Forfar Athletic Manager Dick Campbell has already told his players that he wants a win at Cowdenbeath this weekend and it is not just for the three points.
The Loons are involved in a relegation fight with Albion Rovers and Stirling Albion and need a win to stay out of trouble by remaining in the eighth place they presently occupy. The Blue Brazil, however, need a win to be sure of clinching the IRN-BRU Second Division title whilst for proud Fifer Campbell, there is also the small matter of local pride being at stake.
Station Park full-back Greg Ross explained: “The Gaffer has been telling us that Cowdenbeath is his home town team and that he does not want anyone boasting to him that they won the League against his side.
“He does not want to be seeing people about the place smiling because Forfar have been defeated.”
There is one scenario that could have everyone happy with Ross adding: “If we win and Arbroath lose to Albion Rovers, then everyone is happy as we get the points and Cowdenbeath would win the League as well. It is a big weekend and a big three points for both clubs.”
Ross knows a fair bit about pride in Fife as he started his senior career at another club in the Kingdom with the 24-year-old saying: “I signed for Dunfermline when I was 14 and made my debut for them when I was 17. I played my boys club football with Hutchison Vale and then Salveson in Edinburgh and we played Dunfermline in a game and they signed four of us afterwards.”
A team-mate of Ross when he grew up was Scotland full-back Lee Wallace with the defender saying: “Lee was a pal of mine at primary school and high school and it was great to play with him at that level. We are still good buddies now and he has had a good first season with Rangers.”
Ross’ debut for the Pars came in November, 2004, when he became the youngest East End Park player in a SPL game, and he remembers the occasion well saying: “Jimmy Calderwood had left for Aberdeen that summer and David Hay had taken over and it was David that gave me my debut. We played Kilmarnock and beat them 4-1 in what turned out to be Craig Brewster’s last game for Dunfermline before he became the Manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.”
Despite his youth, Ross became established in the Dunfermline first team over the next two seasons however, fate was to play Ross an unfortunate hand.
“I loved my time at Dunfermline and whilst we had a few Managers during my time, I learned a lot from them all,” said Ross before adding, “After David Hay, we were managed by Jim Leishman, Stephen Kenny and Jim McIntyre. They were all different and I picked up something from them all.”
Ross played at the National Stadium in the March, 2006 CIS Insurance Cup Final against Celtic that the Glasgow side won 3-0. However, on the eve of another Hampden occasion, against the same opposition, the defender required to go in for an operation.
“I picked up a bad injury just before the Scottish Cup Final in 2007,” said Ross before explaining, “I suffered from patellar tendonitis, which is the same injury that England’s Owen Hargreaves has, and that put me out for a long time.
“It also cost me a place at the Under-20 World Cup Finals in Canada for Scotland. I had played in qualifiers against Belarus and France but I had to pull out of that trip as well so it was a disappointing time.”
Dunfermline were also relegated at the end of that campaign and the following season was almost a total write off for Ross as well as he explained: “I came back for one game against St. Johnstone in January, 2008 but that never worked and actually proved that I needed another operation.”
Ross made his footballing comeback eight months later at the Central Park ground he will grace this weekend as he explained: “I joined Cowdenbeath for a month on loan in September to get some games under my belt. Danny Lennon was in charge at the time and it was good to get back playing again.
“That move allowed me to get back into things when I returned to Dunfermline and I played regularly there until May, 2010 when my contract expired. After virtually 18 months out, it was good to get playing again and all in all, I played over 100 times for Dunfermline.”
An Aberdeen connection saw Ross end up in Iceland at the end of his Dunfermline days as he explained: “I played with Scott Thomson at East End Park and he mentioned me to Jim Bett, who he played with at Pittodrie. Jim was coaching in Iceland and helped get me a deal at Valur from the May to November.
“Valur are based in the centre of Reykjavik and were a really good club. The facilities were great, in fact they put a lot of facilities in Scotland to shame. There were a few Scottish boys over and I played alongside Jamie McCunnie who is now at Stirling Albion.”
Ross added: “The standard was really good and in my opinion, is probably equal to the bottom half of the SPL and the top of the First Division.”
An extended stay in Iceland looked on the cards with Ross saying: “I had a good season and talks about a two year deal had begun. However, the Manager was sacked and the new Manager that came in had other ideas and that was that.”
Ross returned home and was unable to sign for a club until the Transfer Window opened again in January, 2011. To keep in shape, a neighbour offered a hand with the defender saying: “I live in the same street as John Ritchie, who is the Goalkeeping Coach at Forfar, and he got me in there to train. I enjoyed being in and amongst the team at Station Park and signed on until the end of the season.
“I played 25 games for them last season and that included the promotion Play-Off Semi-Finals against Ayr. I was happy to sign on again when the chance arose during the summer.”
Whilst last season was all about the Loons going for promotion, this campaign has been different with Ross saying: “To be honest, it has not been a great season. We should have been pushing for promotion not fighting relegation.”
A first League goal from Ross helped the cause last week as Forfar did Cowdenbeath a favour by defeating Arbroath 1-0 with the defender saying: “I am not known for scoring goals and that was only the fifth one of my career. I scored for Forfar against Stranraer in a cup match this season but the goal last week could turn out to be really important as we needed the points to help secure our place in this League.
“Arbroath are going really well in the League but the Manager had us well up for the game. It was a massive three points to pick up and the Chairman was really pleased after that one due to holding the local bragging rights.”
Ross feels that the versatility of the squad at Station Park may have worked against them this season as he said: “Consistency has been a factor for me and the team. I have had to play in a number of different positions due to injuries and suspensions and a few players have had to do that as well. Not having a settled team has probably worked against us.”
The message for the rest of the season is a clear one with Ross saying: “We simply have to keep our place in this division and then do better in the next one. The Second Division is great as every club has something to play for and we want to be part of that again next season.
“I have also enjoyed it as I have played every week whereas at Dunfermline, I was more in and out particularly after I was injured. I am now seen as an experienced player in our squad as opposed to being a youngster. I enjoy that side of the game as it actually makes me more confident going onto the pitch.”
That confidence will be tested at Central Park with Ross saying: “We simply have to win to ensure the Manager can walk down Cowdenbeath High Street.”
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