers (League) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 3,301 vs Livingston (League) | ||
|
| |||
The 2019–20 season was the club's 1st season back in the Scottish Premiership, the top flight of Scottish football, after being promoted as Champions from the Scottish Championship.[1] Ross County also competed in the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
Results & fixtures
Win Draw Loss Postponed
Pre-season
| 29 June 2019 Friendly | Nairn County | 0–3 | Ross County | Station Park, Nairn |
| 15:00 | Stewart Mckay MacBeath |
| 29 June 2019 Friendly | Forres Mechanics | 0–11 | Ross County | Mosset Park, Forres |
| 15:00 | Watson McManus Paton Murray Graham Armstrong |
| 7 July 2019 Friendly | GFA Deventer City | 1–3 | Ross County | Doorwerth, Netherlands |
| 19:00 | Watson Graham Stewart |
| 27 July 2019 Friendly | Ross County | 2–0 | Carlisle United | Victoria Park |
| 15:00 | Power 52' Vigurs 73' |
[1] | Attendance: 735 Referee: Steven McLean |
Scottish Premiership
| 3 August 2019 1 | Ross County | 3–0 | Hamilton Academical | Dingwall |
| 15:00 | Chalmers 30' Mckay 36' Stewart 57' |
Report | McKenna 1' MacKinnon 51' Oakley 71' |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,071 Referee: Alan Newlands |
| 10 August 2019 2 | Heart of Midlothian | 0–0 | Ross County | Edinburgh |
| 15:00 | Report | Morris 45' Kelly 73' Spittal 87' |
Stadium: Tynecastle Attendance: 15,652 Referee: Alan Muir |
| 24 August 2019 3 | Ross County | 1–4 | Livingston | Dingwall |
| 15:00 | Stewart 44' | Report | Guthrie 3' Lawless 14' Dykes 26' Stobbs 52' |
Stadium: Global Energy Stadium Attendance: 4,237 Referee: John Beaton |
| 31 August 2019 4 | Aberdeen | 3–0 | Ross County | Aberdeen |
| 15:00 | Leigh 34' Cosgrove 37' (pen.) Hedges 50' Ojo 51' Considine 73' |
Report | Stewart 27' | Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 13,006 Referee: Nick Walsh |
| 14 September 2019 5 | Ross County | 2–1 | St Mirren | Dingwall |
| 15:00 | Stewart 62' Fraser 90+2' |
Report | Andreu 72' | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 3,637 Referee: Colin Steven |
| 21 September 2019 6 | Motherwell | 1–2 | Ross County | Motherwell |
| 15:00 | Gallagher 58' Campbell 61' Carroll 78' 80' |
Report | Graham 75' Gardyne 84' Stewart 88' Spittal 90+4' |
Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 4,620 Referee: Alan Muir |
| 28 September 2019 7 | Kilmarnock | 0–0 | Ross County | Kilmarnock |
| 15:00 | Report | Gardyne 40' Fraser 82' |
Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 4,906 Referee: Alan Newlands |
| 5 October 2019 8 | Ross County | 2–2 | St Johnstone | Dingwall |
| 15:00 | Chalmers 10' Spittal 68' |
Report | May 24' Kennedy 51' |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,124 Referee: Euan Anderson |
| 19 October 2019 9 | Celtic | 6–0 | Ross County | Glasgow |
| Elyounoussi 4', 72' Édouard 46' McGregor 49' Fontaine 50' (o.g.) Forrest 55' |
Report | Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,560 Referee: Don Robertson |
| 26 October 2019 10 | Hibernian | 2–2 | Ross County | Edinburgh |
| Horgan 50' Allan 56' |
Report | Graham 72' Chalmers 90' |
Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 15,452 Referee: Steven Maclean |
| 30 October 2019 11 | Ross County | 0−4 | Rangers | Dingwall |
| 19:45 | Stewart 59' | Report | Morelos 20', 71' Jack 29', 37' |
Stadium: Global Energy Stadium Attendance: 6,575 Referee: Bobby Madden |
| 2 November 2019 12 | Hamilton Academical | 2–2 | Ross County | Hamilton |
| 15:00 | Smith 52' Oakley 64' Martin 90+3' |
Report | McKay 1' Graham 88' |
Stadium: New Douglas Park Attendance: 1,268 Referee: Colin Steven |
| 9 November 2019 13 | Ross County | 1–3 | Aberdeen | Aberdeen |
| 15:00 GMT | Mullin 5' (pen.) Morris 22' Fontaine 84' |
Report | McGinn 10' Hedges 52' Ferguson 64' Considine 70' |
Stadium: Global Energy Stadium Attendance: 6,510 Referee: Alan Newlands |
| 23 November 2019 14 | St Mirren | 2–1 | Ross County | Paisley |
| 15:00 | McLoughlin 43' Foley 88' |
Graham 24' | Stadium: St Mirren Park Attendance: 4,708 Referee: Euan Anderson |
| 1 December 2019 15 | Ross County | 1–4 | Celtic | Dingwall |
| Stewart 24' | Report | Christie 11', 38' Rogic 67' Johnston 73' |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 6,512 Referee: Nick Walsh |
| 4 December 2019 16 | Ross County | 2–1 | Hibernian | Dingwall |
