UNCOVERED — Cove Rangers v Inverness Caledonian Thistle 20.07.21

ian Thistle rness Caledon ve In v s er ng Cove Ra 21 — 7.45pm KO Cup • 20.07. ts or Sp r ie Prem

BALMOR AL GROUP Proud sponsors of BALMORAL STADIUM

Balmoral Comtec Balmoral Tanks Balmoral Business Park ACE Winches BLAZE Manufacturing Solutions Friends of ANCHOR www.balmoral-group.com

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— Contents

Cove Rangers FC Matchday Programme

Inverness Caledonian Thistle: 20.07.21 — 7.45pm KO

Features

PETERHEAD MATCH REPORT ON THE SPOT: IAIN VIGURS TERRY COBBAN SENIOR

06 14 22 Regulars

Upcoming fixtures

04

Club information

05

Club partners

21

View from the dugout

24

Player and Management sponsorship

28

Season 2021/22 statistics

30

Captain’s view

32

Club honours

36

Today’s team lines

37

— Upcoming fixtures

H Sat 31st Jul, 2021

Cove Rangers v Falkirk

Cinch League 1

A Sat 7th Aug, 2021

Queen’s Park v Cove Rangers

Cinch League 1

H Sat 14th Aug, 2021

Cove Rangers v East Fife

Cinch League 1

A Sat 21st Aug, 2021

Dumbarton v Cove Rangers

Cinch League 1

04 05

— Club information

Cove Rangers FC Balmoral Stadium Wellington Circle, Altens Aberdeen, AB12 3JG

T 01224 392111 F 01224 392859 coverangersfc.com Twitter / Facebook / Instagram @coverangersfc

Honorary President Alan McRae Directors Keith Moorhouse - Chairman Graeme Reid - Vice Chairman/Financial Controller Duncan Little - Secretary/Stadium Manager John Sheran - Director of Football Darren Anderson Grant Moorhouse Safety Officers John Morgan & Bill Ogilvie Committee Michael Coull, Mike Pirie, Richard Forbes & Gordon Taylor Football Manager - Paul Hartley

Assistant Manager - Gordon Young Fitness Coach - Tam Ritchie

Goalkeeping Coach - Derek Soutar

Head of Youth Development - Gary Hake Performance Analyst - Ryan Docherty

Physios - Donal Gallacher & Eilidh McGregor Kit Manager - Adrian Thomson Club Doctor - David Fowler

Commercial Manager - Angela Bruce Media Officer - Charlie Allan

Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer - Kate Dean Club Chaplain - Dougie Simpson

Club Photographers - Dave Cowe, Richard Forbes

06 07

Premier Sports Cup Saturday July 17th @ Balmoor Stadium

PETERHEAD 3 COVE RANGERS 1

— Peterhead Match Report

The blue toon take the win Mitch Megginson’s first half strike wasn’t enough to save us from defeat in our Premier Sports Cup Group A clash with the Blue Toon at Balmoor Stadium.

Skipper Megginson was then forced to limp off late in the second half after picking up an injury but we were at least able to hand summer signing Robbie Leitch and defender Daniel Higgins their first starts of the campaign as the build-up to our League One opener, against Falkirk, continued.

Peterhead took just three minutes to take the lead, when skipper Scott Brown fired the ball beyond keeper Stuart McKenzie, who had also been restored to our starting line-up.

Megginson equalised in the 12th minute, when he fired home from inside the Peterhead area after a great passing move ended in him latching on to a pass from Rory McAllister.

McKenzie denied Peterhead a second when he made an excellent diving save from Niah Payne in the 16th minute.

>>>

08 09

— Peterhead Match Report

10 11

Leitch had the opportunity to mark his debut with a goal in the 41st minute, after being sent clear by a pass from Megginson, but his effort was saved by home keeper Brett Long.

The Blue Toon made the best of that let-off by regaining the lead right on the stroke of half-time.

Niah Payne passed the ball on to Lyall Cameron and he lashed his shot home from the edge of the area.

Russell McLean made it 3-1 in the 54th minute when he netted from Ryan Conroy’s corner, despite substitute Harry Milne’s efforts to clear the ball off the line.

McAllister saw a shot through a ruck of players saved by Long as we attempted to recover in the latter stages, but Peterhead held on to record a deserved victory.

Peterhead: Long, Mulligan (Strachan 63), Jas Brown, McDonald, Conroy, Ritchie, Ferry (Lyall 74), S Brown, Cameron (Mushana 83), McLean (Kesson 74), Payne (Jo Brown 63).

