Cove Rangers v East Fife
cinch League One
14.08.21 — 3pm KO
— Upcoming fixtures
A Sat 21st Aug, 2021 Dumbarton v Cove Rangers cinch League One
A Sat 28th Aug, 2021 Clyde v Cove Rangers cinch League One
H Sat 11th Sept, 2021 Cove Rangers v Montrose cinch League One
A Sat 18th Sept, 2021 Peterhead v Cove Rangers cinch League One
— League table
cinch League One
Cove Rangers FC
Balmoral Stadium
Wellington Circle, Altens
Aberdeen, AB12 3JG
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
cinch League One
Saturday August 7th @ Firhill Stadium
QUEEN’S PARK 2 COVE RANGERS 0
queen’s park reign victorious
A red card shown to Fraser Fyvie, late in the first half, proved decisive as we lost out to Queen’s Park in our cinch League One clash at Firhill Stadium.
Fyvie was sent off for what looked to be a misstimed, rather than malicious – tackle on Charlie Fox – close to the half-way line.
Despite the protests of his team-mates, referee Calum Scott gave the midfielder his marching orders.
It was disappointing as we had been the better side up to that stage and it had a huge bearing on the outcome of the game.
Queen’s Park made the extra man count, with Simon Murray and substitute Robert McHugh netting early in the second period to send them on to victory.
We made two enforced changes to the starting line-up that faced Falkirk the week before, with Ryan Strachan and Leighton McIntosh coming in for Scott Ross and Ross Draper.
There was a nice touch pre-match, when the players gave our opponents a guard of honour as they came out for the official unfurling of the League Two Championship flag, which Queen’s Park won last term.
It took both sides a wee while to get into their stride, although the Spiders weren’t helped by losing defender Jake Davidson, through injury, after just nine minutes.
It was four minutes later when the home side created the first chance.
Simon Murray fed the ball through to Louis Longridge and his shot, from a tight angle on the left, was held by Kyle Gourlay.
We replied with a Shay Logan cross from the right that just evaded Mitch Megginson and Robbie Leitch as it sped across the face of the home goal.
We were unlucky not to go ahead in the 21st minute. Harry Milne fired an excellent cross over from wide on the left and Fyvie was unfortunate to see his eight-yard header go just wide of the far post.
Murray then broke forward for the Spiders but his shot from the edge of the area lacked power and was easily gathered by Gourlay.
The Spiders were fortunate again in the 25th minute when slack defending gave Megginson space to shoot from 16-yards, with Stuart Morrison making a last gasp challenge to block the effort.
Fyvie’s shot from the rebound was also blocked by a defender.
When the resulting corner was fired over by Iain Vigurs, Morgyn Neill nodded the ball down to Milne at the back post and his close-range shot was pushed wide by home keeper Willian Muir.
Fyvie was red carded in the 45th minute, for the tackle on Fox, a couple of minutes after he had been unhappy not to get a foul himself, when he appeared to be shoved at the edge of the Spiders area and needed treatment to a leg injury.
The decision looked very harsh but meant there was an even tougher shift ahead for the remaining 10 players.
Despite that, the half ended with Vigurs sending a free-kick into the area for Milne to get in a 10-yard header that was held by Muir.
The Spiders made one change at the break, bringing on striker McHugh for the restart.
Queen’s Park went ahead when Murray fired home with a magnificent 20-yard free-kick in the 52nd minute.
The second, a minute later, came when McHugh pounced on a careless ball out from our defence. Gourlay got a hand to the striker’s shot from distance but was unable to stop the ball creeping over the line.
Gourlay made a fine diving save from McHugh’s low shot to prevent the home side adding to their lead in the 67th minute.
We brought Rory McAllister and Connor Scully on a minute later and both were pretty lively in the remainder of the game.
Gourlay denied Murray with another outstanding save before Jevan Anderson came on, for his debut, in the 75th minute.
McAllister tried his luck with a 30-yard freekick, but the powerful effort was held by Muir.
Logan also latched on to a Yule pass to fire wide from just inside area as we battled manfully to get back into the game, but the damage had already been done in this few crazy minutes either side of the interval.
Queen’s Park: Muir, Davidson (Thomson 9), Robson, Morrison, Longridge, Brown, Biggar (McHugh 46), Fox, Gillespie, Murray (Lyon 87), Doyle.
Subs: Ferrie, Gillies, Yeats, Nicol.
Cove Rangers: Gourlay, Neill (Anderson 75), Milne, Strachan, Yule, Megginson, McIntosh (McAllister 68), Vigurs, Leitch (Scully 68), Fyvie, Logan.
Subs: McKenzie, Watson, Higgins.
Referee: Calum Scott.
