Ethan Ross is adamant he has ‘landed on his feet’ at Raith Rovers.
Ross, 20, embarked on a series of trials with English clubs last summer after making the decision to turn down a new contract with Aberdeen.
Those suitors included Southampton, where he trained alongside the likes of Callum Slattery, who has made 26 appearances for Premiership outfit Motherwell this season.
However, Ross failed to seal a deal south of the border and eventually joined Rovers in October after a five-figure development fee — albeit with a healthy sell-on percentage due to Aberdeen — was struck with the Dons.
Since then, Ross has scored six goals, notched another assist and is preparing for a crack at silverware on Sunday when Rovers face Queen of the South in the SPFL Trust Trophy final.
✌ Ethan Ross at the double for the Rovers on Saturday!#cinchChamp | @RaithRovers pic.twitter.com/Ea1t2n5Pn3
— SPFL (@spfl) November 15, 2021
“I feel I have landed on my feet here,” said the former Scotland youth international.
“I spoke to boys when I was down [in England on trial] and some still hadn’t played first-team football by the age of 21 or 22.
“Maybe it was naive of me to think it was the right thing to do to go down there and go to an under-23s [squad] — that was the wrong thing to do.
“But the gaffer [John McGlynn] and Smudge [Paul Smith, assistant] have taken me in here and playing first-team football is only going to be good for me in the long term.
“I only turn 21 in the summer and I definitely feel I am on the right career path.”
Progress
The McGlynn factor is key.
Ethan Ross shone sporadically during a loan stint with Raith last season, albeit struggling to consistently hit the heights of which he is capable.
The waspish attacking midfielder has become a more pivotal part of the Raith line-up since penning a permanent deal — and intends to repay the faith shown in him by McGlynn.
“Last season I really enjoyed working under the gaffer, with the way he develops young players,” continued Ross.
“He’s not scared to give people a chance.
“The gaffer has been brilliant with me and I feel like he has helped my game a lot.”
For all it has been a tumultuous campaign for Raith, on and off the field, the Kirkcaldy club remain firmly in the promotion playoff hunt and are potentially 90 minutes away from securing their only realistic source of silverware.
And Ross sees no reason why the Stark’s Park side cannot enjoy a memorable denouement to the campaign.
“We’ve not done badly in the cups this season,” added Ross. “Two round of 16s [Premier Sports Cup and Scottish Cup] — beaten by Celtic both times.
“And we’re going into a cup final we believe we can win.
“We’ll go there and give our all to come away with the trophy — and use that to push on into the playoffs.”
