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QUEEN’S PARK

— Upcoming Fixtures

3rd

50/50 winner!

The 50/50 winner at the Inverness match was Stuart Dougan, the winning number was 118564.

RESULTS ROUND-UP

Cove Rangers 0

Inverness CT 1

cinch Championship

Sat 15th October

Balmoral Stadium

Ayr United 2

Cove Rangers 2

Hamilton Academical 4

Cove Rangers 4

cinch Championship

Sat 22nd October

Somerset Park

cinch Championship

Sat 29th October

ZLX Stadium

INVERNESS CT

Cove Rangers

(4-3-3)

Gourlay; Johnston, Sanders, Reynolds, Logan; Yule, Gilmour (McDonagh 79), Scully; Longstaff (Leitch 79), Megginson (c), Dunne (McIntosh 46)

Substitutes

McKenzie, Towler, Ross, Neill, Vigurs

Booked

Johnston (42), Sanders (74), McDonagh (90)

Sent off McIntosh (90)

Inverness CT

(4-4-1-1)

Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Deas, Delaney; Boyd (Shaw 79), Allardice (Hyde 46), Harper, D. MacKay; MacGregor (Doran 21), McKay (Oakley 76)

Substitutes

C. MacKay, Ram

Goalscorers

Boyd (19)

Booked

Boyd (34), Doran (55), Deas (66), Oakley (89), Harper (90)

Referee Graham Grainger Attendance

1,071

AYR UNITED

Ayr United (4-4-2)

Albinson; Houston, Musonda, Kirk, Reading; Mullin, Murdoch (c), Dempsey, Chalmers (Ashford 78); Akinyemi (McKenzie 78), Young (Mitchell-Lawson 78)

Substitutes

McAdams, O’Connor, McGinty, Bangala, McAllister, Smith

Goalscorers

Akinyemi (29), Kirk (37)

Referee

Calum Scott

Cove Rangers (4-4-2)

Gourlay; Johnston, Sanders, Reynolds, Towler (Leitch 63); Longstaff (Dunne 90), Yule, Gilmour, Scully; Megginson (c), McDonagh (Vigurs 88)

Substitutes

Ross, Neill

Goalscorers

Scully (32), McDonagh (52)

Booked: Sanders (68), Gilmour (87), Vigurs (90)

Attendance

1,847

HAMILTON ACADEMICAL

Hamilton Academical (4-4-1-1)

J. Smith; Brown (One 81), Doyle, Easton (c), Shiels (Mimnaugh 55); L. Smith (McGinn 55), Virtanen, Lawson, Winter; Ngandu (Tiehi 46); Ryan

Substitutes

Scully, Zanatta, Owens, Newbury, Latona

Goalscorers

Winter (44), Ryan (53), Lawson (pen 63), Ryan (89)

Booked

Ryan (60), Tiehi (66), Lawson (68)

Referee

Cove Rangers (4-4-2)

Gourlay; Johnston, Sanders, Reynolds, Logan; Longstaff, Yule, Gilmour, Scully; Megginson (c), McDonagh (Masson 64)

Substitutes

McKenzie, Towler, Neill, Vigurs, Leitch, Dunne

Goalscorers

Reynolds (10), Megginson (pen 42, 48), McDonagh (52)

Booked

Masson (80), Megginson (90), Gilmour (90)

Chris Graham Attendance

1,098

CHARLIE GILMOUR

Charlie Gilmour was the fifth of Jim McIntyre’s seven summer signings, and it is fair to suggest that the midfielder, on loan from St Johnstone, has made the biggest impact of them all.

Since joining in mid-August, Charlie has started all ten cinch Championship matches. The only game he has missed was the SPFL Trust trophy encounter with Raith Rovers when he was cuptied after turning out for Saints’ B team earlier in the competition.

The midfielder settled very quickly into the anchor role at the heart of the team, has impressed with his vision and range of passing, and has built up a profitable partnership with Connor Scully and Blair Yule following the latter’s return from injury:

“There’s real quality in midfield here. Recently it’s been Blair and Connor alongside me. They’ve got the legs and do a lot of running, but they’re good footballers too, and before that it was Fraser Fyvie and Iain Vigurs.

