Summary
Ross James Sykes (born 26 March 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Belgian Pro League club Union SG.[4]
 Ross Sykes in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ross James Sykes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 March 1999[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Burnley, England | ||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Union SG | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Burnley | ||
| 2012–2016 | Accrington Stanley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2022 | Accrington Stanley | 131 | (10) |
| 2017–2018 | → Southport (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2022– | Union SG | 36 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 March 2024 | |||
Career edit
Sykes was born in Burnley, Lancashire and attended Unity College in the town.[5] He started his career with local side Burnley, playing for their youth team between the ages of eleven and thirteen before being released.[6] After nearly giving up the game he was persuaded to go on trial at Accrington Stanley by his mother and was later signed up by the club.[6] In May 2016, he signed his first professional contract on a two-year deal, despite being a first-year scholar.[6] He made his senior debut for the club in August 2016, starting in the 3–0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra in EFL Trophy group-stage.[7] Accrington exercised a contractual option at the end of the 2017–18 season to retain him.[8]
On 23 June 2022, Sykes joined Belgian First Division A side Union SG for an undisclosed fee.[9][10] On 28 February 2024, he scored a goal in stoppage time of 2–0 victory over Club Brugge in the Belgian Cup semi-final second leg, which granted Union SG a 3–2 win on aggregate and qualification to their first final since 1914.[11]
Career statistics edit
- As of 28 February 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Accrington Stanley | 2016–17[12] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017–18[13] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19[14] | League One | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[b] | 1 | 26 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20[15] | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[b] | 2 | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21[16] | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 14 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22[17] | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 44 | 3 | |||
| Total | 101 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 131 | 11 | ||
| Southport (loan) | 2017–18[18] | National League North | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Royale Union Saint-Gilloise | 2022–23[19] | Belgian First Division A | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 3[d] | 0 | — | 21 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 5 | 6 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 47 | 6 | ||||
| Career total | 140 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 184 | 17 | ||
- ^ Includes FA Cup, Belgian Cup
- ^ a b c d e f Appearance(s) in the Football League Trophy
- ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League and three appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ One appearance in UEFA Europa League and two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
References edit
- ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Accrington Stanley" (PDF). English Football League. p. 1. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Ross Sykes". 11v11. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ "Ross Sykes profile". Playmaker Stats. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "DEPARTURE: Sykes leaves the Reds after ten years". www.accringtonstanley.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Unity College claim county title!". Burnley Express. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Robinson, Dany (20 May 2016). "Nathan Webb and Ross Sykes have both signed professional contracts with Accrington Stanley". Accrington Stanley F.C. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Accrington Stanley vs. Crewe Alexandra - 30 August 2016 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "Accrington Stanley: Scott Brown and Aaron Chapman offered new deals". BBC Sport. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "DEPARTURE: Sykes leaves the Reds after ten years". www.accringtonstanley.co.uk. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ "Ross Sykes: Accrington Stanley centre-back signs for Union SG". BBC Sport. 25 June 2022.
- ^ "Former Accrington Stanley defender grabs late goal to send Union St Gilloise through to first Belgian Cup final since 1914". OneFootball. 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Ross Sykes | Football Stats | Accrington Stanley | Season 2021/2022 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ Ross Sykes at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
External links edit
- Ross Sykes at the Accrington Stanley F.C. website
- Ross Sykes at Soccerbase
- Ross Sykes at Soccerway