AN England international at youth level, Ross has all the attributes for a top class career in the game.

Tall and strong, Ross hails from Newton Aycliffe and has been with the club since he was a schoolboy.

Kept goal for Boro when they reached the 2002-03 FA Youth Cup final before being beaten by Manchester United over two legs.

Early in the 2003-04 season Ross made his league debut for Darlington, impressing and keeping a clean sheet before his one-month loan spell was prematurely ended by an international call-up.

Later in the season he went on loan to Barnsley and got further league experience as he covered for injured former Boro goalkeeper Marlon Beresford.

Was also on the bench for the first team four times in 2003-04 in the absence of Mark Schwarzer's regular deputies, Carlo Nash and Brad Jones. 

Ross returned to Barnsley for a season-long loan at Oakwell but was recalled to the Riverside to cover for the injured Schwarzer at the end of the 2005/06 campaign.

He responded with several outstanding displays, including a Man of the Match performance as a team of locally-born players went down to a late penalty at Fulham in May 2006.