Ross Davidson (footballer, born 1989) explained

Ross Davidson
Fullname:Ross Davidson[1]
Birth Date:6 September 1989
Birth Place:Burton upon Trent, England
Height:1.86m[2]
Position:Midfielder
Currentclub:Leek Town
Youthclubs1:Port Vale
Years1:2008–2010
Clubs1:Port Vale
Caps1:26
Goals1:0
Years2:2009
Clubs2:Stafford Rangers (loan)
Years3:2009–2010
Clubs3:Nantwich Town (loan)
Years4:2010
Clubs4:Stafford Rangers (loan)
Years5:2010
Years6:2011
Clubs6:Hednesford Town
Years7:2011–2012
Years8:2012
Clubs8:Leek Town
Caps8:10
Goals8:0
Years9:2012–2013
Clubs9:New Mills
Years10:2013
Clubs10:Nantwich Town
Years11:2013–2014
Clubs11:Witton Albion
Years12:2014–2018
Years13:2018–2022
Clubs13:Trafford
Caps13:73
Goals13:5
Years14:2022–
Clubs14:Leek Town
Caps14:57
Goals14:0
Club-Update:20:15, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Ross Davidson (born 6 September 1989) is an English footballer who play as a midfielder for side Leek Town.

A youth player at Port Vale, he was a professional at the club from 2008 to 2010. After two loan spells at Stafford Rangers and one at Nantwich Town, he signed permanently with Stafford in 2010. He soon switched clubs to Hednesford Town before joining Kidsgrove Athletic in 2011. He switched to Leek Town in July 2012 and joined New Mills in December 2012. He moved on to Nantwich Town the following year before playing for Witton Albion. He returned to Kidsgrove Athletic in November 2014. He spent four years with Kidsgrove before spending 2018 to 2022 with Trafford. He rejoined Leek Town in January 2022 and helped the club to win the Northern Premier League Division One West title in the 2023–24 campaign.

Career

Davidson, a product of the Port Vale youth team, was handed his professional contract at the end of the 2007–08 season. By his second season, he was a first-team regular; he received his first sending off against Brentford for a 34th-minute slide challenge on Karleigh Osborne. He received a three-match ban but was supported by his teammates, parents, and a Vale supporting Priest, who visited him in the locker room to give Davidson support.[3] Assistant manager Ian Brightwell believed the challenge did not warrant a sending off[4] and the club appealed the ban, to no avail.[5] Despite being a regular in the first half of the season, he played just four games of the 2009 end. He considered leaving the game,[6] but in June 2009 signed a new 12-month deal with the club.[7]

He joined Conference North side Stafford Rangers on loan in August 2009.[8] At the same time he was also transfer listed by Vale manager Micky Adams, along with five other youngsters.[9] [10] With his prospects at Vale Park limited, Rangers were keen to extend the loan deal,[11] after Davidson was impressive in his first six games for the club. However, he instead returned to Vale Park. In December that year he joined nearby Nantwich Town on loan,[12] a team mid-table in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.[13] In January the loan deal was extended by a further month.[14] In March 2010 he was informed that he would not be offered a new contract by the "Valiants" at the end of the season,[15] and immediately re-joined Stafford Rangers on loan until the expiry of their contracts.[16]

Expected to join Rangers permanently in summer 2010,[17] Davidson was hopeful of playing higher-level football,[18] but did however, sign with Rangers. Before the end of the season he switched clubs to Hednesford Town of the Southern League Premier Division.[19] Following defeat in the play-off final to Salisbury City and a second-place finish in the 2010–11 season, Hednesford were moved to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. In summer 2011, he joined Northern Premier League Division One South club Kidsgrove Athletic. The club finished in 13th place in 2011–12. He switched to Leek Town in July 2012,[20] before leaving Harrison Park and moving on to New Mills in December 2012.[21] He joined Nantwich Town of the Northern Premier League Premier Division for the 2013–14 season.[22] He later moved on to Witton Albion, making his debut on 25 March 2014. He played nine games in the 2013–14 season and scored two goals from sixteen in the 2014–15 campaign.[23] [24] He returned to Kidsgrove Athletic in November 2014.[25] The "Grove" finished 20th in the Northern Premier League Division One South in 2014–15, 15th in 2015–16, and 12th in 2016–17. He scored two goals in the 2016–17 season.[26] Athletic finished 18th in the 2017–18 season.

Davidson signed with Trafford in summer 2018.[27] He scored two goals in twenty games during the 2018–19 season and featured 33 times in the 2019–20 season, which was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. He played nine games in the 2020–21 season, which was also abandoned. He rejoined Leek Town in January 2022, making his second debut for the club almost ten years after his first spell had ended.[28] He featured 13 times in the second half of the 2021–22 season. He made 38 appearances in the 2022–23 season, including in the play-off semi-final defeat to Runcorn Linnets. Leek were crowned Northern Premier League Division One West champions at the end of the 2023–24 season.[29]

Personal life

Born in Burton upon Trent, Davidson attended Thomas Alleyne's High School.[30] He grew up an Arsenal fan.

