Ross Sykes
Ross Sykes in 2023
Personal information
Full name Ross James Sykes[1]
Date of birth (1999-03-26) 26 March 1999 (age 24)[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 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 January 2024

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]

Career

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]

Career statistics

As of 3 November 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Accrington Stanley 2016–17[11] League Two 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 3[a] 0 3 0
2017–18[12] 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 3[a] 0 5 0
2018–19[13] League One 20 3 2 0 0 0 — 4[a] 1 26 4
2019–20[14] 31 1 1 0 1 0 — 6[a] 2 39 3
2020–21[15] 9 1 1 0 1 0 — 3[a] 0 14 1
2021-22[16] 39 3 1 0 2 0 — 2[a] 0 44 3
Accrington Stanley total 101 8 5 0 4 0 0 0 21 3 131 11
Southport (loan) 2017–18[17] National League North 6 0 0 0 — — 0 0 6 0
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 2022-23[18] Belgian First Division A 10 2 0 0 0 0 5[b][c] 0 0 0 15 2
Career total 117 10 5 0 4 0 5 0 23 3 152 13


  1. ^ a b c d e f Appearance(s) in the Football League Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Accrington Stanley" (PDF). English Football League. p. 1. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Ross Sykes". 11v11. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Ross Sykes profile". Playmaker Stats. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  4. ^ "DEPARTURE: Sykes leaves the Reds after ten years". www.accringtonstanley.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Unity College claim county title!". Burnley Express. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Accrington Stanley vs. Crewe Alexandra - 30 August 2016 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Accrington Stanley: Scott Brown and Aaron Chapman offered new deals". BBC Sport. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  9. ^ "DEPARTURE: Sykes leaves the Reds after ten years". www.accringtonstanley.co.uk. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Ross Sykes: Accrington Stanley centre-back signs for Union SG". BBC Sport. 25 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Ross Sykes | Football Stats | Accrington Stanley | Season 2021/2022 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  17. ^ Ross Sykes at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  18. ^ "Games played by Ross Sykes in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

External links

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise – current squad
Categories