“It really helps when you’ve got players like that around you; it gives you confidence knowing you can pass the ball in tight situations, and they’ll deal with it.”

Given the natural ability he possesses, it is little wonder Charlie feels comfortable in the heat of battle. His confidence on the ball stems from years being coached by some of the best in the business at one of the biggest clubs in the land:

“I went to Arsenal when I was six years old, and stayed until I was twenty. It was a dream come true, I’ve supported them all my life, and the experiences I got with Arsenal were out of this world.

“There were trips to Qatar, Singapore; you just couldn’t beat it. What an education it was growing up there.

“I played alongside Bukayo Saka and Josh Dasilva, who’s now at Brentford. It’s crazy to look back and see everyone’s journey; there were plenty really good players who didn’t make it all the way.”

“Given the natural ability he possesses, it is little wonder Charlie feels comfortable in the heat of battle.”

While he didn’t enjoy the big breakthrough with the Gunners, he did have a moment to treasure, one which will forever live with him. Having featured in an away win against Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League, Charlie then made his debut at The Emirates, replacing Mesut Ozil in a victory over Qarabag:

“That was so good, a surreal experience. Thankfully, a photographer got a picture of the moment when I came on to the pitch for him, and I’ve got it in my room. It’s also the wallpaper on my phone!”

He had a brief spell with Norwich City, which didn’t quite work out, but then caught the eye during a season in the Dutch Second Division with Telstar where he made twenty-five appearances:

“I loved it there. The coaching, the way they play football. Everything is about keeping the ball on the ground, and it really suited my style. I would happily go back to Holland at some point.”

Out of contract in the summer of 2021, Charlie got the call from St Johnstone and packed his bags to head north, hoping to make an impact in the Scottish Premiership. He saw some action, but only three late substitute appearances, so was happy to head out to Alloa Athletic on loan, especially with the opportunity to play under a Rangers and Scotland midfield great:

“The plan was to get as many games as possible under my belt, and I loved it there. Playing for Barry Ferguson was a

bonus too and it was great having that matchday feeling again. I’d missed that.”

In fact, Charlie did so well, he was recalled last January, but while he did get a little more action for St Johnstone, with the team battling to avoid relegation, more often than not the twenty-three year old found himself on the sidelines again.

“His confidence on the ball stems from years being coached by some of the best in the business at one of the biggest clubs in the land.”

He did get a couple of runouts in this season’s Premier Sports Cup, and played against Cove in the pre-season draw at McDiarmid Park, but Charlie was keen to get out on loan again, and jumped at the chance of a move to Balmoral Stadium:

“At the end of the day, I just want to play football. I don’t care where that is, or at what level, I just love playing the game.

“The gaffer likes to play football the right way. I’m encouraged to get on the ball, and I enjoy the responsibility he has given me.

“I don’t try to over-complicate things; I just do what I’m good at and hope that helps the team.”

Having tasted part-time football at Alloa last season, Charlie feels that helped him settle quickly here at Balmoral, and he’s still getting exposure to the full-time game, with the big plus being playing more regularly:

“I’m still in at St Johnstone, training with them three times a week, and of course I’ve got the two nights with Cove. It can be demanding, but it’s definitely worth it.

“I’m loving my time here and we’re all focused on climbing the table. As we saw last month, a couple of back-to-back wins makes such a difference in this league.

I feel as if every game I’ve played in, it’s been tight, and the margins are so fine.

“It’s going to be all about getting a few more victories to increase the confidence, and I look forward to playing my part in doing that.”

For as long as he remains at Cove, Charlie Gilmour looks certain to have a major role as the heartbeat of Jim McIntyre’s team.

JIM MCINTYRE

Welcome to Balmoral Stadium for this historic fixture, Cove Rangers’ first cinch Championship match to be televised live.

Hopefully we can put on a show for the BBC Scotland viewers across the country and further afield, but while that would be a bonus, our main objective is to put in a strong performance, and pick up the win.

Our home form has generally been good, and even though we lost last time out against Caley Thistle, it was a tight game which could have gone either way. Had Mitch Megginson’s early goal stood, it might have had a big bearing on the outcome, but those are the fine margins that will dictate how the season pans out.

Since then, we have been on the road, and picked up successive draws at Somerset Park and New Douglas Park.

