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50/50 winner!

The 50/50 winner at the Raith Rovers game was 114899, won by Craig Lowe (£360).

Our hopes of emulating last season’s run to the semi-finals of the SPFL Trust Trophy ended at the first hurdle as Rovers edged a tight encounter, Connor McBride grabbing the only goal to send the holders through to the Fourth Round.

There had been sweeping changes from the 2-2 draw at Firhill last week, with only goal hero Mark Reynolds and Connor Scully retaining their places in the starting line-up.

The game started brightly enough with Johnston showing early promise, and from one of his surges forward the fullback fired in a dangerous delivery, but the ball had crossed the bye-line before he made contact.

Johnston and Luis Longstaff seemed to find an instant connection on the right, Iain Vigurs collected the ball from Luis, and played a one-two with Leighton McIntosh, before setting up Max, but his cross was cleared from the danger zone.

Raith hit back, and it was the Kirkcaldy outfit who made the breakthrough. Kieran Ngwenya set off on a powerful run before passing wide to Coulson, who sent in an inviting low cross. McBride gathered the ball and shot goalwards from eight yards, his effort deflecting off Morgyn Neill and past McKenzie.

We were playing some excellent football at that stage of the game, and after good work by Leighton McIntosh, Longstaff drove infield before feeding the ball back out to Johnston. He sent in another fine cross, again just marginally too deep for McDonagh to make contact.

In the twenty-fourth minute, Mark Reynolds fired a superb fifty-yard diagonal for Max to run on to, but the cross, while dangerous, once more failed to find its target.

Seconds later, Rovers should have doubled their advantage. Ethan Ross took a quick free kick out on the right, and after an exchange of passes, the former Aberdeen youngster got in behind on the right, but shot wide of the near post.

There was then a period of sustained Cove possession with Johnston, Yule, Vigurs and McIntosh heavily involved, before Longstaff, under pressure, sent his cross behind the visitors’ goal.

“

In the twentyfourth minute, Mark Reynolds fired a superb fifty-yard diagonal for Max to run on to…”

“…McKenzie pulled off an excellent save, holding the ball despite the ferocity of the shot..”

Longstaff looked to spring the next Cove attack, turning inside his own half before racing clear, only to be bundled to the ground by Spencer, who picked up the game’s first booking. From the resultant free kick, Morgyn Neill headed just wide from twelve yards.

Again, Raith broke away, and again they might have extended their lead. Connell gathered a high ball and turned away from Neill. As the space opened up, he fired in a powerful effort from the edge of the box, but Stuart McKenzie pulled off an excellent save, holding the ball despite the ferocity of the shot.

There was a quiet start to the second half, but in the fifty-second minute it appeared we had found a leveller.

Connell fouled Iain Vigurs wide on the left. The resultant free kick was cleared only as far as Blair Yule, he linked up with Vigurs, then fed in Longstaff, and Luis finished superbly at the back post. The celebrations were quickly halted by the assistant’s flag, the winger having strayed marginally offside. Four minutes later, a moment of huge controversy which might have had a significant bearing on the game.

After more good build-up play, with Longstaff and Johnston again involved, the ball was eventually played over the top for Leighton McIntosh to run on to. The Cove man looked favourite to latch on to it, and seemed to have clearly been bundled to the ground by O’Riordan, but to everyone’s astonishment, referee Duncan waved play on.

Longstaff then produced a bit of magic on the other flank. He jinked along the bye-line past a couple of defenders and shot towards the near post, Thomson punching the ball to safety. Neill then had a looping header cleared off the line by Connell, and Scully shot just wide from eighteen yards.

Luis Longstaff was having his best game in a Cove shirt and went for a mazy run deep inside the Raith box, Yule heeled the ball back to him, and from Luis’ cutback, Vigurs fired just over from the edge of the box.

Blair Yule’s comeback lasted seventy-six minutes, and he left the field to a standing ovation before being replaced by Robbie Leitch. At the same time, club captain Mitch Megginson took over from McIntosh.

Mitch was harshly booked for a challenge on Brown, then minutes later he threatened the Raith defence, racing on to a Vigurs through ball, only to see his cross blocked for a corner. Vigurs swung that in, but Rovers scrambled it clear.

Deep into stoppage time, there was one last opportunity. Luis Longstaff continued to be a major attacking threat, drove past the visiting defence, and delivered into the danger area. Rovers threw bodies at the ball, and in the ensuing melee it wouldn’t sit up for Megginson. As he moved towards it, Mitch was upended, but once more, the referee was unmoved and waved play on.

