Latest news with #RossCounty
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ross County relegated: How will it affect life in Dingwall?
Highland club Ross County's battle for survival in the Scottish Premiership fizzled out with a 4-2 defeat to Livingston on Monday has left the Staggies - and its home town of Dingwall - facing a potentially challenging season in the Championship, both on and off the and pubs have enjoyed a boost to takings from hosting large crowds of visiting fans from teams like Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen. Will a move into the lower leagues have an impact beyond football? Raffael Santos owns The Mallard - a pub on Dingwall Station's platform and a few minutes walk from the stadium. It is regularly packed out on home match days, with about 35-40% of business coming from visiting fans. But like many Ross County fans, he is hopeful their spell in the Championship is short-lived. "A lot of the town's businesses survive from big games like Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen," Mr Santos said. "We'll need to work hard to make the business keep going, but hopefully next year they are back into the Scottish premier league." Big games were also profitable for The Legion chairman Mike Murray said: "We got coaches of supporters booked in - like Hearts, Aberdeen and Hibs. They'd tend to phone two-three weeks before a game. "We could have 150 to 200 supporters through in the function room, and a good Saturday was a boost to the club." Leia Stephen, co-owner of the National Hotel, is experiencing the effects of relegation for the first time. County was last relegated in Stephen said home games have been helpful to the business during quieter winter tourist seasons."Football fans usually just stay one night but sometimes make a weekend out of it," she added."Our bar and restaurant host away and home supporters." The Championship is a highly competitive league, but experts say it will not match the financial benefits of playing in the big league brought to a small Maguire, a University of Liverpool football finance lecturer, said County will miss the revenue near-capacity attendances that visits by bigger clubs said the Staggies could lose at least £500,000 because of lower gate receipts, having fewer televised games and less prize with an already tight wage bill, he warned there is "not a lot of fat to cut" to help make savings. But councillor Graham MacKenzie said one of County's strengths was that it was deeply rooted in the he worked as a teacher he was impressed by how many young people chose the Staggies over a bigger club."It's come as a bit of a blow to everyone," Mr MacKenzie said of relegation."It's not so many months ago we had high high hopes we could finish in the top six."But he believes both town - home to about 5,500 people - and club have the resilience to cope with the coming season. Bruce Ritchie, one of many Staggies fans in Dingwall pondering the future outside the Premiership, said football was important to the town. "I'm really proud of the fact that we've been in the top division for so many years. "It's going to be a big miss."Other Staggies fans might be hurting, but they are far from sore losers. "I just felt Ross County weren't good enough, I'm afraid," conceded fan Panja Bethune."It's a shame that they've been relegated. "Livingston were the better team on the day."George Meiklejohn agreed his club were beaten by a good, strong added: "But they've bounced back once before and I'm sure they will again." Another fan, County Kebab takeaway manager Alex Toward, says regardless of where the club is in the leagues it should be proud."This area is not big and not very well-known - yes, everyone knows of Scotland and the Highlands - but not many think of Dingwall specifically," he says."I think the fact they (Ross County) are trying so hard to make a name for themselves and have come so far, they should be impressed and proud of their achievements."
