Nicholas John "Nick" Ross was a Scottish footballer. He played for, and captained, Heart of Midlothian in the early stages of his football career before being persuaded to join Preston North End by club secretary William Sudell who also provided him with a job as a slater. Preston North End converted Nick Ross from a centre-forward to a left-back. Ross was made captain of Preston and over the next few years earned a reputation as one of the best defenders in English football. He featured in the 1887 FA Cup Semi-Final where Preston were beaten 2–1 by West Bromwich Albion. He was transferred to Everton in July 1888 where he was reportedly paid £10 per month — a significantly above-average wage for a footballer at the time.
1888-1889 Season
Nick Ross made his League debut on 8 September 1888, playing as a full–back, at Anfield, the then home of Everton. The home team defeated the visitors, Accrington 2–1. Nick Ross scored his debut League goal on 15 September 1888, playing at full-back, at Anfield when the visitors were Notts County. The home team defeated the visitors 2–1 with Nick Ross scoring the second of Everton' two goals. Nick Ross was the first ever full–back to score a League goal. Nick Ross appeared in 18 of the 22 League matches played by Everton in season 1888–89 and scoring four League goals. As a full-back he played in an Everton defence that kept two clean sheets and restricted the opposition to one–League–goal–in–a–match on three separate occasions.
After Everton
He returned to Preston after just one season with Everton, during which time Preston won both the League Championship and the FA Cup. During his second spell with the club he was converted to a striker and helped the club win the 1889–90 League Championship, the second in a row. Health problems forced him to retire from football 1893 and he died a year later from Tuberculosis. His younger brother, Jimmy, was also a noted footballer for Preston, part of "The Invincibles", and the league top scorer for the 1890–91 season.