Subs: Cook, Wilson.

Cove Rangers: McKenzie, Ross, Neill, Higgins (Milne 46), Yule, Vigurs, Draper, Scully, Megginson (McIntosh 68), McAllister (Watson 73), Leitch (Fyvie 46).

Subs: Gourlay.

Referee: Mathew Macdermid.

— Peterhead Reaction

Paul Hartley spoke to the media after our 3-1 defeat by Peterhead at Balmoor Stadium in the Premier Sports Cup.

Paul declined to use the fact our pre-season buildup has been disrupted by injuries and illness as an excuse for what was a below-par performance.

He said: “We can’t keep making that as an excuse.

We’ve got a lot of work to do and I keep saying that.

“We’ve got a game on Tuesday (our final Group A game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Balmoral Stadium) and then we can really do some work. We have to be ready for our league opener (against Falkirk on July 31).”

Mitch Megginson equalised after Peterhead took the lead, after just three minutes.

Further goals, either side of half-time, ensured all three points stayed in the Blue Toon.

On the actual game, Paul said: “We were off the

12 13

pace. We created chances but it wasn’t us, there was no intensity to our play and as a team, we just didn’t function properly.

We had too many players off it and we didn’t do the basics well. We didn’t close players down, we lost too many second balls and our decision making was poor. It’s basic errors that cost us.

We could have been 2-1 up, but we’re conceding at poor times. We conceded in the first three minutes then just before half-time. We’re conceding too many sloppy goals and know that has to improve.”

Mitchel Megginson went off during the second half but is expected to be fit for Tuesday’s game, which kicks off at 7.45pm and will be screened live on CRFC TV.

— On The Spot: Iain Vigurs

ON THE SPOT: Iain vigurs Welcome to the first of our new On The Spot feature for this season. We kick things off by interviewing summer signing Iain Vigurs.

Iain, who was born in Aberdeen but raised in Stonehaven, joined us from Ross County, after a second spell with the Dingwall club. The 33-year-old also played for tonight’s Premier Sports Cup opponents Inverness Caledonian Thistle on two occasions.

A former youth player with Aberdeen and Celtic, Iain has also turned out for Motherwell and Elgin City and was with Highland League side Inverurie Locos for a brief spell.

>>>

14 15

— On The Spot: Iain Vigurs

How have things gone for you so far at the club?

I have really enjoyed it. It’s quite a transition going from full-time to parttime football for the first time, but the club have helped me a lot. The whole set-up - from top to bottom - is run very professionally and there are some great people at Cove who really can’t do enough for you.

Our build-up to the new season hasn’t been what any of us hoped for because of the situation with Covid. But I’ve been impressed by hard everyone, particularly the coaching staff, have worked to help us cope so that we could compete in our Premier Cup ties without having the benefit of pre-season friendly games.

It’s all about building up our fitness now and that will happen naturally the more matches we play.

Why did you choose to step back from playing full-time?

It was about planning ahead to ensure I will be able to take care of my family after playing football. I could have remained full-time for the next couple of years, I had offers. It’s about looking ahead for the next 20 years instead of just a couple.

The offer from Cove was better because it meant I could continue playing at a decent level while also working on what I’m going to be doing when I stop.

I’m looking to go into the Health and Safety Sector and the club have also helped me with that.

It would have been easy for me to maybe sign for one of the Highland sides nearer to where I stay (in the Highlands) and work on my future. But, no disrespect to the Highland League, I feel I can still contribute at a higher level than that, so I’m delighted to have been given that opportunity with Cove.

What sealed it was the manager travelling up north to speak to me. It’s always nice to be wanted and he also underlined his aspirations for Cove. I was really impressed and things were all agreed pretty quickly after that.

Going part-time doesn’t mean I’m any less hungry for success though. I want to repay the faith the manager and club have shown in me and I’m looking forward to taking on that challenge.

Did you ever play against Cove during the course of your career?

It surprises me that I didn’t because I’ve faced almost every other club up in this part of the country. I know plenty about Cove though because my brother, Patrick, played for the club when John Sheran was the manager.

Had you ever played with any of the other Cove squad members before?

Stuart McKenzie and I go back a long way, we were team-mates at Albion Boys Club and also joined Elgin City at the same time. Stuart has always been an excellent goalkeeper and I’m really enjoying playing alongside him again.