| Stewart 65', 75' | Report | Doidge 34' | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,196 Referee: David Munro |
| 14 December 2019 17 | Ross County | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | Dingwall |
| Erwin 90+2' | Report | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 3,688 Referee: Alan Muir |
| 21 December 2019 18 | Livingston | 4 − 0 | Ross County | Almondvale Stadium |
| 15:00 | Lamie 31' Dykes 41', 50', 73' Sibbald 60' |
Report | Attendance: 1,201 Referee: Colin Steven |
| 26 December 2019 19 | Ross County | 1 – 2 | Motherwell | Dingwall |
| 15:00 GMT (UTC) | Spittal 24' Spence 48' 62' Foster 71' Fontaine 90+4' Graham 90+5' |
Report | Gallagher 49' 90+2' Maciver 81' Hartley 90+4' Polworth 90+5' |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,181 Referee: Greg Aitken |
| 29 December 2019 20 | St Johnstone | 1 − 1 | Ross County | McDiarmid Park |
| 15:00 | Hendry 84' | Report | Vigurs 72' Graham 68' 90+3' |
Attendance: 2,658 Referee: Bobby Madden |
| 22 January 2020 21 | Ross County | 0 – 0 | Heart of Midlothian | Dingwall |
| 19:45 | Vigurs 81' | Report | Souttar 90+2' | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,301 Referee: Gavin Duncan |
| 25 January 2020 22 | Celtic | 3 – 0 | Ross County | Glasgow |
| McGregor 37' (pen.) Bauer 51' Édouard 65', 68' |
Report | Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,785 Referee: Kevin Clancy |
| 29 January 2020 23 | Rangers | 2−0 | Ross County | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | Defoe 41' Arfield 47' Goldson 52' Polster 67' |
Report | Mullin 45' Spence 74' Kelly 76' Fraser 86' |
Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 47,583 Referee: Don Robertson |
| 1 February 2020 24 | Kilmarnock | 3–1 | Ross County | Kilmarnock |
| 15:00 | Brophy 54', 57' Kabamba 82' |
Report | Vigurs 25' | Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 4,733 Referee: Willie Collum |
| 5 February 2020 25 | Ross County | 2–0 | Livingston | Dingwall |
| 19:45 | McKay 2', 59' | Report | Stadium: Global Energy Stadium Attendance: 3,301 Referee: Nick Walsh |
| 12 February 2020 26 | Hibernian | 3–0 | Ross County | Edinburgh |
| 19:45 | McNulty 7' Doidge 41' Jackson 84' |
Report | Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 14,486 Referee: Steven McLean |
| 15 February 2020 27 | Ross County | 1–1 | St Johnstone | Dingwall |
| 15:00 | McKay 90+4' | Report | May 33' | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 3,569 Referee: Colin Dteven |
| 22 February 2020 28 | Aberdeen | 1–2 | Ross County | Aberdeen |
| 15:00 | Main 28' Campbell 18' 32' |
Report | McKay 43', 88' | Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 14,860 Referee: Gavin Duncan |
| 4 March 2020 29 | Motherwell | 4 – 1 | Ross County | Motherwell |
| 19:45 | O'Hara 17' Aarons 20' Campbell 25', 75' Tait 65' Watt 90+3' |
Report | Fontaine 3' Morris 16' Vigurs 64' Stewart 80' |
Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 3,191 Referee: Alan Muir |
| 8 March 2020 30 | Ross County | 0−1 | Rangers | Dingwall |
| 12:00 | Fontaine 12' Stewart 56' Spittal 90+1' Morris 90+5' |
Report | Kent 77' | Stadium: Global Energy Stadium Attendance: 6,400 Referee: Andrew Dallas |
Scottish League Cup
| 13 July 2019 | Ross County | 4–1 | Montrose | Dingwall |
| 15:00 | Mullin 7' Stewart 13', 46' Mckay 85' |
[2] | Lyons 18' Allan 51' |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 1,159 Referee: Chris Fordyce |
| 16 July 2019 | Brechin City | 0–4 | Ross County | Brechin |
| 19:45 | [3] | Stewart 33', 44' Mckay 49' Spittal 75' |
Stadium: Glebe Park Attendance: 272 Referee: Alan Newlands |
| 21 July 2019 | St Johnstone | 1–2 | Ross County | Perth |
| 15:00 | Tanser 8' (pen.) Craig 73' |
Mckay 30', 45+1' Vigurs 63' |
Stadium: McDiarmid Park Attendance: 1,648 Referee: Bobby Madden |
| 24 July 2019 | Ross County | 2–0 | Forfar Athletic | Dingwall |
| 19:45 | Graham 15', 76' | [2] | Bain 66' | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 1,002 Referee: Willie Collum |
| 17 August 2019 | Partick Thistle | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Ross County | Glasgow |
| 15:00 | [3] | Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,053 Referee: Steven McLean |
Scottish Cup
| 18 January 2020 | Ayr United | 1–0 | Ross County | Ayr |
