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Press and Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Ross County sign versatile ex-Sunderland defender as Steven Ferguson delivers update on Ronan Hale's future
Ross County's summer recruitment continues with the signing of versatile defender Ben Crompton. After leaving Premier League newcomers Sunderland, the 21-year-old has agreed to head to County on a pre-contract agreement, two-year deal. Crompton, who has experience playing right-back and centre back, never made a first-team appearance for the Black Cats but played 25 times for English National League side Tamworth last term. County manager Don Cowie explained why Crompton, who joins the club on July 1, fits the bill. He said: 'We are really happy Ben has chosen to join us. He had a really productive loan spell with Tamworth last season. He offers strong ability on the ball, as well as an imposing physical presence.' Crompton will join fellow defender Declan Gallacher, midfielder Ross Docherty and winger Gary Mackay-Steven as the new arrivals in Dingwall following the club's relegation from the Premiership last month. County, meanwhile, expect striker Ronan Hale to lead the line and fire the club back to the Premiership next season. The 26-year-old joined County on a three-year contract last summer when he moved to the Dingwall club from part-time NIFL Premiership side Cliftonville. Hale, who made his full Northern Ireland debut last week, has been linked to clubs around the country on the back of scoring 18 goals in all competitions in his debut term with the Highlanders. When asked about his club future last week, Hale said: 'I'm not sure at the moment. 'Obviously, we had a disappointing end to the season by being relegated, but it's one we need to look at and see what's best for my career.' County were relegated to the Championship after losing to the Premiership play-off final to Livingston last month. However, there is no question in County chief executive Steven Ferguson's mind that Hale will be checking into the Global Energy Stadium with the rest of his team-mates on Monday. He said: 'We encourage players wanting to improve themselves, but Ronan is under contract, and he will be reporting for pre-season training as part of the group that is going to try and win the Championship. 'The challenge for last season was that we lost Jack Baldwin, Yan Dhanda and Simon Murray and, with 10 games to go we thought we had achieved a good season, despite that. 'We are consistently the youngest team in the Premiership, and a lot of that is down to who we can recruit to the Highlands. 'We identified that, after another discussion between the chairman and I, we needed experienced knowledge alongside these talented youngsters. 'Noah Chilvers is 24 and Ronan Hale is 26, so we are getting guys that we believe are in their prime. 'That was part of the reason we brought these guys in on longer-term contracts, because we have seen them as part of the longer journey. 'That's still there, but there has been another path added which is this one year where we are fully focused on winning the Championship. 'I wouldn't be surprised if there is interest in more of our players, but the way that we do our business is that these players are under contract with us, and we look after our players. 'We'll give these players the opportunity to perform on a Saturday.' Ferguson explained that losing Simon Murray to Dundee last summer led to Hale becoming their number one target. County are going all out to win the Championship within one year and the feeling is it will take plenty of cash for any move to even be entertained, as Hale is too important within the team. He said: 'We invested in Ronan as a replacement for Simon Murray, and this is one of the things I was speaking about before where a lot of good things happened last year. 'Simon left having scored 20 (league) goals, and we got a good return on investment for the gamble we took two years ago. 'To get that was acceptable, and we wished Simon well when he went, but we had to replace him. 'Ronan Hale was earmarked as that person, and if you were to tell me that he would end up with 17 goals in his first season in the Premiership, I would have bitten both of your hands off. 'That was a good piece of business. (Chief scout) Greg Strong was involved in that, the manager was involved, and the chairman and I were both involved, so that was a real plus. 'Getting 17 goals in a team that was struggling to score was huge. He's just had a cap for Northern Ireland, so that raises his profile, but he's on a long-term contract to be a Ross County player.' Ferguson, who along with Stuart Kettlewell took County back to the Premiership in 2018-19 as co-managers, detailed how the squad is in healthy shape after eight players, excluding loanees, had moved on. He added: 'It's not just Ronan Hale who is still in contract – Akil Wright, Noah Chilvers, our two goalkeepers (Ross Laidlaw and Jordan Amissah) are too. 'I think we've got two Premiership goalkeepers, so that position is well and truly nailed down. 'George Harmon has played 100 Premiership games, Connor Randall has played over 250 career league games, we've got Eamonn Brophy coming back, Jordan White, Kieran Phillips who we chased for a long time – all of these guys are still under contract and hungry to play. 'Jay Henderson was nominated for player of the year in the Championship last season. We believed that him going and playing 40 games in the Championship would mean we had a more complete player next year. 'We thought we would be in the Premiership, and we're not, but the way his contract was structured he's still here and he will be with us in the Championship. 'We were after six signings, and we've got three over the line quickly, and we're hoping another three will follow to complement the players we have. 'That's not forgetting Andrew MacLeod and George Robesten, as academy graduates, who made inroads last year and played in Premiership games.'
