UNCOVERED – Cove Rangers v Clyde 12.03.22 by coverangersfc

Cove Rangers v Clyde cinch League One

12.03.22 — 3pm KO

Cove Rangers v Albion Rovers

SPFL Trust Trophy

09.10.21 — 3pm KO

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— Contents Cove Rangers FC Matchday Programme Clyde: 12.03.22 — 3pm KO Match sponsor

Matchball sponsor

Features

PETERHEAD MATCH REPORT PETERHEAD REACTION GORDON YOUNG INTERVIEW

08 18 22

Regulars Upcoming fixtures

Club information

Club partners

View from the dugout

Player and Management sponsorship

Season 2021/22 statistics

Captain’s view

Club honours

Today’s team lines

— Upcoming fixtures

A Sat 19th Mar, 2022

Montrose v Cove Rangers

cinch League One

A Sat 26th Mar, 2022

Airdrieonians v Cove Rangers

cinch League One

A Sun 3rd Apr, 2022

Queen’s Park v Cove Rangers

cinch League One

A Sat 9th Apr, 2022

Falkirk v Cove Rangers

cinch League One

— League table cinch League One

PTS

Cove Rangers

Airdrieonians

Montrose

Queen’s Park

Falkirk

Clyde

-12

Alloa Athletic

-13

Peterhead

-9

Dumbarton

-19

East Fife

-29

50/50 WINNER! The 50/50 winner at the Peterhead match was 106010, won by Aaron Rhynas.

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, Richard Forbes & Gordon Taylor Football Manager - Paul Hartley

Assistant Manager - Gordon Young Fitness Coach - Tam Ritchie

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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

Search ‘Get Sky Sports’ Sky Sports available on Sky Glass or with compatible Sky Q or + box. Requires Ultimate TV Subscription (currently £26pcm). Further terms apply. Over 400 games: based on 128 Premier League games; 228 English Football League games (includes 80 red button matches); up to 48 Scottish Professional Football League games; and up to 44 Women’s Super League matches shown across the football season from 31 July 2021 to 29 May 2022.

PETERHEAD 2 COVE RANGERS 5 cinch League One Sat March 3rd @ Balmoral Stadium

08 09

— Peterhead Match Report

epic 5-2 defeat leave blue toon with the blues It was the Harry Milne show as we overcame the Blue Toon in a highly entertaining cinch League One encounter at Balmoral Stadium. Left-back Milne was absolutely outstanding, scoring twice and almost claiming another, setting up two goals and proving a constant pest to Peterhead with his marauding runs down the wing. The fact he overshadowed Rory McAllister and Mitch Megginson also scoring to bring their personally goal tallies for the campaign to 19 each underlined just how good Milne’s performance was. Match sponsors Lockton LLP agreed, they rightly awarded the defender man-of-the-match for the huge part he played in helping us extend our unbeaten run in the league to 18 games.

10 11

— Peterhead Match Report

12 13

Peterhead deserve credit for also being very attack-minded to ensure the match was cracking entertainment for the 819 crowd. The fact four of the seven goals were scored inside the first 20 minutes helped. Our first came from a seventh minute penalty, awarded when Milne was tripped by Scott Brown as he broke into the penalty area. McAllister stroked the ball almost casually beyond the reach of keeper Brett Long to net what was also his 16th in the league, which means he is the top scorer in the division as well. It was 2-0 in the 10th minute, when Fraser Fyvie played a delightful pass through to Megginson, who had timed his run perfectly to run on, sidestep the advancing Long, and lash the ball into the net from 16-yards. Peterhead served notice they were still a danger when Hamish Ritchie lashed a 22-yard shot over the bar in the 12th minute. Milne went off on another run a minute later, to get on the end of a pass from Iain Vigurs to hit a low shot that was held by Long. The Blue Toon were back in it when former Cove Rangers player Ritchie scored a screamer in the 15th minute. The midfielder picked the ball up just outside the penalty area, out on the Peterhead left, then unleashed a rocket of a shot that gave Stuart McKenzie no chance.