| 15:00 | Bell 37' | Report | Stadium: Somerset Park Attendance: 1,538 Referee: Andrew Dallas |
Squad statistics
Appearances
As of 8 March 2020
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Premiership | Scottish Cup | League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | SCO | Ross Laidlaw | 22 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | SCO | Marcus Fraser(c) | 31 | 1 | 25+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Sean Kelly | 23 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Liam Fontaine | 27 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | NIR | Callum Morris | 19 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Ross Draper | 12 | 0 | 8+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | SCO | Michael Gardyne | 17 | 0 | 13+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | SCO | Lee Erwin | 19 | 1 | 11+6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | NIR | Billy Mckay | 33 | 11 | 22+5 | 7 | 0+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 4 |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Iain Vigurs | 22 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Tom Grivosti | 8 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | SCO | Josh Mullin | 32 | 2 | 21+6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 |
| 15 | DF | SCO | Keith Watson | 20 | 0 | 14+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | SCO | Lewis Spence | 15 | 0 | 10+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | SCO | Richard Foster | 21 | 0 | 19+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Oli Shaw | 7 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | SCO | Blair Spittal | 26 | 4 | 10+10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4+1 | 2 |
| 21 | GK | ENG | Nathan Baxter | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Jordan Tillson | 8 | 0 | 5+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | SCO | Joe Chalmers | 19 | 3 | 6+8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | CAN | Harry Paton | 23 | 1 | 11+8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 25 | DF | SCO | Coll Donaldson | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | SCO | Don Cowie | 9 | 0 | 7+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | SCO | Ross Stewart | 26 | 11 | 19+2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4+1 | 4 |
| 38 | DF | SCO | Ruari Fraser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | GK | ENG | Tommy Dixon-Hodge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | DF | SCO | Josh Reid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | FW | SCO | Matthew Wright | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left the club during the season | |||||||||||
| 8 | MF | SCO | Jamie Lindsay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Ewan Henderson | 10 | 0 | 6+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Brian Graham | 23 | 6 | 5+13 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+2 | 2 |
| 22 | MF | IRL | Simon Power | 4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | SCO | Jack Ruddy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | MF | SCO | Mark Gallagher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goalscorers
| Rank | Pos. | Player | Premiership | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ST | Ross Stewart | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| ST | Billy Mckay | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | |
| 3 | ST | Brian Graham | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | MF | Blair Spittal | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | MF | Joe Chalmers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | MF | Iain Vigurs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Josh Mullin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 | DF | Liam Fontaine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | Marcus Fraser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| FW | Lee Erwin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| MF | Harry Paton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals | 29 | 0 | 14 | 43 | ||
| Last updated: 4 March 2020 | ||||||
Team statistics
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Kilmarnock | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 33 | 1.10 | |