Manager Paul Hartley and club captain Mitch Megginson spoke to the media after our 2-0 cinch League One defeat to Queen’s Park at Firhill Stadium.
When asked if he thought the red card shown to midfielder Fraser Fyvie, when the scoreline was still 0-0, was significant, Paul said: “Yes, without doubt.
We were doing fine up to that point. I thought we were on top, in control and then a moment of madness.
We can have no complaints, it was a sending off. He (Fraser) is an experienced player for us and has to do a bit better. We were a couple of minutes away from half-time, going in at 0-0 and doing well.
We had created some good situations, but in the second half we were off it. Basic mistakes at both of the goals gave the game away. We were well beat in the second half. We didn’t show enough character.
I said to the players ‘how many times have you seen a team go down to 10 men and they have still got a result?’ That’s the disappointing thing. We said to them at half-time to keep it nice and tight and don’t lose the game. I still believed we could win the game but would have taken a point given the situation we were in, but we didn’t do enough.
We have got to be better all over the pitch.”
Mitch said: “We weren’t good enough.
We did okay in the first half and were very much in the game. But once we went a man down it was different.
Queen’s Park were ahead of fitness wise and worked really hard, but we were the better team in the first half.
It’s frustrating because the game was there for us but the sending off makes it more difficult. It allowed them more time on the ball and more opportunity to play.
We just have to put it behind us, keep the heads up and look to do better in the next game.”
Shay
Shay Logan
Former Aberdeen player Shay Logan made his debut for us in our 1-1 cinch League One draw with Falkirk at Balmoral Stadium.
Shay shares his thoughts about that game and his ambitions for the season.
It was just about getting my legs working again. I hadn’t kicked a football in a competitive game since April 30, when I made my last appearance for Hearts, against Raith Rovers. I was delighted to get back in it, to finally be back to doing what I love.
I had been in the gym virtually all the time since April, working hard on the treadmill and stuff like that. But nothing compares to actually being out there in a proper game.
I always knew it was going to be tough, but my legs felt fine and I was reasonably pleased with how I did. I’m confident that, as the games go on, I will be flying.
Falkirk are full-time and among the favourites for the title, so were you pleased we came back to earn a point?
Let’s not beat around the bush, we were never at our best. So coming away with a point, against one of the best sides in this league, has to be seen as a positive. I never like it when I don’t win but I would say it was a C-game for us, one we know we can greatly improve upon. It was only the first game though.
The gaffer told us afterwards that if you can’t win the first one it is important not to lose it. We did that, so it’s a case of moving on and seeing if we can keep improving as the weeks pass.
>>> So how was your first taste of League One football?
This is your first experience of playing part-time, what are your thoughts on that so far?
I’m happy because it is allowing me to keep my football career going at a good level while also allowing me to continue planning for life away from the game.
It’s the playing part that always excites me. It’s why I never really look too far ahead, if you were to ask me who Cove have to play in four weeks time I couldn’t tell you.
I’ve always taken things one game at a time because it’s the only way if you want to do well, no matter what level you are playing at. I like to enjoy my football and I have found the best way to do that is never to start getting too far ahead of yourself.
Has it been easy settling in at the club?
Yes, but I expected that would be the case. This is my first experience of being here as a player, but I already knew a lot about the club. I had been to a few Cove games when I was with Aberdeen. I was at the first ever match at SPFL level in 2019, when Cove beat Edinburgh City 5-0.
One of my friends played for Edinburgh that day and it was a very impressive performance. I was very impressed by the passion shown by the Cove fans that day, it was a reminder of just how much everyone wants to see the team succeed.
I already knew a lot of the players at the club and that they had an excellent management team behind them, so there were never any fears about coming here.
It has been the perfect fit because I’m enjoying my football again while also getting the opportunity to develop the career I want to move into once I stop playing. But I’m some way off that day yet, my focus right now is on repaying the club for giving me the opportunity to be part of their plans.
START PLAYING.
Rip-roaring power. Spellbinding control. Jaw-dropping accuracy. The new Mitre Delta Max SPFL. Prepare to mesmerise.
PAUL HARTLEY
I would like to extend a warm welcome to East Fife manager Darren Young and all of his staff for what we expect to be another competitive encounter this afternoon.
The fact nobody has picked up full points after the opening two cinch League One fixtures underlines just how evenly matched the sides in the division are. It’s why nothing was decided until the final couple of games last season and I fully expect it to be the same this term.
Ensuring we maintain what has been a magnificent home record for us so far at SPFL level has to be a target for us.
I can’t praise the players enough for what they have achieved here at Balmoral Stadium over the last two and a bit years.
The 1-1 draw with Falkirk, in our opening fixture, was the latest example of how hard they have worked to turn our stadium into a bit of a fortress.