— Peterhead Match Report

We restored our two goal lead in the 20th minute from a move that was begun by Connor Scully finding Milne with an impressive cross field pass. His cross back into the area was knocked out into the path of Megginson and he battered the ball home from 14-yards. It was anyone’s guess what the final scoreline would be at that stage as the chances came thick and fast. Megginson played a clever one-two with McAllister, but his final shot lacked power and was easily saved by Long. Milne’s next cross also reached Megginson and his shot, from a tight angle on the left, was parried to safety by Long. Fyvie then laid the ball off to Milne, but his ambitious left foot volley went off target. The half ended with Scott Ross feeding the ball up to Milne and when he crossed to McAllister the striker was unlucky to see his toe-poke from 12-yards go inches wide. Milne gave us the perfect start to the second half by making it 4-1 in the 47th minute. He pounced on a clever lay-off from Blair Yule then kept his composure to place his shot, from the edge of the six yard box, beyond the reach of Long. Mark Reynolds tried to get in on the scoring act on the hour, but his 18-yard shot from a cut-back by Fyvie flew well over the bar. We swept forward again almost immediately and when Megginson rolled the ball to Scully his lob from the edge of the area bounced off the top of the Peterhead crossbar before going behind.

>>>

14 15

— Peterhead Match Report

The excitement continued with Megginson and Fyvie combining to get the ball to Milne and his low shot sped across the face of the Peterhead goal before going narrowly wide. Peterhead got some respite from the pressure in the 66th minute when Andrew McDonald warmed McKenzie’s hands with a powerful 20-yard shot. Milne capped his perfect afternoon by making it 5-1 in the 76th minute. Megginson set him up with a well timed cut-back from the right and the left back did the rest with a crisp finish into the bottom corner. Slack defending helped Peterhead pull a goal back in the 83rd minute.

Reynolds was short with a pass-back to McKenzie and the keeper’s clearance rebounded off Russell McLean, who then ran through to lash the ball into the empty net from close range. Substitute Ola Adeyemo saw an 18-yard shot on the turn saved by Long with a couple of minutes left. The game almost had the perfect finale when a sweeping move ended with Milne attempting to exchange passes with Kai Fotheringham at the edge of the Peterhead area, but he was denied the chance of a hat-trick by a well timed tackle from a defender.

16 17

Cove Rangers: McKenzie, Neill, Milne, Scully, Ross, Yule, Megginson (Adeyemo 80), McAllister (Fotheringham 80), Vigurs, Fyvie (Leitch 80), Reynolds. Subs: Masson, McIntosh, Gourlay. Peterhead: Long, Cairns, Quitongo (Cook 89), McDonald, Want, McCarthy (Duffy 87), Ritchie, S Brown (Fraser 75), McLean, Savoury (Conroy 75), Jack Brown (Jordon Brown 75). Subs: Cullen. Referee: Gavin Duncan.

— Peterhead Reaction

PETERHEAD REACTION Harry Milne is pleased he managed to deliver one of his best performances of the season as we beat Peterhead 5-2 in our cinch League One clash at Balmoral Stadium. Left-back Harry netted twice in the second half and also helped to set up two of our other three goals, which were shared by Mitch Megginson (2) and Rory McAllister. Harry said: “It was one of the best games I’ve had for Cove, that’s for sure. It might even be the best game I have ever played! Scoring 11 goals in a match, when I was just a youngster, had been among my favourites before this one. But doing as well as I did at this level, which is the highest I have played at, tops that. It’s not about individuals at Cove though. I would never have scored without the good service and support I got from the guys around me. It’s like that every week, it’s always a team effort because we all want to help each other.” The goals from Rory and Mitch mean they have now scored 19 EACH in all competitions this season, something Harry was quick to applaud the strike duo for. He said: “Those two are just insane! They are two of the best goal scorers in the leagues, at any level, we are just pleased to have them on our side. It must be frightening for defenders when they are both on their game.”

