Ross County, founded in 1929, remain a familiar Scottish presence from The Global Energy Stadium. Their squad was listed at around £3 million by Transfermarkt, with 35 players and an average age of 26 – a sizeable group without much financial excess.
Their 2025-26 season was a mixed one, taking in League One and the League Cup Group D. The closing league run was uneven: defeats to Raith Rovers, Queen’s Park, Airdrieonians and Partick Thistle sat either side of useful wins over Greenock Morton and Ayr United.
County did carry an early threat, scoring the first goal inside 20 minutes in six of 10 league matches. Ronan Hale led the scoring with 11 goals, followed by Jay Henderson with eight, while Kieran Phillips and Jordan White each added six.
The weakness was defensive, particularly away from home, where they averaged 1.6 goals conceded and only 0.7 scored. At home they were more competitive, averaging 1.3 scored and the same 1.6 conceded, but the numbers still point to a side that could be got at.
For Celtic supporters, Ross County sit as established domestic opposition: organised enough to require attention, limited enough to be judged by how efficiently Celtic handle them.