Scottish Sun
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
I was caught up in shocking football fan violence as rival supporters from Scottish clubs battled – I was nearly bottled
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LABOURER is telling us about the moment he was nearly hit with a glass bottle as violence erupted before the Scottish Premiership play-off final. Kenan Widdows, 24, was walking through the usually quiet town of Dingwall, when he came across a large group of youths near the train station. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Kenan Widdows was caught up in the carnage in Dingwall Credit: Kenan Widdows 3 Ross County and Livingston fans fight Credit: Kenan Widdows 3 Kenan is a former World and European champion piper Credit: Kenan Widdows It was ahead of the second-leg clash between Ross County and Livingston, and came after a spitting incident in the first leg. At first, Kenan said it was fairly jovial as fans congregated ahead of Monday's big game. But then "chaos ensued" and he thinks around 100 youths started squaring up. Kenan, from Invergordon, says it quickly got nasty as other innocent by-standers got caught up in the melee. He told SunSport: "There were boys that were smacked over the head with flagpoles. "There were glass bottles being thrown - one just went right over my head and smashed at my feet. "I was a bit shocked, and relieved it didn't hit me. "It could have cracked my head open if it had. "There were a few people trying to stop it, but they couldn't get through to the young ones fighting. "They are lucky no one was hurt, with bottles being thrown and glass being smashed. "It was careless, they had no consideration for anyone around them." Moment David Martindale swarmed by Livingston fans as he celebrates dramatic comeback with punters during pitch invasion Kenan was so stunned by the scenes unfolding in front of him, he had to get his phone out to capture the carnage. He says the video has gone viral with almost a million views on TikTok. But the former World and European champion piper says he would have acted differently if his young son had been by his side, and is relieved he wasn't. He said: "I was half expecting to be swung at, but I think all the youths made the wise decision not to do that! "It was quite intense. It was very violent initially and then it simmered down after a few minutes. "It was mental to see it. "There was one boy who took a good whack to the head. I found him afterwards and made sure he was okay. "Boys from both sides of the fight were really lucky nobody was hurt considering the weapons being used and glass bottles being thrown. "I'm very lucky my son wasn't there, obviously, if he was I wouldn't have been anywhere near it. "I'm in Dingwall quite frequently and it's not something I've seen before, it's not something that happens. "I do feel like the travelling fans were instigating it - they were the only ones that had weapons, the Ross County fans were using their fists. "It was just a bit chaotic for a Monday evening!" Police Scotland confirmed to the Scottish Sun that they were aware of the incident. A police spokesperson said: 'Around 8.10pm on Monday, 26 May, 2025, we received a report of a disturbance on High Street, Dingwall. 'The group dispersed, and no injuries were reported. 'Enquiries are ongoing.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Ex-Hamilton Accies ace played key role in Livingston promotion win
Lewis Smith scored the goal that sparked a Livi fightback to beat Ross County and regain their place in the top flight Play-off king Lewis Smith bagged the goal that breathed new life into Livingston's Premiership play-off final win at Ross County and said it's am unbelievable feeling. Smith, 25, has been in play-offs in each of the last three years, winning promotion at Livingston and Hamilton, but also being relegated to League One at Accies, and is delighted to have played such a big part in reclaiming Premiership football next season. The former Hamilton star said: 'I've been in the play-offs for three years in a row, now, so it's nice to get some time off. 'We'll be working hard, but it has been a while since I've been in the Premiership, so I'm excited to get back to it. 'It's unbelievable. It has been a long season, but to get promotion at the end of it makes it all worth it. 'When I signed for Livi, the gaffer was very clear in his aims to get straight back into the top flight, and that's part of the reason I joined. 'He has had full belief all season that we could do that, whether it was by winning the title or through the play-offs, and it was good to finally get it over the line.' On his goal, Smith said: 'When I got the ball I hurdled a couple of challenges, and it opened up for me, so I kept going. I knew I had to shoot low and hard across the face of the goalie, and thankfully it went in the bottom corner. 'I think we had to find a bit of a spark before half-time, because if you go in still 2-0 down, it becomes a really hard second half. "Thankfully I was able to provide something. The boys were unbelievable, the goals were brilliant, and it was great."
