Bobby Ross (footballer, born 1942)

Bobby Ross
Personal information
Full name Robert Herdman Ross[1]
Date of birth (1942-05-18) 18 May 1942 (age 81)
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) 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)
Managerial career
1976–1978 Hayes
1978 Hayes
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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

Playing career

Heart of Midlothian

Growing up in Edinburgh, Scotland, Ross began his career at local junior clubs Tynecastle Athletic and Musselburgh Athletic, before signing for reigning Scottish League First Division champions Heart of Midlothian in November 1960.[2] His professional debut came on 1 April 1961, when aged just 18, he appeared in a 1–1 draw with Raith Rovers.[3] Ross made two further appearances towards the end of the 1960–61 season.[4] Still aged just 18, Ross began to force his way into the first team during the 1961–62 season and made 20 appearances, scoring three goals.[5] 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.[6] Ross was frequently left out of the team during the 1962–63 season and made just 9 appearances.[7] He departed the club in June 1963,[1] after making 32 appearances and scoring four goals during his three seasons at Tynecastle.[2]

Shrewsbury Town

Ross moved to England and joined Third Division club Shrewsbury Town in June 1963.[1] 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.[8] 1965–66 was another mid-table season for the Shrews,[8] with Ross scoring five goals in 16 appearances. He departed the club in March 1966,[9] after making 99 league appearances and scoring 29 goals for Shrewsbury Town during his 2+1⁄2 seasons with the club.[1]

Brentford

Ross joined Third Division club Brentford in a £9,500 double deal with Shrewsbury Town teammate John Regan in March 1966.[10] In a troubled period for the West London club,[11] Ross' time with the Bees got off to a bad start, failing to score in 17 league appearances and suffering relegation to the Fourth Division at the end of the campaign.[12] In the Fourth Division, 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.[12][13] He was placed on the transfer list at his own request in 1968, but the matter was resolved during the 1968–69 pre-season.[14] Ross registered his first double-digit tally of goals for the club during the 1969–70 season, scoring 13 league goals and featuring as an ever-present in league matches.[12] Remarkably durable, a spell of 162 consecutive appearances meant that as of November 2023, Ross continues to remain in second-place on the Brentford record consecutive appearances list.[13]

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 the Third Division.[15] He made only 9 appearances during the 1972–73 season before departing the club in October 1972,[9] after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.[16] Ross made 323 appearances during his six years with the Bees and scored 56 goals.[9] He spent much of his time as club captain.[9] Ross was recognised for his achievements in December 2013, when he was added to the Brentford Hall Of Fame.[17]

Cambridge United

Ross dropped back down to the Fourth Division to sign for Cambridge United on a free transfer in October 1972.[9] 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.[18][19] Back in the Third Division, 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 the Fourth Division was confirmed at the end of the campaign.[18][20] He made 65 league appearances and scored 14 goals for the Us.[1]

Hayes

Ross returned to London to sign for Isthmian League First Division club Hayes during the 1974 off-season.[20] Moving back into midfield, he made 121 appearances and scored 19 goals in four years with the club and retired at the end of the 1977–78 season.[20]

Managerial and coaching career

Hayes

Ross took up coaching when he became player-assistant manager to player-manager Allan Harris at Hayes in 1974.[20] He remained in the role after Harris departed in March 1975, serving under Bob Gibbs until October 1976, when he became Hayes' player-manager.[20] He narrowly staved off relegation to the Isthmian League Second Division during the 1976–77 season and achieved a mid-table finish in the new Isthmian League Premier Division in 1977–78.[21] Ross was sacked in April 1978, only to be reinstated and sacked again two months later.[20]

Queens Park Rangers

Ross joined Queens Park Rangers' Centre Of Excellence as a coach in 1978.[22] 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.[22] He retired from football in August 2008.[22]

Personal life

During the 1970s, Ross lived in Southall and worked at Associated Equipment Company as a chassis inspector.[20]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Heart of Midlothian 1960–61[4] Scottish First Division 3 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 0
1961–62[5] Scottish First Division 13 2 1 0 5 1 1[c] 0 20 3
1962–63[7] Scottish First Division 8 1 0 0 1 0 — 9 1
Total 24 3 1 0 6 1 1 0 32 4
Brentford 1965–66[12] Third Division 17 0 — — — 17 0
1966–67[12] Fourth Division 46 9 4 0 3 1 — 53 10
1967–68[12] Fourth Division 41 2 2 0 1 0 — 44 2
1968–69[12] Fourth Division 44 0 2 0 3 0 — 49 0
1969–70[12] Fourth Division 46 13 2 0 3 0 — 51 13
1970–71[12] Fourth Division 46 15 5 1 1 0 — 52 16
1971–72[12] Fourth Division 45 13 2 1 1 1 — 48 15
1972–73[12] Third Division 7 0 — 2 0 — 9 0
Total 292 52 17 2 14 2 — 323 56
Cambridge United 1972–73[18] Fourth Division 32 9 1 0 — — 33 9
1973–74[18] 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
  1. ^ Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes Scottish League Cup, Football League Cup
  3. ^ Appearance in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

Honours

Cambridge United

Brentford

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Bobby Ross". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Bobby Ross – Hearts Career – from 01 Apr 1961 to 10 Apr 1963". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  3. ^ "1961-04-01 Sat Raith Rovers 1 Hearts 1". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "1960–61". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b "1961–62". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. ^ "1961-09-27 Wed Union St Gilloise 1 Hearts 3". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  7. ^ a b "1962–63". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. ^ a b Shrewsbury Town F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  9. ^ a b c d e Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 138. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 256.
  11. ^ Murray, Scott (3 May 2001). "QPR and Wimbledon in merger talks | Football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 388–392. ISBN 0951526200.
  13. ^ a b c Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 82. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  14. ^ "Brentford Chairman's Optimism. Bobby Ross Comes Off The List". Middlesex Chronicle. July 1968.
  15. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 46.
  16. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 70.
  17. ^ a b Chapman, Mark. "Trio Added To Brentford FC Hall Of Fame". Brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  18. ^ a b c d e Bobby Ross at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  19. ^ a b Cambridge United F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  20. ^ a b c d e f g "Roddis – Ryan". Hayes & Yeading United FC: The Official Website. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  21. ^ Hayes F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  22. ^ a b c "QPR Coach Bobby Ross Retiring – (The Amended Statement)". QPR Report. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  23. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the 70s. Legends Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1906796709.