16 17

>>>

— On The Spot: Iain Vigurs

18 19

Everyone in Scottish football knows Rory McAllister and he was a team-mate up at Inverness. His scoring record is amazing and I’ve always had great fun training with and playing alongside Rory as well.

I’ve also played against Fraser Fyvie and a few of the other lads over the years.

Knowing Cove already had a strong, talented, squad was another of the main reasons why I jumped at the chance to come here. We have some outstanding quality in our dressing room and I’m sure we can do well when our league campaign gets underway.

What are your thoughts on facing your old club Inverness Caledonian Thistle tonight?

I had some very happy times at Inverness, particularly during my second spell there. It’s a great club and a lot of my friends are still involved, so it will be nice to catch up with them this evening.

They include Billy McKay and Michael Gardyne, who I played with at Ross County last season.

Inverness have a really strong squad, so it’s going to be a very tough test for us. But we want to do well as we get closer to the start of the league campaign.

Taking on full-time opponents will also help with our fitness levels because we know we are going to have to work hard if we are to compete with them over the 90 minutes.

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— Club partners

Principal Club Partner

Principal Stadium Partner

Official Club Partners

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— Terry Cobban Senior

TERRY LOOKED ACE AS FANS MADE WELCOME RETURN TO BALMORAL Terry Cobban Senior certainly made a special effort to celebrate finally getting back into Balmoral Stadium when we played Stirling Albion in our opening Premier Sports Cup Group A match.

Terry, of principal club partners ACE, turned up wearing an eye-catching specially designed Cove Rangers shirt!

“It was a surprise gift from my nephew, James,” said Terry, who has a long standing reputation for being a snappy dresser.

“It’s the perfect match for Cove Rangers suit and blue shoes. It’s important to show you are behind the boys and I also wanted to do something different to mark the fact it was the first time fans had been allowed back into the stadium since March of last year.”

Terry’s snazzy attire meant people were queuing up to have photos taken with him, including his granddaughter, Samantha, great-grandson, Max, as well as Cove Rangers commercial manager Angela Bruce.

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— View from the dugout

PAUL HARTL I will begin by extending a warm welcome to Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Billy Dodds and his team as they visit Balmoral Stadium this evening.

We will be looking to sign off our run of Premier Sports Cup Group A fixtures with a positive performance.

While disappointed with our results in the competition so far, I must praise the players for their efforts on the back of what has been the most challenging pre-season build-up I’ve experienced in my time in football.

Injuries and illness made it impossible to prepare as we would have normally and I’ve also had to ask a lot of players to play the full 90 minutes in all three of our ties, which isn’t something I would normally do at this stage.

>>>

LEY

24 25

— View from the dugout

>>>

The positive for us from that is those who have been available have got some very good minutes into their legs as we look towards our league opener against Falkirk at the end of the month, which has always been the priority.

They will get another tough run out tonight against full-time opponents eager to do well in the lead-up to the start of their Championship campaign.

We will then have more than a week clear to prepare for the Falkirk game. That will give us the opportunity to do more detailed stuff with the players out on the training pitch.

We will be able to work on things like attacking and defending at set pieces and simply getting the lads who joined us during the close season used to how we work.

I would like to end by welcoming new goalkeeping coach Derek Soutar to the club. He’s already proving to be a welcome addition and I’m sure our goalkeepers will benefit from working with someone of Derek’s experience and enthusiasm.

Stay safe and enjoy the game.

Paul Hartley

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“ I must praise the players for their efforts on the back of what has been the most challenging pre-season build-up I’ve experienced in my time in football.”

— Player and management sponsorship

MANAGEMENT Paul Hartley

Gordon Young

Tam Ritchie

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

Stuart McKenzie

Kyle Gourlay

GOALKEEPERS

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

Harry Milne

Scott Ross

Ryan Strachan

LOCAL , NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ROAD HAULAGE

ABERDEEN 01224 – 781698 WWW.MGSLOGISTICS.CO.UK

DEFENDERS

Daniel Higgins

Morgyn Neill

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

FO

28 29

MIDFIELDERS Connor Scully

Broque Watson

Blair Yule

Jamie Masson

Fraser Fyvie

Iain Vigurs

Ross Draper

Robbie Leitch

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

ORWARDS

Mitchel Megginson

Leighton McIntosh

CRFC offer excellent advertising opportunities to organisations who are looking to share marketing messages, or to build their brand via one or more of our channels. Get in touch with our commercial team for further information.