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
Police find cannabis farm in Dingwall High Street property
Two men have been arrested after a cannabis farm was discovered in Dingwall's High Scotland said officers raided the property, in the town's main thoroughfare, under warrant at about 16:30 on Wednesday.A spokesperson said the men, who are aged 31 and 22, were arrested and charged. They were expected to appear in court spokesperson said inquiries were ongoing.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Water main work could close road at Dingwall for 13 weeks
A two-mile (1.2km) stretch of the A862 at Dingwall could be fully closed for more than three months while a water main is Water said it had hoped to use temporary traffic lights but several points on the road were found to be too narrow for that to be done closure on the Black Isle could last about 13 weeks between 7 July and 26 A862 provides access into Dingwall from the A9's roundabout on the north side of the Cromarty Bridge. A 13-mile (21km) diversion will be in place during the closure. Scottish Water said it discussed its plans with Highland Council. A convoy system was also ruled out for safety reasons.A Scottish Water spokesperson said: "Ultimately, the priority is that the works are carried out as safely as possible and to ensure the safety of both our workforce and members of the public."We fully understand the inconvenience this closure may cause, and we will look at what we can do to try and complete the works as soon as possible. "This will be dependent on what ground conditions we encounter when works begin."
Press and Journal
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Ross County striker Ronan Hale's uncertain 'what's best for my career' club future response in wake of Northern Ireland debut
Ross County striker Ronan Hale – fresh from making his Northern Ireland debut – tackled the topic of his Dingwall future. The forward, snapped up from Irish part-timers Cliftonville last summer, rattled in 18 goals in his first season in Scotland's top-flight. Unfortunately, those goals were not enough to spare the Staggies from the drop. Their play-off final defeat against Livingston means they'll kick off the new campaign in the Championship. Hale, who is under contract at the Global Energy Stadium until 2027, will cost any suitors serious cash and County boss Don Cowie will be desperate to keep him for a tilt at promotion straight back to the top-flight. Aberdeen were one of the clubs linked to Hale recently, although the Dons have set their sights elsewhere. Belfast-born Hale, who represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21 and under-19 levels, switched his eligibility to Northern Ireland last year and was handed a start in Monday's 1-0 Windsor Park win against Iceland – who beat Scotland 3-1 in Glasgow last Friday. Asked about his club future by Northern Ireland's Cool FM, Hale said: 'I'm not sure at the moment. 'Obviously, we had a disappointing end to the season by being relegated, but it's one we need to look at and see what's best for my career. 'It was a bad season (for the club), but I had a good season individually, so it's one we've got to look at and address.' Energetic Hale hit the woodwork and sliced a shot wide as he hunted a debut goal for his country. He added: 'With the first one, my eyes lit up. I actually think I hit it too well. 'With the second one, I tried to take it around the keeper and it just gets stuck under my feet. 'It wasn't meant to be, but I'm getting myself (into positions to make) these chances and I'd be raging with myself if I wasn't. 'More chances will come and I'm looking forward to it.' Hale said it had been a special night as he hopes to be involved in Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany. He added: 'I got my chance and I thought I done myself justice. It was a very enjoyable night coming out with a 1-0 win. 'I thought I was in the game and it's something I'm looking forward to building on and getting more (games) under my belt. 'It was all about not getting caught up in the moment. It's about enjoying it. These are special moments that will last forever. 'The manager was telling me to just be myself, be disciplined, and afterwards, he said congratulations and we want to build on that. 'It was a great night with a great result, and hopefully there will be many more to come.' County, meanwhile, have confirmed four of their players have returned from their loan spells – defenders Ricki Lamie (Hamilton) and Josh Reid (Partick Thistle), striker Eamonn Brophy (Falkirk) and winger Jay Henderson (Ayr United).