The National
2 days ago
- Sport
- The National
I just helped Livi return to Premiership, here's my big Rangers target
The 22-year-old made six first-team appearances last campaign before being sent out on loan to Livingston midway through. Read more: Fraser played the full 90 in each of the West Lothian club's Scottish Premiership play-off final legs with Ross County, helping them to a 5-3 aggregate win. "It had all the emotions," he told "We had a poor start to the game, but the boys battled back, showed great character, and we rightfully deserved to win the game and gain promotion. "I loved [the play-offs]. It was high-pressure games, which is exactly the type of experience that I needed if I want to go back to Rangers and perform. "I really needed to learn the physical side; long balls and second balls. Each game was different in the Championship; one game can be ball on the ground with a good pitch and then the next game can be long balls and fighting for scraps. "At Rangers, it's more possession-based and you're trying to take the game to other teams. I just had to adapt in any way possible." Although it remains to be seen who will be in charge at Ibrox next season, Fraser is relishing his opportunity to return and challenge for a place in the team: "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "I'll firstly enjoy my break and switch off, but I'll be preparing as hard as ever to go in as ready as I can be. "There's a lot of excitement and fresh eyes, so it's about keeping myself in the best shape possible and trying to impress. "I feel in a much better place in all parts of my game. I was also able to stay fit when I was out on loan, which is important for any manager coming in and seeing that I'm fit and available. "I've got the games under my belt and have experience, so I'm in a good place to go and kick on at Rangers. "I wanted to prove that I could get a run of games to show what I can do at both a consistent level and the top end of a league. 'It went almost perfect, but I know it's a massive season going back to Rangers."
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
David Martindale would rather quit than have Livingston 'survive' in the Premiership
Martindale says the West Lothian club must be looking to challenge in the top flight Livingston boss David Martindale says he would rather quit the club than take them up to the Premiership just to 'survive'. The Lions sealed an immediate return to the top flight as they beat Ross County 4-2 in Dingwall in the play-off final on Monday, winning 5-3 on aggregate. In doing so, they became the first club to win a Premiership play-off twice, and the first Livingston team to seal a promotion and cup double in a single season. Martindale says there's an exciting summer ahead for the West Lothian club, especially with the backing of new owner Calvin Ford. He said: 'Not last year but the season before [2022-23], the season kind of petered out and it was a struggle. It was a difficult season, but we stayed in the Premiership, and I was actually thinking about my own future. 'Do I want to keep being at the club, when we were constantly fighting? You're pushing water up a hill week after week, and putting fires out, and I felt I couldn't leave the club at that point, because we were in the midst of court cases and I didn't want to walk out the club when it needed people to fight for it. 'I stayed on, then we got relegated, and I felt how hard it was in the previous two seasons, and if I felt we were going back to the Premiership and we were going to be putting fires out and pushing water up a hill, I genuinely would call it a day and probably look elsewhere. I would leave with my head held high, in taking Livingston back to the Premiership. 'I think we've got a genuine opportunity to go and compete. I'm not talking about competing for the top four, I'm saying survival can't be our goal. 'That can't be what we're aiming to do, every season in the Premiership. I know, realistically, putting it into perspective, it probably is, but it's not where I want to be and it's not what I want to do.' Martindale added: 'As a club we now have good owners behind us, there's a good skill-set in the building, and I'm hoping it's going to give us a wee bit of a better platform, so we're not approaching playing in the Premiership, and looking on it as survival – we want to compete. 'For me it's not just about survival, there has to be more, and I feel that Calvin can help push the club in the right direction. 'Financial backing is massive for a club. If I was going into that game – me, (CEO) Dave Black and (ex-chairman) John Ward, with no new ownership model behind us, the pressure would have been unbelievable, because we really probably needed Premiership football to keep people at the club, to keep the club afloat. 'Calvin sent me a message before the game and said 'we all want to be in the Premiership and playing at the top level, but if it doesn't happen this year, let's make sure it happens next year' and that alleviated a lot of pressure on me. 'It allowed me, for probably the first time in many a season, to go into a game focused on being the football manager, and not looking at aspects of the business that it would have an impact on. 'I just feel that it's the first time this club is in a good place on and off the park, so there's a real support network there with Calvin. 'I think we're going to reap the benefits from having an owner with his kind of skill-set behind us, I think it's going to be absolutely pivotal for the club.'