Cove Rangers

(4-3-3)

McKenzie; Johnston, Neill, Reynolds (c), Dunne; Yule (Leitch 76), Scully, Vigurs; Longstaff, McDonagh (Masson 65), McIntosh (Megginson 76)

Substitutes

Gourlay, Logan, Thomas

Booked

Megginson (84)

Raith Rovers

(4-2-3-1)

Thomson; Millen, O’Riordan, Dick, Ngwenya (Nolan 76); Brown (c), Spencer (Matthews 82); McBride (Easton 73), Coulson, Ross (Connolly 82); Connell (Mitchell 82)

Substitutes: MacDonald, Masson

Goalscorers

McBride (11)

Booked

Spencer (41), Coulson (90)

Referee

Gavin Duncan

Attendance

405

THIRD STRIP LAUNCH

The club is delighted to announce the release of our new third strip as part of our year of centenary celebrations.

The gold with black trim is in keeping with the theme used to mark our one hundred years.

In addition to the blue home, and black away tops, supporters can find a full range of sizes at the Cove Rangers section of the Greaves Sports website.

The strips will also be available to purchase at the club shop inside Balmoral Stadium ahead of this afternoon’s meeting with Arbroath.

MARK

MARK REYNOLDS

Since joining Cove Rangers last January, Mark Reynolds has been a stalwart at the heart of the defence. He played a major role in the second half of last season, helping to secure the League One title, and has missed just one of the twelve matches played during this campaign.

He has brought experience and a winning mentality, and is loving his time at Balmoral Stadium, despite having had to adapt to part-time football for the first time in his long and successful career. It was a stage in his life the central defender had been readying himself for, having put plans in place while with the Dons.

Mark embarked on a six-year degree course in Mechanical and Offshore Engineering, initially doing four years at NESCOL, with a further two at RGU, and now combines playing with his day job at Aberdeen-based Katoni Engineering:

“Blair Yule also works there, and the owner, the CEO and the Head Engineer all know our commitments and how big a part football plays for us. We have flexible working, and they accommodate us whenever they can. I really feel as if I’ve landed on my feet.

“Having been in the city for a long time now, I got to know plenty guys in oil and gas, and they’ve been happy to take my calls, give me advice and support, and that’s all helped me forge a second career.”

— Mark Reynolds

Mark has yet to decide which route he sees his future taking. In the first instance, he wants to continue playing for as long as he can, but at thirty-five, he’s realistic, and knows the day will come when he has a big decision to make:

“I always wanted to do something separate from football, just in case. We’ve all seen it; football is ruthless, it’s cut-throat, and I felt I needed to give myself an option.

“I’m happy in Aberdeen, my family’s happy, and I just wanted the stability that engineering has given me.

“But football will always play a part in my life in some shape or form.”

Right now, that is all about helping the club find its feet in the second tier of Scottish football, and he acknowledges the early part of the season has proved to be a real challenge. Mark maintains the self-belief of the players remains strong, they are putting in the work in training, and he feels the team is not far away from clicking:

“I think we always knew it was going to be tough in the Championship. Some of us had already played there, and it’s ruthless. You’ve got to take your chances, and we haven’t been doing that.

“We’re creating plenty, but not scoring, and we’ve been giving away cheap goals. It’s not a good mix, it’s fine margins, and we need to start getting it right at both ends of the pitch.”

“ It’s little things we need to fix, and one win could make a huge difference to how the season pans out.”

Crucially, Mark believes the problem is not a difficult one to address. He says the side has generally been playing well, they have contended in virtually every game so far, and there is a clear determination he shares with his team-mates to put it right.

A win against our nearest rivals in the table would go a long way towards that:

“The Arbroath game is massive, but I can tell you, every game feels like that in this division.

“I was lucky enough to win the Championship with Dundee United, and whether you’re up at the top or near the bottom, every match feels the same.

“It’s a strange league. People maybe don’t realise just how competitive it is. Everybody can beat everyone else; anyone can take points when they’re least expected to.

“The good thing is we don’t need a massive overhaul. It’s little things we need to fix, and one win could make a huge difference to how the season pans out.

“There’s more on this one perhaps as Arbroath are in a similar position to us, but we’ve put in a good week’s training, and we’re all ready for it.”

JIM MCINTYRE

While we were all disappointed to be knocked-out of the SPFL Trust Trophy, there was much to be pleased about in last weekend’s performance, and it could prove to have been an important ninety minutes going forward.

We played some good football, got into excellent positions, but if I’m being critical, our final ball let us down too often. We need to be more ruthless at that end of the pitch, and stop making mistakes at the other.

Once again, the goal we lost should have been prevented. But the boys know that, and we have been working hard in training this week to try to ensure we cut out those kinds of errors.

“ Despite the loss, there were some big plus points.”

Despite the loss, there were some big plus points. It was brilliant getting Blair Yule back out on the pitch, and you could see, particularly in the first half, just how good a player he is. Having got almost eighty minutes under his belt will have done him the world of good.