| 9 | St Mirren | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 24 | 41 | −17 | 29 | 0.97 | |
| 10 | Ross County | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 29 | 0.97 | |
| 11 | Hamilton Academical | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 30 | 50 | −20 | 27 | 0.90 | |
| 12 | Heart of Midlothian (R) | 30 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 23 | 0.77 | Relegation to the Championship |
Source: BBC SPFL
Rules for classification: 1) Points per game; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-Head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only if deciding champion, UEFA competitions qualification, second stage group allocation or relegation).[5]
(R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points per game; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-Head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only if deciding champion, UEFA competitions qualification, second stage group allocation or relegation).[5]
(R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
League Cup table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ROS | FOR | MON | STJ | BRE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross County | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 12 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | 2–0 | 4–1 | — | — | |
| 2 | Forfar Athletic | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Montrose | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 5 | — | 1–4 | — | 1–0 | — | ||
| 4 | St Johnstone | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 3 | 1–2 | — | — | — | 4–0 | ||
| 5 | Brechin City | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1p | — | — |
Source: [6]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.[7]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.[7]
Transfers
See also
Notes and references
- ^ "Ross County secure title and promotion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Ross County v Forfar Athletic". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Crawford, Kenny (17 August 2019). "Partick Thistle 3–2 Ross County (AET): Steven Saunders the hero for hosts". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ "Dundee Utd, Raith & Cove win titles and reconstruction talks start after Dundee vote". BBC Sport. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ "The Rules of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). SPFL. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Summary - League Cup Group B". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Format". SPFL. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- ^ "Joe Chalmers: Ross County to sign Inverness CT player". BBC Sport. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ "Ross County sign goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw on pre-contract deal". Press and Journal. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ Smith, Tyrone (4 June 2019). "Ross County: Blair Spittal out to 'rebuild reputation' after Partick Thistle exit". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "County sign Chelsea goalkeeper on season-long loan". Press and Journal. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "In-demand Norwich City winger seals loan switch to Scottish top-flight". Eastern Daily Press. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Ross County sign goalkeeper Jack Ruddy on a six-month deal". BBC Sport. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ "Ross County sign goalkeeper Jack Ruddy on a six-month deal". BBC Sport. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ "Steven Mackay sold Greg Morrison on Brora Rangers move after Ross County release". 25 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ "Callum Semple leaves Ross County". Press and Journal. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Scott Fox: Goalkeeper leaves Ross County after talks breakdown". BBC Sport. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ "Declan joins McKinnon's Bairns on Loan". Ross County FC. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Skinner, Andy (24 July 2019). "Lindsay leaves County to join Rotherham". Press & Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ "Keny van der Weg: Defender leaves Ross County to return to Holland". BBC Sport. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.