HARTLEY
— View from the dugout
We would obviously have preferred to have won that game, but I was pleased with the way the players dug deep, when they weren’t yet fully up to match speed, to come back from a goal behind to earn a draw.
That point could end up being a very valuable one when we are looking back at the end of the campaign.
The players know they will need to dig deep again if we are to compete with East Fife, who gave us very testing games last season.
We are also looking to respond positively to losing away to Queen’s Park last weekend. While disappointed with the result, I have to say I was really pleased with our performance in the first half.
There was some really good play from us, but the red card shown to Fraser Fyvie changed things. That was a reminder of just how finely balanced the games in our division are, you can’t afford to give anyone even the slightest of advantages or things can quickly become more difficult.
Fraser will miss today’s game through suspension, but that is countered by being able to welcome Jamie Masson back into the squad. Jamie is a big player for us and was really missed when he was injured during the latter stages of last season. He has been working really hard over the last few weeks to get back to full fitness and everyone is delighted to see back in the thick of things.
Stay safe and enjoy the game.
Paul Hartley
“...you can’t afford to give anyone even the slightest of advantages or things can quickly become more difficult.”
GOALKEEPERS
DEFENDERS
SPONSORSHIP
Stuart McKenzie
Paul Hartley
Gordon Young
Harry Milne Ryan Strachan
Daniel Higgins Morgyn Neill
Kyle Gourlay
Scott Ross Tam Ritchie
MIDFIELDERS
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Blair Yule
Broque Watson
Jamie Masson
Fraser Fyvie
Iain Vigurs
Ross Draper Robbie Leitch
Connor Scully
Rory McAllister
Mitchel Megginson Leighton McIntosh
— Season 2021/22 statistics
CAPTAIN’S WEIV
“We all know we are in for another very tough 90 minutes against East Fife this afternoon.”
As was shown last season, every single game in this league is keenly contested, with very little to choose from between the sides.
An added incentive for us will be attempting to bounce back from losing 2-0 to Queen’s Park at Firhill last weekend.
I accept the fact we were down to 10 men for the whole of the second half didn’t help. But we were still short of our best and should have been able to cope better with the situation we found ourselves in.
We will need to be right at it today if we are to take anything off East Fife, who have strengthened considerably since we last met.
The unusual build-up we’ve had to the season hasn’t helped our cause, but that’s past us now.
From here on it is about picking up as many points as we possibly can, particularly at home, because you don’t want to find yourself maybe falling behind the group of sides at the top end.
We have had enough time to get up to full fitness, so the challenge now is make that work for us in every game, as it tended to do last season.
— Captain’s view
>>> It’s about being positive and looking to return to the high standards that have been a mainstay at our club for many seasons.
That has ensured losing is a bit of an unusual experience for most of us at Cove.
The way we have tended to bounce back immediately from any disappointments also offers some encouragement as we go into today’s encounter.
It will take hard work, but that’s something we have never been afraid of.
I’m sure the Cove fans, as ever, will do their bit to assist us as we attempt to get all three points.
It’s great that the restrictions have been eased even further to allow even more supporters to come to Balmoral Stadium.
Normal service has almost been restored off the park, it’s up to us do all that we possibly can to reward you for making the effort to come along and back us.
CYCR!
Mitch Megginson
Scottish League 2 Winners: 2019-20
Highland League Winners: 2000-01, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 201516, 2017-18, 2018-19
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 Cup Winners: 2001-02, 2010-11, 2018-19
Runners-up: 1992-93, 1994-95, 2016-17, 2017-18
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
—
Cove Rangers FC
Manager - Paul Hartley
1. Stuart McKenzie
2. Morgyn Neill
3. Harry Milne 4. Connor Scully
5. Scott Ross
6. Ryan Strachan
7. Broque Watson
8. Blair Yule
9. Mitchel Megginson (C)
10. Jamie Masson
11. Leighton McIntosh
13. Rory McAllister 14. Ross Draper
15. Jevan Anderson
16. Iain Vigurs
19. Rhys Thomas
20. Robbie Leitch
21. Balint Demus
23. Kyle Gourlay
24. Fraser Fyvie
25. Shay Logan
East Fife FC
Manager - Darren Young
Lewis Anderson
Sean Brown
Kyle Connell
Michael Cunningham
Danny Denholm
Ross Dunlop
Aaron Dunsmore
Scott Gallacher
Chris Higgins
Daniel Higgins
Connor McManus
Scott Mercer
Stewart Murdoch
Liam Newton
Jamie Semple
Pat Slattery
Kevin Smith
Jude Smith
Aaron Steele
Liam Watt
Today’s referee - Euan Anderson
Today’s assistant referees - Steven Traynor, Gordon McCabe