03 MATCHDAY 50/50 TICKETS
The half-time 50/50 tickets are available from the 50/50 Stand beside the Home Pie Hut!
Not only will you be in with a chance to win a cash prize, but your ticket also gives you 10% off at Sea Salt + Sole –valid on matchday only
50/50 DRAW WINNER
The half-time draw at the Stenhousemuir match was claimed by a Alistair Watt with winning ticket number 178313
MONTROSE MATCH REPORT
MONTROSE 0 - 3 COVE RANGERS
The team maintained its long unbeaten run against Montrose, finally securing a first League One win of the season with a well-merited convincing victory at Links Park.
Layton Bisland opened the scoring shortly before half-time, David Eguaibor and Lewis O’Donnell on target after the break, as we finally found a clinical touch in front of goal to go with the fine football played in recent weeks.
With long-term absentees Fraser Fyvie, Mikey Doyle and Declan Glass still sidelined, there was a further blow with Mitch Megginson ruled out through injury Mackenzie Strachan returned in the only change from last weekend’s loss to Stenhousemuir.
Cove kicked-off on a bitterly cold afternoon, but it was the home side who were first to threaten, Sandilands getting on the end of a Lyons flick deep inside our box and forcing Mutch to divert the ball behind.
We then countered quickly, Adam Emslie flashing in an inviting cross from the left. David Eguaibor got in front of Waddell but headed narrowly wide at the near post.
Our next attack was set up by Lewis O’Donnell, who threaded a pass through for Emslie to chase. Adam took the ball to the byeline and cut it back for Eguaibor whose clever touch looked netbound only for Steeves to clear it off the line
The game then became scrappier, not helped by the blustery wind, with neither side able to create any openings until the twentieth minute when Gibson got in behind on the Montrose left, Liam Parker deflecting his strike behind for a corner Webster then dug out a cross from the right which Gibson could only hook wide at the back post.
Play swung up the other end, and both Layton Bisland and Adam Emslie had chances in the home penalty area, but the Montrose rearguard were able to scramble the ball to safety. Emslie had a shot blocked and Ryan Harrington fired wide from distance as the boys kept up the pressure.
06 MONTROSE MATCH REPORT
Bisland then found Emslie with a low pass, but after making a yard of space, Adam’s effort lacked power and Sharp made a comfortable save. Emslie turned provider soon after, freeing Eguaibor in the box, the keeper diving to his right to clutch the ball.
Blair Yule was next to have a go, shooting over from long range with thirty-nine minutes on the clock. The breakthrough finally came after another dangerous Cove attack when Adam Emslie fired a low delivery across the area for Layton BISLAND to run on to and smash a powerful strike beyond the despairing Sharp. It was the defender’s first goal for the club.
Montrose tried to hit back, Stevenson firing over from twenty-five yards just before the referee blew the half-time whistle.
They might have levelled right after the break, Gibson flicking the ball through for Webster who took a touch then hooked his shot over from eight yards
Reuben McAllister forced a corner as we hit back immediately and when it was half-cleared Yule shot from just outside the area, his effort spiralling wide Lewis O’Donnell then raced to the byeline, but noone could get a touch on his low delivery.
The second goal was however delayed only briefly.
Adam Emslie cleverly waited for his marker to lunge in then skipped away clear down the left. With the home defence filing back, he took his time before measuring an inch-perfect low cross for David EGUAIBOR to slide home from close range. It was the striker’s tenth of the season.
It might have been three immediately after when Mackenzie Strachan fastened on to a loose ball in the area, Towler deflecting the midfielder’s shot wide for a corner, and we should have had a penalty when, after getting into a mix-up, keeper Sharp pulled Emslie to the ground. Referee Luke waved away our claims.
The third finally came in our next attack when after incessant Cove pressure, McAllister saw his shot blocked, the ball bouncing wide to the left where Lewis O’DONNELL caught it perfectly, his powerful effort flying past the goalkeeper.
Eguaibor set up Reuben McAllister for our next attempt, Steeves sliding in to make a vital interception, then Emslie had a well-struck angled shot saved low at the near post.
Brown hit the upright in the last minute, Lyons scooping the rebound over from a few yards out; the closest Montrose came to scoring throughout the game.
It might have been an even more convincing victory, but the 3-0 win was richly deserved, and the team will now hope to kick-on in the coming weeks.