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>>>

— Peterhead Reaction

“ It was one of the best games I’ve had for Cove, that’s for sure. It might even be the best game I have ever played!” The win over Peterhead extended our unbeaten run in the league to 18 games, something Harry admits the entire squad are extremely proud of. “Up until about October our league form was a bit up and down, so it’s pleasing we have shown more consistency since then,” said Harry. “Even when we haven’t played all that well we have avoided losing, which is important. We always prefer to win though and I felt we deserved to against Peterhead. We played well enough to maybe score a few more and it was a good day for us.” We are now five points clear at the top of the table with eight games to play, including this afternoon’s home clash with Clyde, but Harry warned his team-mates they still have a lot of hard work ahead if they want to finish the campaign on a high. He said: “We’ve known for some time now that things are very much in our own hands. If we keep winning it won’t matter what anyone else does, they won’t catch us. But that won’t be easy because every game in this league is a massive challenge. There is never a week you can turn up thinking you will win, you have to be ready to put everything you have into the 90 minutes. That will be particularly important against Clyde because this will be our last home game for a wee while. It would be good if we could take all three points from it to set us up perfectly for when we go back on the road, but we accept it is going to take another top performance from us to do that.”

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— Gordon Young Interview

LICENSE S

E TO SKILL

22 23

Cove Rangers assistant manager Gordon Young has added another string to his bow… as a published author. Gordon’s book - ‘Licence to Skill’ - charts his career in football, from starring in the Junior grades, to winning the Scottish Cup as an amateur, through to a coaching career that eventually led to him signing on at Balmoral Stadium just over three years ago. Gordon has worked with some of the top managers in the Scottish game, including Craig Brown, Alex McLeish and Mixu Paatelainen. He has also coached in the USA, Latvia and India as well as with Sheffield United, Motherwell and Dundee United. He chats about that, why he chose to write the book… and shares his thoughts on how our manager Paul Hartley compares to those coaching greats Gordon worked with over the last 20 years.

>>>

— Gordon Young Interview

You say in the book you learned a lot off every manager you worked with. Who did you feel influenced you the most?

lucky they get paid so much while we are the ones who work to feed them and keep them fit and healthy!’

That’s definitely Craig Brown and Archie Knox. They weren’t at Motherwell for long before moving on to Aberdeen, but I loved every minute I worked with them. They were the first to believe in my ability to coach in a senior capacity.

We had loads of laughs, but I also learned some very important things off of them. One of the most important is never to accept you are beaten until the final whistle sounds. That stemmed from the day when Motherwell were involved in the highest scoring Premier League game of all time, against Hibs at Fir Park.

I worked with some wonderful people, before and after, but they were the two that pushed me down the road to what I’m doing now. They acknowledged what I had done at youth level at Motherwell, but then introduced me to coaching at first team level. They trusted me with a lot of responsibility, which I really appreciated. They set me up for the next 10 years of my life as a coach, which is something I could never repay them for. They were known as the ‘Jack and Victor’ of coaching at Motherwell and Aberdeen, because they also have a reputation for coaching with humour. Did you see a lot of that side of them? They were very funny at times… but also highly professional. It’s why they are two of the most well respected figures in football. One quote of Craig’s that has always stuck in my head is ‘Footballers are so

We were 4-1 down at half-time and then 6-2 behind shortly after the restart. Craig and Archie remained remarkably calm and kept insisting we still had a chance. They involved me in a conflab that resulted us making three substitutions and we stormed back to draw 6-6, with the equaliser coming deep into injury-time. After the game Craig said to the media ‘I was quite calm throughout. I was very pleased with the response from the players when they went behind. I said to them the worst thing in any sport is losing a lead. I told them if we pulled Hibs back they would have a fit of the jitters, and that’s how it transpired.’ To this day, working for Cove Rangers, if I’m in a dressing room at half-time and we are losing I recall that game as a battle cry to the players. I use it as reminder that it’s never impossible to turn around a deficit. That’s just one of the many things I learned from those two.

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I was very lucky to get to work with them - and feel honoured that they are still happy to pick up the phone when I turn to them for further advice. You also confirm in the book that Craig is the one who advised Paul Hartley to take you on as his assistant. Tell us more about that? I really appreciated Craig doing that. I was in America coaching and had one or two other things in the pipeline when Craig contacted me and suggested Paul and myself had the makings of a good partnership. Paul was managing Falkirk and had asked Craig to canvass a list of candidates to replace Jimmy Nicholl, who had agreed to become Graeme Murty’s assistant at Rangers. Craig urged Paul to look in my direction and thankfully for me he trusted his judgement. Making the switch from California to Falkirk might not seem all that appealing to some folk, but I was delighted to get the opportunity to work in the Scottish game again. Paul and I hit it off immediately, even though the spell at Falkirk didn’t go as well as either of us had hoped. How does Paul compare to the other managers you have worked with?