The boys put on excellent attacking displays in both matches, and we should clearly have picked up more than the two points we did.

They showed great resilience in twice coming from behind against Ayr United, and the 2-2 scoreline was, I think, a fair reflection of the ninety minutes, but the Hamilton game was a very different story.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Mitch for reaching the milestone of 200 goals for the club.”

That was a match we were in control of, had largely dominated for an hour, and having built up a commanding 4-1 lead, we should have gone on to secure the win. Defensive lapses cost us once more.

We have good experience in the side; the players must manage the game properly in that situation, and we should never have let Accies back into it. To lose the late equaliser in the manner we did was particularly frustrating.

We have given away too many cheap goals this season and that’s a habit we have to shake off. It’s just not acceptable to be handing the opposition the gifts we have been.

There were positives again last Saturday, we always looked menacing going forward, and it was good to see Gerry McDonagh finding the net for the second game in a row with a lovely piece of improvisation.

I would like to offer my congratulations to Mitch for reaching the milestone of 200 goals for the club. The captain is a Cove Rangers legend and deserves all the plaudits he has received for his remarkable personal achievement; it’s just a shame he wasn’t able to celebrate properly given how the game turned out. Hopefully he can add to his tally against Queen’s Park this evening.

Owen Coyle strengthened his squad well in the summer, and like us, they have been involved in plenty high-scoring matches this season, but I will settle for a scrappy 1-0 if it means we take the three points.

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

18. Jack Sanders 15. Kyle McClelland

26. Mark Reynolds 27. Max Johnston

Midfielders

Strikers

Advertising Opportunities

4. Connor Scully

8. Blair Yule

22. Cieran Dunne

10. Jamie Masson

20. Robbie Leitch 24. Fraser Fyvie

Mitchel Megginson

Leighton McIntosh

Charlie Gilmour

Iain Vigurs

17. Luis Longstaff 7. Gerry McDonagh

— Leanne Crichton

LEANNE CRICHTON

Leanne Crichton has become one of the most instantly recognisable faces on our television screens in recent years, rightly praised for being among our top football pundits.

The fact she is even given the opportunity to share her well-informed and forthright opinions with viewers, and listeners to BBC Radio Scotland, says much about the incredible strides made by women’s football in this country.

It is all a long way from her formative years in the game, and not something she could ever have imagined:

“I never played in a girls team until I was fifteen. Until then, it was just kickabouts with my brothers and their friends, so it’s fair to say that embarking on career in broadcasting couldn’t have been further from my mind.

“It was Peter Martin who gave me my start. He had his show with Alan Rough on STV at the time, I met up with him, he handed me an iPad and a tripod, and two days later I was on air from Ibrox!

“The BBC started using me around the time of the Euros and the World Cup, and it’s all moved on from there. You could say I just fell into it, but I do take it seriously, and now have a First Class Broadcasting and Journalism Degree.”

As for her football, apart from the games with her brothers, Leanne played primary school football – she was the only girl in the team – and her career might never have taken off, but for a chance encounter:

“I was spotted doing keepy-uppies at an Easter football camp. A lady came up,

— Leanne Crichton

said she was with a team – which turned out to be Cumbernauld Cosmos – and asked if I’d be interested in joining.

“I never even knew that other girls played football! Less than two years later I’d earned my first Scotland cap. It’s incredible how quickly it all moved on.”

She joined Whitehill Welfare, who then became Edinburgh Ladies, and shocked the women’s game by lifting the League Cup in 2006-07 with a stunning 4-1 win over Hibernian:

“They were a good side back then with international players in the team; we were just a random bunch of kids. That was quite an achievement!”

Having stepped up through the levels as a teenager, Leanne initially made her big breakthrough with Celtic, had a highly successful season with Hibernian Ladies just over a decade ago, then really came to the fore with Glasgow City as they embarked on their record-breaking run of league championship triumphs. It is a period she recalls with great fondness:

“That’s when things really got serious. I got back in the Scotland squad, we won the league every year, there were back-to-back trebles. So many players

in that team had huge international careers, and I think that played a big part in Scotland then enjoying the success we did. Glasgow City was at the core of all that.”

“I loved my international career, and I’m so proud of having played my part in the resurgence of the women’s game.”

