Bobby Ross (footballer, born 1942)

Bobby Ross
Ross while with Brentford in 1968.
Personal information
Full name Robert Herdman Ross[1]
Date of birth (1942-05-18) 18 May 1942
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Forward, midfielder
Youth career
Tynecastle Athletic
Musselburgh Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1963 Heart of Midlothian 24 (3)
1963–1966 Shrewsbury Town 99 (29)
1966–1972 Brentford 292 (52)
1972–1974 Cambridge United 65 (14)
1974–1978 Hayes 121 (19)
Teams managed
1974–1976 Hayes (assistant)
1976–1978 Hayes
1978 Hayes
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Robert Herdman Ross (born 18 May 1942) is a Scottish retired professional football forward, Midfielder and coach, best remembered for his six years as a player at Brentford, for whom he made 323 appearances. He spent over two decades working in the youth system at Queens Park Rangers, retiring in 2008.[2] He is a member of the Brentford Hall Of Fame.[3]

Playing career

Heart of Midlothian

Growing up in Edinburgh, Scotland, Ross began his career at local junior sides Tynecastle Athletic and Musselburgh Athletic, before signing for reigning Scottish League Division One champions Heart of Midlothian in November 1960.[4] His professional debut came on 1 April 1961, when aged just 18, he appeared in a 1–1 draw with Raith Rovers.[5] Ross made two further appearances towards the end of the 1960–61 season.[6] Still just 18, Ross began to force his way into the first team during the 1961–62 season, making 20 appearances and scoring three goals.[7] He also made his first European appearance for the club, playing in a 3–1 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round first leg victory over Union Saint-Gilloise on 27 September 1961.[8] Ross was frequently left out of the team during the 1962–63 season, making just 9 appearances and scoring no goals.[9] He departed the club in the summer of 1963, having made 32 appearances and scored four goals during his three seasons with Hearts.[4]

Shrewsbury Town

Ross moved to England and joined Division Three side Shrewsbury Town in the summer of 1963, arriving with other Scottish imports Eric Brodie and George Boardman. He made 39 appearances and scored five goals during the 1963–64 season. He improved his stats during the 1964–65 season, missing just two league games and scoring 19 goals, though his form couldn't help the Shrews improve on another mid-table finish. 1965–66 was another mid-table season for the Shrews, with Ross scoring five goals in 16 appearances. He departed the club in March 1966,[10] having made 99 league appearances and scored 29 goals for Shrewsbury Town during his two and a half seasons with the club.[1]

Brentford

Ross joined Division Three side Brentford in a £9,500 double deal with Shrewsbury Town teammate John Regan in March 1966.[11] In a troubled period for the West London club,[12] Ross' time with the Bees got off to a bad start, failing to score in 17 league appearances and suffering relegation to Division Four at the end of the campaign.[13] In Division Four, Ross quickly established himself as regular first team player, making 53 appearances and scoring 9 league goals during the 1966–67 season and winning the London Challenge Cup.[13][14] He made 44 appearances, but only managed to score two league goals during the 1967–68 season.[13] Ross registered his first double-digit tally of goals for the club during the 1969–70 season, scoring 13 league goals and appearing in all 46 league games.[13] Remarkably durable, a spell of 162 consecutive appearances meant that Ross continues to remain in second-place on the Brentford record consecutive appearances list.[14] Ross' greatest moment in a Brentford shirt came towards the end of the 1971–72 season, when he coolly converted a penalty against Exeter City to seal promotion back to Division Three.[15] He made only 9 appearances during the 1972–73 season before departing the club in October 1972,[10] after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.[16] Ross made 323 appearances during his six years with the Bees and scored 56 goals.[10] He spent much of his time as club captain.[10] Ross was recognised for his achievements in December 2013, when he was added to the Brentford Hall Of Fame.[3]