He is up there with the best of them. Paul’s greatest strength is his honesty, particularly when it comes to dealing with players. He is also unwavering in terms of being focussed on what he wants to do as a manager. The other thing that makes Paul stand out is his great history of winning games. He is still a young manager, but if you look back through his career so far he has a very impressive win ratio. The fact we work so well together goes against the grain a bit. Some people say you need to be opposites for that to happen, but that’s not the situation in our case. What you don’t want is people who just nod to each other, Paul is happy to listen to the opinions of his entire coaching team and backroom staff before making the decisions that will help the team. Both of us have also learned from the disappointments we had in previous jobs and that has made us even more determined to be successful now that we are working together. Readers of your book discover you had other offers before finally coming to Cove Rangers. Tell us more about that. I had quite a few offers at that time, some of which were pretty bizarre. One of them was to manage a team in Belarus. When you look at what is happening in the world now I’m glad I knocked that back.

>>>

— Gordon Young Interview

“ If you think like an amateur you will be an amateur...” Another was from a Zambian Premier League side called Nkanha FC. I was told they had won more trophies than anyone else, but none for the last eight years, and that they played in front of crowds of 20,000 every week. Unfortunately, they are situated close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo an area where you are only advised to go to if you are accompanied by a platoon of UN Peacekeepers. I specialise in a different type of shooting drills, so knocked that back too. When Paul offered me the chance to become his assistant again I honestly didn’t need to think too hard about my answer. As soon as I arrived at Balmoral Stadium I had a great feeling about the place. Before I had actually signed on the dotted line I got another job offer, from a team based on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Gozo! They offered to make me the highest paid manager in their history - on 250 Euros a week. When I told their chairman I had probably lost more than that down the back of my couch watching the telly he offered to throw my meals in for free. It was never about the money though, it never has been in my career. I was always going to Cove Rangers because Paul and chairman Keith Moorhouse had convinced me that, working together, we would eventually be able to fulfil the ambitions we have for the club.

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You had worked full-time until joining Cove Rangers. Has it been hard adjusting to part-time football? No, because while Cove are officially a part-time club, we try to work in the same manner that we would have if we were full-time. The biggest problem has been the Covid Pandemic, which has blighted everything. Despite that, Paul and I have done our best to treat it like we are working for a full-time club because we feel it’s the only way to be successful. I like to think the players have benefited from that. It’s important to set standards and Paul made it clear from the day he joined Cove Rangers that they would be set as high as possible. If you think like an amateur you will be an amateur, think like a part-timer and you will only achieve what a part-timer might. Paul makes everyone think and work as if they are a full-time professional - and the value of that is highlighted by where we are in League One at the moment.

Having good people around us at the club is a big part of it as well. We have spoken often about how much we value the backing we get from Keith and his directors. We also have some really talented people on our coaching staff, although I have to add Derek Souter is as much of a nutcase as he is a talented goalkeeping coach. He has been a real breath of fresh air in the dressing room, which is something every team needs. We have Tam Ritchie too, who has been a fitness coach for as long as anyone can remember. Did you know he was in the same class at school as Stuart Hogg (Peterhead’s 81-year-old fitness coach)? Tam was two years above Stuart, he just got kept back. Tam is brilliant at his job though, which is why Paul has chosen to work with him since the days he worked at Hearts and Paul played for them.