Career statistics

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueFA CupLeague CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale2007–08League One3000000030
2008–09League Two230101000250
2009–10League Two0000000000
Total260101000280
Hednesford Town2010–11[31] Southern League
Premier Division
291
Leek Town2013–14[32] Northern Premier League
Division One South
100411020171
Witton Albion2013–14Northern Premier League
Premier Division
90
2014–15Northern Premier League
Premier Division
162
Total!252
Trafford2018–19[33] Northern Premier League
Division One West
182002000202
2019–20Northern Premier League
Division One West
261302020331
2020–21Northern Premier League
Division One West
6020001090
2021–22Northern Premier League
Division One West
232200000252
Total735704030875
Leek Town2021–22Northern Premier League
Division One West
160000020180
2022–23Northern Premier League
Division One West
300000080380
2023–24Northern Premier League
Division One West
110400010160
Total5704000110720

Honours

Leek Town

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Search 1984 to 2006 – Birth, Marriage and Death indexes. Findmypast.com. 2 May 2009.
  2. Web site: FootballSquads – Port Vale – 2009/10 . footballsquads.co.uk . 24 June 2019.
  3. Web site: Port Vale: Prayers coming true for Davidson. Baggaley. Michael . 12 December 2008. The Sentinel. 12 December 2008.
  4. Web site: Brightwell laments Davidson red card. 15 November 2008. BBC Sport. 7 June 2009.
  5. Web site: Davidson fails in red card appeal . 19 November 2008. BBC Sport. 7 June 2009.
  6. Web site: Davidson signs new one-year deal. 29 June 2009. BBC Sport. 29 June 2009.
  7. Web site: Port Vale: Davidson pens deal. Shaw. Steve. 10 June 2009. The Sentinel. 10 June 2009.
  8. Web site: Port Vale: Fraser delighted with captaincy honour. 5 August 2009. The Sentinel. 5 August 2009.
  9. Web site: Port Vale: Valiants transfer list six players. Shaw. Steve. 6 August 2009. The Sentinel. 6 August 2009.
  10. Web site: Port Vale looking to move on six . 6 August 2009. BBC Sport. 6 August 2009.
  11. Web site: Breaking News: Davidson set to extend Stafford stay. Shaw. Steve. 2 September 2009. The Sentinel. 2 September 2009.
  12. Web site: Port Vale's Ross Davidson makes Nantwich Town loan move . 21 December 2009. BBC Sport. 21 December 2009.
  13. Web site: Davidson Goes on Loan. 18 December 2009. port-vale.co.uk. 19 December 2009.
  14. Web site: Port Vale: Davidson extends loan deal. Shaw. Steve. 19 January 2010. The Sentinel. 19 January 2010.
  15. Web site: Breaking News: Vale to release trio. 25 March 2010. The Sentinel. 25 March 2010.
  16. Web site: Port Vale release Glover, Prosser and Davidson . 25 March 2010. BBC Sport. 25 March 2010.
  17. Web site: Loan Duo Look for Permanent Deal. 6 June 2010. nonleaguedaily.com. 2 August 2010.
  18. Web site: Davidson Will Take Time to Decide his Future. 3 June 2010. nonleaguedaily.com. 2 August 2010.
  19. News: Ex-Boro man back at Marston Road. 6 January 2011. Staffordshire Newsletter. 27 June 2011.
  20. Web site: Blues Confirm Host of New Signings. pitchero.com. 28 December 2012.
  21. News: Castle ambitions rise after Boxing Day defeat of Leek. 28 December 2012. The Sentinel. 28 December 2012.
  22. News: Dabbers boss Johnson blames players for FA Cup exit to Rugby Town. 16 September 2013. The Sentinel. 16 September 2013.
  23. Web site: 2013-14 Players Records . wittonalbionfc.co.uk . 11 February 2022.
  24. Web site: 2014-15 Players Records . wittonalbionfc.co.uk . 11 February 2022.
  25. Web site: Ross Davidson – First Team – Kidsgrove Athletic FC. pitchero.com. 7 July 2017. en.
  26. Web site: Scorers 2016/17. KAFC ONLINE. 2 August 2017. en. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170802172021/http://www.kidsgroveathletic.uk/goalscorers/scorers-201617. 2 August 2017.
  27. Web site: StackPath . traffordfc.com . 11 April 2022.
  28. News: Travers . Chris . Blues get the man as Ross is back on board . 11 April 2022 . Leek Post and Times . 19 January 2022.
  29. News: Youlton . Clive . Unstoppable Leek Town clinch promotion as rivals hammered into submission . 4 April 2024 . Stoke on Trent Live . 2 April 2024 . en.
  30. Web site: 12 – ROSS DAVIDSON . 11 July 2007. port-vale.co.uk. 5 September 2009.
  31. Web site: Stats . hednesfordtown.com . 20 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170106121826/http://hednesfordtown.com/statistics/player.php?id=331 . 6 January 2017.
  32. Web site: PlayerStats – LeekTownSE . leektown.net . 11 April 2022.
  33. Web site: Trafford Appearances Ross Davidson 2018-2019 Football Web Pages . footballwebpages.co.uk . 11 April 2022.