Farewell To…. Jack Ross
It may be a long time before Clyde find another club captain as complete as Jack Ross. First and foremost, he was a superbly consistent midfielder who could always be relied on to lead by example.
Off the park, he was a fantastic ambassador for the club and made sure that the role extended to more than just leadership on a Saturday afternoon. Whether it was the Kids’ Club, the Supporters’ Trust, the Clyde View, the website or any other of the wide-ranging Bully Wee entities, he was always willing to show his support when there was no obligation for him to do so.
He also had an uncanny knack of being able to sense the fans’ mood and relate to them with ease, something of a bonus.
All of the above helped make Jack one of the most popular players to wear the Clyde jersey in recent times with supporters young and old.
Signed in July 1999 from Camelon Juniors, he slowly but surely established himself within the team and the support during the Championship Season. Two seasons of fine performances in the difficult right-wing back position then followed in the First Division and interest from clubs north and south of the border began to emerge.
One of Alan Kernaghan’s first acts as manager was to ensure that his immediate future lay at Clyde by offering him a new two year contract. It was a move that proved to be valuable during the 2002/03 season when, after playing a pivotal role in raising Clyde to the dizzy heights of 2nd place, the then league leaders Falkirk made several unsuccessful bids for Jack’s services.
2003/04 was always going to be a big year in Jack’s Clyde career. His move into a central midfield role was one of the key reasons for the revival in fortunes before Christmas that led to the brilliant title challenge, again emphasising what a capable player he is. As the season end approached, rumours that he had agreed a move to Hartlepool in the summer where confirmed, a decision that was not taken lightly.
After coming off to a standing ovation and emotional send-off in his last Clyde match at Brechin, his final tally for the club stands at an impressive 183 appearances and 14 goals.
Bully Wee fans will now follow his progress at Hartlepool with interest and maybe one day he will make a welcome return to Broadwood as an employee never mind a guest… because “there’s only one Jack Ross”.
We wish Jack all the very best in his new challenge in England.
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Pictures courtesy of Frank Tocher and