>>>

— Gordon Young Interview

How pleased are you to be facing Clyde this afternoon on the back of an 18-match unbeaten run in the league? Very, and all the credit for that goes to the players. Their application and their attitude to what we are asking them to deliver in training and on a match day is a credit to their professionalism. They really have been amazing, but they also know they have to keep delivering if we want the effort they have put in so far to mean something at the end of the season. What was it that persuaded you it was time to write a book? I have a good friend (co-author Stuart Hall) who is a journalist. Over the years, when I have come back to Motherwell from my football travels, I have regaled him with some of my stories. He found them amusing and felt there was enough mileage in them to put them on paper into a book that people might actually want to read. I never really had the chance to do that until the lockdown a couple of years ago. Like everybody else who had been told to stay at home, I was looking for something to fill my days, so decided to get going with the book. I’m sure everybody in every walk of life would be able to write a book about their

experiences. I’m just fortunate I knew the right person, and had the time, to share mine. I tried to tell a tale about what it has been like travelling the world, meeting and working with some fabulous people over the last 20 years. The book certainly contains a lot of humour, but you don’t pull any punches either - as the chapter on former Motherwell manager Jim Gannon testifies. Was it tough deciding what you could or couldn’t say? No because I decided if I wanted people to believe what was in the book I had to be honest (the chapter on Gannon is sub-headed ‘Working under Jim Gannon taught me one thing, never to coach or manage like Jim Gannon’). I worked with some wonderful managers and coaches. But, like everyone else in whatever job they do, you don’t always get on with everyone you end up working with. I never hung anyone out to dry, I just told the truth about the instances that happened whenever I worked with specific managers. Jim wasn’t my cup of tea, but then again I wasn’t his either. It was better to be up front about that than maybe give readers of the book a false impression of our relationship when Jim was manager of Motherwell.

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The book concludes with Cove Rangers just missing out on promotion last season. Is there likely to be a follow up? There could well be. I’m not ready to put the tools away and Paul Hartley certainly isn’t ready to put his tools away. We both like to think the best years of our coaching careers are ahead of us hopefully with Cove Rangers.

On Sale Now Copies of ‘Gordon Young - Licence to Skill’ will be on sale at the club shop at Balmoral Stadium ahead of this afternoon’s cinch League One meeting with Clyde.

STOP BALL WATCHING. START PLAYING.

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— Club partners

Principal Club Partner

Principal Stadium Partner

Official Club Partners

30 31

— View from the dugout

PAUL HARTL The message to the players this afternoon is a simple one Keep up the good work. They know high standards will have to be maintained if we are to get the result we all want against a very good Clyde side. We are going into today’s cinch League One encounter on the back of an excellent win over Peterhead, but the players will have to be ready to go again in what will be another intensely competitive 90 minutes. The fact we are at home should help because our record at Balmoral Stadium since stepping up to the SPFL three years ago has been simply incredible. We have lost only three league games here, which is an astonishing achievement at an any level of football. It’s a testament to how well the players responded to the challenge of seeing if they could turn our home stadium into a bit of a fortress. That particular gauntlet was thrown down to them at the very first meeting between the coaching staff and first team squad in the summer of 2019.

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LEY

>>>

— View from the dugout

>>> If you can make yourself hard to beat at home then there is a better chance of you having a successful season. To have now done that three campaigns in a row is something I simply can’t praise the players enough for. But, as I said earlier, the challenge ahead of them now is to see if they can continue that great run of home form until the end of this season. Three of our final eight fixtures are here at Balmoral. If we could pick up as many points as possible from those it would obviously increase our chances of maintaining our challenge for promotion. Clyde, of course, will have a say in that. They have their own reasons for wanting the points and will also be keen to see if they can be the team that stops us extending our unbeaten run in the league, which now stands at 18 matches. I’m pleased we are almost back to full strength for this afternoon’s match. At the time of writing, Shay Logan was poised to return to training. If there is no adverse reaction to that, he will give us another experienced option at what is the business end of the season. A lack of experienced options was identified as the main disadvantage when we fell just short of getting to where we wanted to be last season. We made deliberate efforts to ensure that wouldn’t be the case again. Everyone will be required to do their bit in what I have always maintained is the most competitive of all four of the divisions in the SPFL. Enjoy the game. Paul Hartley

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“ The message to the players this afternoon is a simple one - Keep up the good work.”