Luis Longstaff also caught the eye, we got some real glimpses of what he can do, and the attacking threat he brings. Fans will have been well aware of how much I’ve chopped and changed the wide players; I’ve had to, as we need better consistency levels, we need the guys taking people on, beating them, and creating goalscoring opportunities. I saw much more of that from Luis last week.

“

With Dundee here…Tuesday night, it’s a massive few days, but it’s a challenge we are all relishing.”

I also thought Max Johnston had a really good debut and I was pleased to get him into the team.

While it was important that a number of the players got some minutes into their legs, making the changes I did also allowed a few of the first team regulars, the boys who have been playing week in, week out, to have a bit of a rest.

It has been a demanding start to the season. As we move towards the second quarter of the campaign, I need everyone up to speed and ready to give their all. The Championship has to be our priority.

Remaining in this league was always going to be our number one target, and while every game offers up valuable points, we are entering what will I think be a vital phase, starting with today’s game against Arbroath. After their heroics last season, they’ve found it a bit tougher this time round, and little separates the pair of us in the table.

Both sides will go into the match well aware of the importance of securing the three points.

A win would not only give us a bit of breathing space, it would also give those teams just above us something to think about, and have them looking over their shoulders.

With Dundee here at Balmoral on Tuesday night, it’s a massive few days, but it’s a challenge we are all relishing.

Enjoy the game!

Jim McIntyre

McIntyre

Shay Logan 6. Morgyn Neill

Boyle 3. Evan Towler Tam Ritchie 5. Scott Ross Goalkeepers

23. Kyle Gourlay

1. Stuart McKenzie Defenders

19. Rhys Thomas 26. Mark Reynolds 27. Max Johnston 15. Kyle McClelland

Advertising Opportunities

4. Connor Scully

8. Blair Yule

22. Cieran Dunne

10. Jamie Masson

20. Robbie Leitch 24. Fraser Fyvie 7. Gerry McDonagh

Mitchel Megginson 11. Leighton McIntosh Strikers

14. Charlie Gilmour

16. Iain Vigurs

17. Luis Longstaff

RHYS THOMAS

Young defender Rhys Thomas this week joined Highland League side Keith FC on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

It will be the twenty-year old’s second spell at Kynoch Park, having also spent much of last season there.

Rhys made his Cove debut in July of last year, coming on as a substitute in a Premier Sports Cup tie against Stirling

Albion. He also featured a few days later against Hearts, but has yet to start a game for the club.

He has been part of the matchday squad throughout 2022/23 without seeing any first team action, and the loan deal is seen as an important move for his development.

All at Balmoral Stadium wish Rhys every success in the coming months.

There are only 100 bottles of our artisan gin available, simply visit houseofelrick.co.uk/shop to buy. View our full range of merchandise on our online shop. coverangersfc.com

CAPTAIN’S VIEW

The recent run of poor form is something we are not really used to here at Cove Rangers.

It is frustrating, as in recent weeks we been performing well, but ultimately, what counts is the action in both boxes. It has been the story of our season so far.

It was a similar case last weekend. We started the game on the front foot, and looked threatening, but against the run of play, Raith were able to find the back of the net. Again, in the second half we were strong, we had our opposition penned back as we pushed for the equaliser, but that finesse that is required in the final third to create opportunities was missing.

The manager used last weekend’s match as a chance to rest some of the more regular players in the team, ahead of an important period of matches in the league. This allowed a few of the boys in the squad who haven’t had many minutes to get some time on the pitch.

Luis Longstaff and Max Johnston created a good partnership down the right-hand side, they looked dangerous with their link up play. Max was constantly flying up and down the pitch on the overlap, which allowed Luis to use his skill and directness to cause problems for the opposition.

It was also good to see both Blair Yule and Gerry McDonagh return to the starting line-up after spells on the side-line through injury. They were all given the opportunity to earn themselves a place in the starting line-up, and they certainly did no harm in that manner.

This afternoon, the focus turns back to our league campaign. No one can hide away from the fact that this afternoon’s clash against Arbroath is probably the biggest of the season so far for us. Not only is it the battle of the two part-time sides in the division, but in addition, both clubs are aware that a win can take them three points clear of the bottom of the table.

No one can hide away from the fact that this afternoon’s clash against Arbroath is probably the biggest of the season so far for us.”

Furthermore, with the Championship as tight as it always is, a victory would allow us to start putting the pressure on those teams above us.

It will not be an easy game, that is for sure. Arbroath will be as determined as we are to get a victory and begin climbing the table, as they successfully did last season. We must look to make the home advantage count.

It has been a good week of training; the squad has been working extremely hard, and we are confident going into the game. I can assure the supporters that the boys will leave everything on the pitch today in order to pick up the three points.

COYCR!

Mitch Megginson