MONTROSE: (4-3-3)
Sharp; Freeman (Williamson 66), Waddell, Towler (Brown 66), Steeves (c); Sandilands (McClements 66), Masson (Mochrie 79), Stevenson; Webster, Lyons, Gibson
Substitutes: Millar, Dillon, May, Bertie, Machado
Scorers:
Bookings:
COVE RANGERS: (4-1-3-2)
Mutch; Bisland, Darge (c), Parker, Harrington; Yule; Strachan, O’Donnell, McAllister; Emslie, D. Eguaibor
Substitutes: Demus, J. Eguaibor, Mylchreest, Donaldson
Scorers: Bisland (43), D. Eguaibor (58). O’Donnell (73)
Bookings: Harrington (55), Bisland (89)
Referee: Stewart Luke
Attendance: 593
PETERHEAD HEAD TO HEAD
We renew rivalries with our near neighbours this afternoon with the visit to Balmoral Stadium of Peterhead.
It will be just an eighth meeting in the league since we gained promotion to the SPFL, but the previous games have been lively affairs with plenty talking points.
Those matches were littered with penalties, a flurry of red cards, and our legendary goalkeeper Stuart McKenzie even got in on the act, making the headlines when scoring our winner at Balmoor in January 2022.
The first encounter came fifteen months prior to that when Mitch Megginson and Harry Milne got the goals in a 2-0 win up the coast. Current Peterhead co-managers, Ryan Strachan and Jordon Brown, were in the Cove squad that day.
We also came out on top as the teams kicked-off 2021 at Balmoral Stadium, Rory McAllister netting in the 2nd minute to settle a game which saw both Simon Ferry and Steven Boyd sent-off for the visitors.
It was the same result and the same scorer in September of that year when Rory’s penalty clinched the points at Balmoor, while two months later we eased to a 3-0 success thanks to Ryan Strachan and Mitch Megginson, who claimed a second half double.
Stuart’s big moment came in the next meeting, his long clearance bouncing over the head of Peterhead goalkeeper Brett Long with McAllister in attendance, and the final encounter that season saw Cove secure a 5-2 victory. We were 2-0 up within ten minutes thanks to Rory and Mitch, Hamish Ritchie pulled one back soon after, but Megginson restored our two-goal advantage and Harry Milne netted twice after the interval. Russell McLean’s late strike was nothing more than a consolation.
The most recent meeting went Peterhead’s way as they claimed a first league win over us. Max Barry and Kieran Shanks had the home side in control, but David Eguaibor pulled one back as we attempted to mount a comeback. That was ended when Blair Yule was red-carded, and Jack Brown finished us off late on.
10 ST JOHNSTONE CUP
Last weekend’s draw for the Third Round of the Scottish Cup handed us a tough task with a trip to McDiarmid Park at the end of the month to take on Championship leaders St Johnstone.
It will be a first competitive meeting between the sides, but we did go head-tohead with the Perth Saints in a pre-season friendly in summer 2022, Gerry McDonagh and Leighton McIntosh on target for Cove as we twice came from behind, before Graham Carey scored a late winner for the home team.
Once the tie has been played, there will be just five of the current SPFL clubs that we have yet to face since gaining promotion from the Highland League in 2019; Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, St Mirren and Stranraer. Perhaps we will get one of them in the next round
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16 25/26 SEASON STATS
Date
15/07/2025
19/07/2025
22/07/2025
26/07/2025
02/08/2025
09/08/2025
12/08/2025
16/08/2025
23/08/2025
26/08/2025
30/08/2025
06/09/2025
13/09/2025
20/09/2025
23/09/2025
27/09/2025
04/10/2025
11/10/2025
18/10/2025
25/10/2025
01/11/2025
08/11/2025
11/11/2025
Fixture
TheSpartans Falkirk
Brechin
Queen’sPark
QueenoftheSouth
Stenhousemuir
TheSpartans
Montrose
Peterhead
DundeeB
HamiltonAcademical
Elgin
InvernessCThistle
AlloaAthletic
HibernianB
KeltyHearts
EastFife
DundeeUtdB
Stenhousemuir
Montrose
Peterhead
InvernessCThistle
Forfar
Date
15/11/2025 22/11/2025
06/12/2025
13/12/2025
20/12/2025
27/12/2025
03/01/2026
10/01/2026
24/01/2026
31/01/2026
07/02/2026
14/02/2026
21/02/2026
28/02/2026
07/03/2026
14/03/2026
28/03/2026
04/04/2026 11/04/2026
18/04/2026
25/04/2026
02/05/2026 Fixture
HamiltonAcademical
AlloaAthletic
QueenoftheSouth
HamiltonAcademical
AlloaAthetlic
QueenoftheSouth
Stenhousemuir
Peterhead InvernessCT
HamiltonAcademical
18 SPONSORSHIPS
Management Sponsors
Player Sponsors
21 UPCOMING EVENTS
22 A VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
WelcometoBalmoralStadiumasweprepare foranorth-eastderbyagainstlocalrivals Peterhead.