— Player and management sponsorship

MANAGEMENT Paul Hartley

Gordon Young

Tam Ritchie

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

GOALKEEPERS Stuart McKenzie

Kyle Gourlay

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

DEFENDERS Harry Milne

Scott Ross

Ryan Strachan

LOCAL , NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ROAD HAULAGE

ABERDEEN 01224 – 781698 WWW.MGSLOGISTICS.CO.UK

Jevan Anderson

Shay Logan

Morgyn Neill

Mark Reynolds

36 37

MIDFIELDERS

Fraser Fyvie

Connor Scully

Blair Yule

Jamie Masson

Iain Vigurs

Robbie Leitch

Kai Fotheringham

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

FORWARDS Mitchel Megginson

Leighton McIntosh

Rory McAllister

Ola Adeyemo

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

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

— Season 2021/22 statistics

Previous 21/22 data available on previous match programmes Date

Fixture

Game H/A

F A Starting

Starting

Starting Starting

Starting

02/01/2022

Peterhead

SPFL1

S.McKenzie1

M.Neill

C.Scully

S.Ross

R.Strachan

B.Yule

L.McIntosh

R.McAllister (J.Anderson)

R.Leitch (O.Adeyemo)

F.F

08/01/2022

Clyde

SPFL1

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne

R.Strachan

B.Yule

L.McIntosh (F.Robertson)

R.McAllister

J.Anderson

I.Vigurs1

R.L (J.

15/01/2022

Montrose

SPFL1

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne

S.Ross

R.Strachan

B.Yule

M.Megginson (L.McIntosh)

R.McAllister1

I.Vigurs (C.Scully)

F.F

20/01/2022

Hibernian

0 1

K.Gourlay

M.Neill

H.Milne

C.Scully

S.Ross

R.Strachan (J.Anderson)

B.Yule

M.Megginson

J.Masson (M.Reynolds)

L.M (R.

29/01/2022

Dumbarton

SPFL1

2 2

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne

C.Scully1

S.Ross

B.Yule

M.Megginson

R.McAllister1

I.Vigurs

F.F

05/02/2022 Airdrieonians

SPFL1

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne1

C.Scully

S.Ross

B.Yule

M.Megginson

R.McAllister (J.Masson)

I.Vigurs

F.F (K.

12/02/2022

Queen’s Park

SPFL1

0 0

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne

C.Scully (J.Masson)

S.Ross

B.Yule (K.Fotheringham)

M.Megginson

L.McIntosh (R.McAllister)

I.Vigurs

F.F

19/02/2022

Falkirk

SPFL1

2 0

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne

C.Scully

S.Ross

R.Strachan

B.Yule

M.Megginson1

I.Vigurs

F.F

26/02/2022

Alloa Athletic

SPFL1

2 2

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne

C.Scully (K.Fotheringham)

S.Ross (L.McIntosh)

B.Yule

M.Megginson (O.Adeyemo)

J.Masson (R.McAllister)

I.Vigurs

F.F (R.

01/03/2022

Queen of the South CC

0 1

K.Gourlay

M.Neill

C.Scully (L.McIntosh)

S.Ross

B.Yule

M.Megginson

R.McAllister

I.Vigurs

R.Leitch (J.Masson)

F.F (O

5 2

S.McKenzie

M.Neill

H.Milne2

C.Scully

S.Ross

B.Yule

M.Megginson2 (K.Fotheringham)

R.McAllister1 (R.Leitch)

I.Vigurs

F.F (O

05/03/2022 Peterhead

SPFL1

12/03/2022

SPFL1

Clyde

19/03/2022

Montrose

SPFL1

26/03/2022

Airdrieonians

SPFL1

02/04/2022 Queen’s Park

SPFL1

09/04/2022

Falkirk

SPFL1

16/04/2022

Alloa Athletic

SPFL1

23/04/2022

Dumbarton

SPFL1

30/04/2022 East Fife

38 39

tarting

Starting

Sub

Referee

AS1

AS2

Fyvie

S.Logan

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

K.Gourlay

Mike Roncone

Michael Banks

Barry Reid Elliott Husband Powton

Leitch .Masson)

S.Logan

J.Masson

O.Adeyemo

F.Robertson

K.Gourlay

Steven Reid

David Doig

Fyvie

S.Logan (J.Anderson)

C.Scully

J.Masson

L.McIntosh

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

K.Gourlay

Matthew MacDermid

Alastair Mather

Andy Milne

McIntosh .McAllister)

