Invergordon defensive midfielder from Brora is named best player in the North Caledonian League this season
James Ross says he is proud to be named North Caledonian League player of the year as Invergordon celebrated a league and cup double this season.
The defensive midfielder was named as the best player in the NCL for the 2024/25 campaign as he helped his team retain the North Caledonian League.
In addition, the 28-year-old also played in the 2-0 win over Golspie Sutherland in the North Caledonian Cup final on Saturday to secure their second trophy of the campaign.
The footballer from Brora was told he was named the NCL player of the year before Saturday’s cup final and said it was a huge honour to receive the accolade.
He said: “I wasn’t told until I was in the dressing room before the cup final on Saturday. It wasn’t expected at all and it was a nice surprise.”
Ross played a huge part in Invergordon’s success, with the team only dropping five points all season, with 20 wins from their 22 matches.
Halkirk United pushed them close this season, only finishing five points behind in second place, but Ross was always confident in the quality of the squad they could finish the season as champions.
He said: “At one point we were six points behind Halkirk but had two or three games behind.
“We had matches at home to Inverness Athletic and away to Orkney back-to-back.
“In terms of the league campaign, we knew if we got through those two games with two wins, we knew we wouldn’t be far away.
“We probably played our best game of the season in Orkney with a 6-1 win. That was a pivotal moment in our season.
“The only two downsides this season was the defeat in the league to Halkirk United and losing to Inverness Athletic in the Football Times Cup semi final.
“But we used that as motivation to win the league and North Caledonian Cup.”
Ross previously played for Brora Rangers and Forres Mechanics in the Highland League before going on to play for Avoch in the Inverness and District Premiership over two years ago.
He feels that he is playing the best football of his career and credits manager Gary Campbell for setting high standards at Invergordon which has led to title and cup success in recent years.
He said: “The high standards driven by Gary has led to our success.
“A lot of people have already mentioned the high standards and drive towards the boys in training.
“Every game is a must win for Invergordon and it is a good environment to be involved in.
“It is a good mix of young boys and experience. Training and games are always played to a high standard. Everyone is normally bang at it.”
Invergordon are looking to achieve an SFA entry level licence which would make them eligible for promotion to the Highland League in the future.
While sharing the club’s ambition, Ross is focussed on next season ensuring they are good enough to retain the league title and earn more cup success.
He said: “The aspiration for next season is to retain the league title as well as win the cups.
“The club are looking at aiming for the Highland League play-offs and that might make teams work harder to try and stop us.
“We will put that to the back burner and concentrate on winning the league. We can’t look too far ahead, we will just look at next season and see where that takes us.”