To register Interest for sponsorship, contact: Angela Bruce - abruce@coverangersfc.com

Rory McAllister

— Season 2021/22 statistics Date

Fixture

Game H/A

10/07/2021

Stirling Albion

PSC

H

13/07/2021

Hearts

PSC

A

17/07/2021

Peterhead

PSC

A

1

20/07/2021

Inverness CT

PSC

H

31/07/2021

Falkirk

SPFL1

A

07/08/2021

Queens Park

SPFL1

A H

14/08/2021

East Fife

SPFL1

21/08/2021

Dumbarton

SPFL1

A

28/08/2021

Clyde

SPFL1

A H

11/09/2021

Montrose

SPFL1

18/09/2021

Peterhead

SPFL1

A

25/09/2021

Airdrieonians

SPFL1

H

02/10/2021

Alloa Athletic

SPFL1

A

16/10/2021

East Fife

SPFL1

A

23/10/2021

Clyde

SPFL1

H

30/10/2021

Queens Park

SPFL1

H

06/11/2021

Montrose

SPFL1

A

13/11/2021

Peterhead

SPFL1

H

20/11/2021

Airdrieonians

SPFL1

A

04/12/2021

Dumbarton

SPFL1

H

12/11/2021

Falkirk

SPFL1

A

18/12/2021

Alloa Athletic

SPFL1

H H

26/12/2021

East Fife

SPFL1

02/01/2022

Peterhead

SPFL1

A

08/01/2022

Clyde

SPFL1

A H

15/01/2022

Montrose

SPFL1

29/01/2022

Dumbarton

SPFL1

A

05/02/2022

Airdrieonians

SPFL1

H

12/02/2022

Queens Park

SPFL1

A

19/02/2022

Falkirk

SPFL1

H

26/02/2022

Alloa Athletic

SPFL1

A

05/03/2022

Peterhead

SPFL1

H H

12/03/2022

Clyde

SPFL1

19/03/2022

Montrose

SPFL1

A

26/03/2022

Airdrieonians

SPFL1

A H

02/04/2022

Queens Park

SPFL1

09/04/2022

Falkirk

SPFL1

A

16/04/2022

Alloa Athletic

SPFL1

H

23/04/2022

Dumbarton

SPFL1

H

30/04/2022

East Fife

SPFL1

A

F

A

Starting

Starting Starting

Starting

Starting

Starting

Starting Starting

Starting

Star

2

3

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne (R.Thomas)

S.Ross

R.Strachan (C.Scully)

0

3

K.Gourlay

M.Neill

H.Milne (R.Thomas)

C.Scully (R.McAllister)

S.Ross (B.Watson)

B.Watson

B.Yule

R.McAllister (M.Megginson)

R.Draper

I.Vigur

B.Yule

M.Megginson

L.McIntosh

R.Draper

3

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

C.Scully

S.Ross

B.Yule

I.Vigur

M.Megginson1 (L.McIntosh)

D.Higgins (H.Milne)

R.McAllister (B.Watson)

R.Draper

I.Vigur

Name

Appearances

Goals

Position

Yellow

Red

Stuart McKenzie

2

0

GK

0

0

Kyle Gourlay

1

0

GK

0

0

Harry Milne

3

0

DF

1

0

Scott Ross

3

0

DF

0

0

Ryan Strachan

1

0

DF

0

0

Daniel Higgins

1

0

DF

0

0

Morgyn Neill

3

0

DF

0

0

Rhys Thomas

2

0

DF

0

0

Connor Scully

3

0

MF

1

0

Broque Watson

3

0

MF

1

0

30 31

rting

Starting

Sub

Sub

Sub

Sub

Sub

Sub

Sub

Sub

Sub

Referee

AS1

AS2

ATT

rs

F.Fyvie

C.Scully

M.Megginson

R.Thomas

K.Gourlay

-

-

-

-

-

Barry Cook

Craig Ferguson

Harry Bruce

298

rs

F.Fyvie

B.Watson

R.McAllister

R.Thomas

S.McKenzie

-

-

-

-

-

Colin Steven

David McGeachie

Graham McNeillie

rs

R.Leitch (F.Fyvie)