Itisfairtosaywegointothisoneinamuch betterplaceafterlastweek’swinover Montrose,andtheaimnowistobuildonthat victory.
ItwasagoodperformanceatLinksPark,but gettingthethreepointswasthemost importantthing,andhopefullythatwillgive theplayersabitmoreconfidencetokick-on now.Athalf-timelastweek,comingin leading–somethingwe’venotbeenusedto –itwasallgoingtobeaboutmanagingthe game,andwecertainlydidthat.
Rightacrosstheteamitwasastrongdisplay, andthecleansheetpleasedmeasmuchas gettingthethreegoals.
Ihadn’tseenthespiritdrainingatallinthe dressingroom,despitetherunwehadbeen on,buttheboysneededaboost,andwegot that.Theyhadbeenplayingwell,notlikea teamatthebottomoftheleague,butwe neededasresulttobackthatup,anditjust makeseverybodyfeelbetter.
Youhavetorememberhowmuchexperience weweremissinglastSaturday,therewas onlyoneplayeroverthirtyintheteam,Blair Yule,andwehadgoodenergy,whichwas whatIwanted.Theyplayedwithabitof freedomtoo,especiallyafterwegotthatfirst goal,andIhopetoseethatcontinuenow.
Theearliermeetingthisseasonupat Balmoor,wewereverypoorthatday,we justdidn’tturnup,soweneedtomake surewearebetterthistime,andIhave everyreasontobelievewewillbe.
Peterheadhavehadaverystrongstartto theseason,Iexpectatoughgamein whatisalwaysahard-foughtlocalderby andwewillhavetomatchthemall acrossthepitch.Ifwedoallthethingswe didwelllastweek,wewillgiveourselvesa greatchanceofpickingupanotherwin.
That’swhatit’sallaboutrightnowforus. Wearestilltrailingintheleagueandthe firstaimforusistocatchthenextteam aboveus,whichisKelty,getontheir coat-tails,andthenlookbeyondthat,but ithastobegamebygame. Itisgoingtobeaboutgettingasmany pointsaswecaninthissecondquarter andseewherethattakesus.
Wehavehadsomanyinjuriesthis season,butIlookatthesquad,the qualityplayerswehave,andinparticular howtheyoungplayershavebeen performing,andIhavefaithinthemto pullusoutoftrouble.
Thehomeformhasbeenanissue,sowe needtoaddressthatandturnitround, andgettheresultsweallwant,starting withthisafternoon.
Enjoythegame!
24 CLUB PARTNERS
Principal Club Partner
Principal Stadium Partner
25 CLUB INFORMATION
Alan
Football
Goalkeeping
Performance
Physiotherapist
Sports
Kit
Assistant
Club
General
Sales
Head
Digital
Club
Supporter
Child
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26 CLUB HONOURS
Scottish League 1
Winners 21/22
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Scottish Qualifying Cup (North)
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Highland League Cup
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‘00-’01,‘07-’08,‘08-’09,‘12-’13,‘15-’16,‘17-’18,‘18-’19
‘89-’90,‘92-’93,‘94-’95,‘95-’96,‘09-’10,‘11-’12,‘16-’17
‘90-’91,‘00-’01
‘88-’89,‘91-’92,‘01-’02,‘03-’04
‘94-’95,‘99-’00,‘04-’05,‘14-’15,‘16-’17,‘18-’19
‘90-’91,‘92-’93,‘95-’96,‘97-’98,‘05-’06,‘07-’08,‘11-’12
‘01-’02,‘10-’11,‘18-’19
‘92-’93,‘94-’95,‘16-’17,‘17-’18
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‘94-’95,‘12-’13,‘15-’16
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