Ross James Draper (born 20 October 1988) is an English football player and coach who plays for Scottish League Two club Elgin City.
Draper started his career as a trainee at Shrewsbury Town, before moving to Conference National club Stafford Rangers in August 2007.
[11] Draper signed a two-year contract extension with Macclesfield in April 2010[12] and at the end of the season, he had made twenty-nine appearances, scoring once.
The 2010/11 season, under new manager Gary Simpson – who had previously been Alexander's assistant at Lincoln City and Peterborough United, saw Draper become a first team regular.
In August 2011, at the start of the 2011–12 season, Draper attracted national news attention after scoring from close to the halfway line against Hereford United.
[16] On 25 November 2011, he received a straight red card – for the first time in his Macclesfield career – after a serious foul on Michael Hector in a 2–1 loss against Barnet.
[18] In the early part of the season, Draper had found some goalscoring form but this was halted when he sustained a fractured metatarsal during a 2–1 win over Port Vale.
Meanwhile, the club had slipped into a losing streak, which ultimately led to relegation and ended fifteen consecutive seasons in the Football League.
Having established himself in the first team, playing in central midfield, Draper signed a new contract with the club, in conjunction with Billy McKay, who had also agreed to an extension.
[28] Draper helped the club reach the League Cup final after scoring the winning penalty during the shoot-out against Hearts in the semi-final.
[30] In the final of the League Cup, Draper expertly performed his role during the game, by effectively smothering Aberdeen in midfield.
[32] Weeks after signing a new contract, Draper scored his first league goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against St Mirren on 29 March 2014.
At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, Draper's impressive early performances led to him receiving the award of SPFL Player of the Month for August.
[36] He made his first team return, coming on as a substitute for Aaron Doran in the 79th minute, in a 1–0 loss against St Mirren on 4 January 2015.