Press and Journal
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Declan Gallagher lowdown: Why signing the experienced defender is a 'massive coup' for Ross County
Liam Polworth ranks Ross County's signing of experienced defender Declan Gallagher as 'massive' as they bid to make an instant return to the Premiership. Don Cowie's side slipped out of top table last month for the first time since 2018, which was their only campaign in the second tier throughout the past 13 years. Goalkeeper Logan Ross, defenders Ryan Leak, James Brown and Connall Ewan, midfielders Charlie Telfer, Josh Nisbet and Scott Allardice as well as forward Alex Samuel have left Dingwall since their relegation play-off loss to Livingston last month. The first piece of the puzzle for their Championship charge was to sign freed Dundee United defender Gallagher, who helped Jim Goodwin's Tangerines to a fourth-place spot in the Premiership. Former ICT star Polworth, who plays for Kilmarnock, was a Motherwell team-mate of Gallacher from 2019 until 2021 and he told The Press and Journal what he thought of the one-year deal to bring the 34-year-old north. He said: 'It's a massive signing, especially after dropping down to the Championship. 'To bring in Declan, who helped Dundee United qualify for Europe. He was a mainstay in their team. 'It was somewhat surprising they let him go, given how strong they were defensively. 'So, for Ross County to attract him to Dingwall is a massive coup. 'Everyone's aim when they come out of the Premiership is to get back there as soon as possible. 'Ross County will have decent financial backing I think and they will be doing everything they can to get back up.' It was during his time at Motherwell that Gallagher earned nine Scotland caps and Inverness-born Polworth feels the ex-Aberdeen centre-half offers qualities County will need to keep the door locked in defence. He said: 'When he was at Motherwell, Declan was getting international recognition, which is another massive factor for Ross County, to bring someone in with such experience. 'He's always been a strong defender and maybe he doesn't get as much credit as he deserves. 'He plays the ball out effectively from the back and that might well be the way Ross County want to play. 'They will have targeted the defensive area as a starting point, given how they went out of the league and that's why getting Declan is is such a positive signing.' County, along with fellow relegated top-flight side St Johnstone, will be seen as the main teams to beat for the title next season. However, Partick Thistle, Ayr United, Raith Rovers and Dunfermline will all be expected to be promotion contenders and Polworth admits picking a possible champion is never easy. He added: 'Teams can start the season as clear favourites in the Championship, but it often never works out like that. 'You have to play teams so many times that there is always a chance for someone to come out of nowhere to win it, so it's a difficult league to predict.' Last season, League One winners Falkirk were the champions, pipping Livingston, who took the play-off route to their top-flight return. Polworth, who switched from Motherwell to Kilmarnock four summers ago, made 32 appearances for the Rugby Park side last term. Manager Derek McInnes has moved to become the Hearts boss, with ex-Ross County gaffer Stuart Kettlewell replacing him in Ayrshire. After finishing ninth last term, Polworth, who is under contract for another year in Ayrshire, is keen for Killie to aim high, after qualifying Europe in 2023-24 as a result of being fourth. He said: 'It's going well, and I really enjoy it down here. 'Kilmarnock are a good club to play for. 'I'm looking forward to working under Stuart Kettlewell. It's something different. 'When a new manager comes in, everyone is on a level playing field, and out to impress and hopefully we can do well. 'Our home form has been strong in recent years, including helping us to get European football last season. 'It the same for all teams, if you can win your home games and back that up with some good away wins you really can end up doing well.' New Caley Thistle code for articles (both parts):