Having won everything there was to win in the Scottish game, Leanne was eager to challenge herself, and in 2015 she moved south of the border, joining Notts County.

The manager at the time, Rick Passmoor, had tried to sign her for Lincoln Ladies some years previously, and she felt the time was right:

“I just thought that if I was ever going to give England a go, it had to be then, and I had a brilliant two years. I played in two cup finals, I was at Wembley in front of 40,000 fans, it was crazy.

“I loved it, I’d just signed a new twoyear contract, and then the financial problems emerged, and the club went into administration.

“What I did realise when I was down there was just how well Glasgow City were run. They were so professional! The only difference in England was that I did less – I didn’t have to juggle football with a full-time job – and I definitely became a better player.”

Two years later, she was back at City having helped Scotland qualify for a first ever major Finals tournament, Euro 2017. That was among the proudest achievements of her career, but one which also brought disappointment.

The group began with a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of England, and a 2-1 loss to Portugal all but ended hopes of making progress, rendering the win over Spain too little, too late.

The national team was on a roll, and also qualified for the 2019 World Cup Finals.

Once again, the Scots lost their first couple of matches, but with Leanne restored to the side, were coasting 3-0 up against Argentina and heading for the knockout stages, only to lose three

goals in the last fifteen minutes, and miss out in heart-breaking fashion.

“I still think about that a lot. I still feel the guilt of that defeat, and also the guilt of failing to reach the next Euros.

“But I loved my international career, and I’m so proud of having played my part in the resurgence of the women’s game.

“I think I only missed one international get-together. I was always fit and available, and earning seventy-two caps would have been beyond my wildest dreams. I helped to put Scotland on the map, I travelled the world with my best mates, and I got to play on the biggest stages of all. That’s not bad, is it?”

Leanne joined Motherwell Women last year and is now developing her coaching skills and trying to help the younger players by passing on some of the incredible experiences she amassed over her glittering career.

Alongside that, she looks certain to be a fixture on our television screens, and on radio, for years to come, sharing her astute analysis of the game with viewers and listeners, and having her say on the game she loves.

CAPTAIN’S VIEW

First and foremost, I would like to thank the fans for their backing on the road in previous weeks. It was great to see so many of you make the long journeys to both Ayr and Hamilton.

Everyone was disappointed with the outcome of last weekend’s match. We all know we should have been coming away from New Douglas Park with three points after being in such a strong, dominant position – it was criminal from us to let our lead slip.

On two separate occasions, we let Accies back into the game straight after scoring. I’m not sure whether it was a case of switching of momentarily, but as a team, it was very slack defending, and that’s not the first time this season we have gifted our opposition their goals.

We need to do something about it, as you can’t walk away from a match where you are 4-1 up with half an hour to play with only one point.

One positive we can take from the game is that we scored four goals away from home. At the beginning of the season we were being punished for not being clinical, so it’s pleasing to see the goal tally improve in recent weeks.

Another positive for myself was netting my 200th goal for the club.

It was a bittersweet moment, as I was delighted to score for the 200th time in a Cove shirt, but it was hard to appreciate the moment having not secured the three points after being in such a strong position.

However, having had the time to sit down and reflect, I have begun to realise just how big an achievement it is. In my role as a striker, I take great pleasure in finding the back of the net, and it’s a proud moment to hit the double century for Cove.

Coincidentally, it was Connor Scully who set up my very first goal back in 2016 when we beat Montrose 3-0 in the League Cup group stages, and it was Scully again teeing me up for my 200th last weekend in Hamilton, so I must say a special thank you to him!

Reaching this landmark has made me hungry for more, and I look to start my run to 300 goals when we take to the pitch this evening to face Queen’s Park.

“ Reaching this landmark has made me hungry for more, and I look to start my run to 300 goals when we take to the pitch this evening to face Queen’s Park.”

We know we are in for a tough match, having fallen to defeat against the Spiders earlier in the season at Ochilview. We must look to build on last week’s result by continuing to create chances in the final third, whilst tightening up in defence, in order to emerge victorious.

It’s an exciting night for the club, as it is our first ever live televised league match at Balmoral Stadium. The boys are all looking forward to the occasion, and are determined to make it a memorable one.

COYCR!

Mitch Megginson