Cambridge United

Ross dropped back down to Division Four to sign for Cambridge United on a free transfer in October 1972.[10] He was an immediate hit with the club, making 32 league appearances and scoring 9 goals on the way to the club's first ever promotion to the third tier.[17][18] Back in Division Three, Ross made 33 league appearances and scored five goals during the 1973–74 season and he left the club after their relegation straight back to Division Four was confirmed at the end of the campaign.[17][19] He made 65 league appearances and scored 14 goals for the Us.[1]

Hayes

Ross returned to London to sign for Isthmian League Division One side Hayes in the summer of 1974.[19] Moving back into midfield, he made 121 appearances and scored 19 goals in four years with the club, retiring at the end of the 1977–78 season.[19]

Coaching career

Hayes

Ross took up coaching when he became player-assistant manager to player-manager Allan Harris at Hayes in 1974.[19] He remained in the role after Harris departed in March 1975, serving under Bob Gibbs until October 1976.[19]

Queens Park Rangers

Ross joined Queens Park Rangers' Centre Of Excellence as a coach in 1978.[2] When Rangers moved up to Academy status, Ross became Schoolboy Development Officer and also assisted at the club's training ground in his later years.[2] He retired from football in August 2008.[2]

Management career

Ross became Hayes' player-manager in October 1976.[19] He narrowly staved off relegation to the Isthmian League Division Two during the 1976–77 season and achieved a mid-table finish in the new Isthmian League Premier Division in 1977–78.[20] Ross was sacked in April 1978, only to be reinstated and sacked again two months later.[19]

Personal life

During the 1970s, Ross lived in Southall and worked at Associated Equipment Company as a chassis inspector.[19]

Honours

As a player

Cambridge United

Brentford

As an individual

Career statistics

Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Heart of Midlothian 1960–61[6] Scottish First Division 3 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 0
1961–62[7] 13 2 1 0 5 1 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 20 3
1962–63[9] 8 1 0 0 1 0 — 9 1
Total 24 3 1 0 6 1 1 0 32 4
Brentford 1965–66[13] Third Division 17 0 — — — 17 0
1966–67[13] Fourth Division 46 9 4 0 3 1 — 53 10
1967–68[13] 41 2 2 0 1 0 — 44 2
1968–69[13] 44 0 2 0 3 0 — 49 0
1969–70[13] 46 13 2 0 3 0 — 51 13
1970–71[13] 46 15 5 1 1 0 — 52 16
1971–72[13] 45 13 2 1 1 1 — 48 15
1972–73[13] Third Division 7 0 — 2 0 — 9 0
Total 292 52 17 2 14 2 — 323 56
Cambridge United 1972–73[17] Fourth Division 32 9 1 0 — — 33 9
1973–74[17] Third Division 33 5 4 0 3 1 — 40 6
Total 65 14 5 0 3 1 — 72 15
Career total 381 69 23 2 23 4 1 0 428 75

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Barry Hugman's Footballers – Bobby Ross". hugmansfootballers.com. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Administrator (28 August 2008). "QPR REPORT: QPR Coach Bobby Ross Retiring – (The Amended Statement)". Qprreport.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Chapman, Mark. "Trio Added To Brentford Fc Hall Of Fame". Brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Bobby Ross – Hearts Career – from 01 Apr 1961 to 10 Apr 1963". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "1961-04-01 Sat Raith Rovers 1 Hearts 1". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 "1960–61". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 "1961–62". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "1961-09-27 Wed Union St Gilloise 1 Hearts 3". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. 1 2 "1962–63". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 138. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  11. ↑ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 256.
  12. ↑ Scott Murray (3 May 2001). "QPR and Wimbledon in merger talks | Football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 388–392. ISBN 0951526200.
  14. 1 2 3 Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 82. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  15. 1 2 Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 46.
  16. ↑ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 70.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Bobby Ross at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  18. 1 2 "Football Club History Database – Cambridge United". fchd.info. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hayes & Yeading United FC: The Official Website". Hyufc.com. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  20. ↑ "Football Club History Database – Hayes". fchd.info. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  21. ↑ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the 70s. Legends Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1906796709.
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