H.Milne

B.Watson

L.McIntosh

F.Fyvie

K.Gourlay

-

-

-

-

2

Matthew MacDermid

Ralph Gordon

Graham Chambers

Chris Graham

Greame Leslie

Chris Hobbs

Name

Appearances

Goals

Position

Yellow

Red

Blair Yule

3

0

MF

0

0

Jamie Masson

0

0

MF

0

0

Fraser Fyvie

3

2

MF

0

0

Iain Vigurs

3

0

MF

2

0

Ross Draper

3

0

MF

1

0

Robbie Leitch

1

0

MF

0

0

Mitchel Megginson

3

1

FW

1

0

Leighton McIntosh

2

0

FW

0

0

Rory McAllister

3

0

FW

0

0

PTAIN

’S VIE

W

CA

— Captain’s view

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“WE WILL NEED YOU, THE COVE RANGERS FANS, TO DO YOUR BIT, WHICH I’M SURE YOU WILL.” We are expecting another very tough shift when we conclude our Premier Sports Cup campaign against Inverness Caledonian Thistle this evening.

The fact we are playing a side who will be coming here looking for a win that could enhance their hopes of advancing to the next stage sets the stage for what could prove to be a highly entertaining 90 minutes. It should mean a more open game, with plenty of scope for attacking players to make their mark.

None of us are happy to be going into this one still to win a match in our group, but it has been really tough because our pre-season build-up was disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

We would normally have played a few friendly games first, but have been forced to use the three cup ties to boost our fitness instead.

The coaching staff have also had to contend with not having a full squad to work with for all three games and for the majority of our training sessions. It’s been far from ideal, but we can only hope that the effort extended to at least compete with Stirling Albion, Hearts and Peterhead will stand us in good stead when we finally kick-off our league campaign.

>>>

— Captain’s view

>>>

We are unlikely to be the only club to see their plans affected by the pandemic as we move through the season, but hopefully that’s us through the worst of it and we can push on from this point.

We will need you, the Cove Rangers fans, to do your bit, which I’m sure you will. It was great to see and hear you when we played our first cup match against Stirling Albion at Balmoral Stadium.

It had been weird performing in front of almost empty stadiums for more than a year, when all you could hear were the voices of the players and coaching staff.

I certainly feel I perform better when there is a bit more of an atmosphere and we all remember the big part our fans played during our first season playing at SPFL level. Balmoral was buzzing for every game and that was a key factor in us being able to remain undefeated at home in that campaign.

If we can show the same unity during the course of the season it would be a massive help to all of us.

CYCR! Mitch Megginson

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— Club honours

Scottish League 2 Winners: 2019-20

Aberdeenshire Cup Winners: 2001-02, 2010-11, 2018-19

Highland League Winners: 2000-01, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 201516, 2017-18, 2018-19

Runners-up: 1992-93, 1994-95, 2016-17, 2017-18

Runners-up: 1989-90, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1995-96, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2016-17 Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) Winners: 1990-91, 2000-01 Runners-up: 1988-89, 1991-92, 2001-02, 2003-04 Highland League Cup Winners: 1994-95, 1999-2000, 2004-05, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19 Runners-up: 1990-91, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1997-98, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2011-12

Aberdeenshire Shield Winners: 1990-91, 2000-01, 2008-09, 2017-18 Runners-up: 1994-95, 2012-13, 2015-16 Aberdeenshire & District League Winners: 2000-01, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15 Runners-up: 2006-07 Aberdeenshire Centenery Cup Runners-up: 1986-87 Inter-League Trophy Winners: 2001-02

36 37

— Today’s team lines

Cove Rangers FC Manager - Paul Hartley

Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC Manager - Billy Dodds

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16.

19.

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24.

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4.

5.

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7.

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10.

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Stuart McKenzie Morgyn Neill Harry Milne Connor Scully Scott Ross Ryan Strachan Broque Watson Blair Yule Mitchel Megginson (C) Jamie Masson Leighton McIntosh Daniel Higgins Rory McAllister Ross Draper Iain Vigurs Rhys Thomas Robbie Leitch Balint Demus Kyle Gourlay Fraser Fyvie

Mark Ridgers Wallace Duffy Cameron Harper Sean Welsh Robbie Deas Daniel Devine Michael Gardyne David Carson Billy Mckay Aaron Doran Shane Sutherland Roddy MacGregor Tom Walsh Kirk Broadfoot Anthony McDonald Scott Allardice Manny Duku Cameron MacKay Reece McAlear Harry Nicolson Ryan Fyffe Lewis Hyde Robbie Thompson Alasdair Riddle Harry Hennem Ethan Cairns Lewis Nicolson

Today’s referee - Chris Graham Today’s assistant referees - Greame Leslie, Chris Hobbs