F.Fyvie (R.Leitch)

R.McAllister

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

M.Reynolds

Euan Anderson

Drew Kirkland

Michael Banks

Fyvie

M.Reynolds

J.Masson

L.McIntosh

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

K.Gourlay

Alan Muir

Jonathan Bell

George King

Fyvie .Fotheringham)

M.Reynolds

R.Strachan

J.Masson

L.McIntosh

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

K.Fotheringham

K.Gourlay

Barry Cook

Graham Chambers

Brian Christie

Fyvie

M.Reynolds

R.Strachan

J.Masson

R.McAllister

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

K.Fotheringham

K.Gourlay

Alan Newlands

Paul O’Neill

Scott Anderson

Fyvie1

M.Reynolds

J.Masson

L.McIntosh

J.Anderson

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

K.Fotheringham

K.Gourlay

Colin Steven

Stuart Stevenson

Paul McAvinue

Fyvie .Leitch)

M.Reynolds

L.McIntosh

R.McAllister1

O.Adeyemo1

R.Leitch

K.Fotheringham

K.Gourlay

Peter Stuart

George King

Ross Clark

Fyvie O.Adeyemo)

M.Reynolds

J.Masson

L.McIntosh

O.Adeyemo

S.McKenzie

David Dickinson

Alastair Mather

Steven Traynor

Fyvie O.Adeyemo)

M.Reynolds

J.Masson

L.McIntosh

O.Adeyemo

R.Leitch

K.Fotheringham

K.Gourlay

Gavin Duncan

David McKniff

Scott Leslie

Craig Napier

Stuart Stevenson

Andrew McWilliam

ATT

— Season 2021/22 statistics

#CRFCLIVE

40 41

Name

Appearances

Goals

Position

Yellow

Red

Stuart McKenzie

Kyle Gourlay

Harry Milne

Scott Ross

Ryan Strachan

Morgyn Neill

Jevan Anderson

Shay Logan

Mark Reynolds

Rhys Thomas

Connor Scully

Blair Yule

Jamie Masson

Kai Fotheringham

Fraser Fyvie

Iain Vigurs

Ross Draper

Robbie Leitch

Mitchel Megginson

Leighton McIntosh

Rory McAllister

Ola Adeyemo

— Captain’s view

’S VIE

AIN T P A

42 43

“ I want to devote this latest column to giving some long overdue praise to the unsung heroes of our season so far.” We face Clyde this afternoon on the back of having avoided defeat in our last 18 cinch League One fixtures. As a group of players, we have received more than enough plaudits for the parts we have played in that amazing run, that we are understandably proud of. But I can assure you each and every one of us knows it simply wouldn’t have been possible without the excellent coaching and support staff we have at our club. We are a part-time club, but having experienced life in a fulltime environment I can tell you there is no difference to how things are done at Cove Rangers to when I was at the likes of Aberdeen. That’s a credit to how hard the management team and the people around them work to ensure we have everything needed to go out there and do the best that we possibly can. How we train is a prime example. We only have the opportunity to meet two evenings a week, so the coaching staff are at the stadium long before we arrive to make sure everything is planned to the finest detail to ensure not a second of those sessions is wasted. The sessions are also intense - but not too much so because the coaches recognise we also have day jobs and have to fit in the physical and mental demands of those along with our commitments to Cove Rangers. They are enjoyable but also highly informative. The latter is thanks to the efforts of the club’s football analyst Ryan Docherty and match scout Derek Carr, who make sure the coaching staff have all the information they require to make sure we are up to speed on the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents.

>>>

— Captain’s view

>>> Adrian ‘Edzer’ Thomson, our kit manager, also plays a huge part in helping get us in the right frame of mind to train and play after what may well have been a tough day at our full-time jobs. Anyone who knows Edzer would confirm he’s a bit of a comedian and his antics in the dressing room are a real tonic at times. I must add that he’s pretty good at looking after the kits too! Our physios - Donal Gallagher and Eilidh McGregor - also do an amazing job. That’s underlined by the fact, at this late stage of what has been a pretty hectic season, the majority of us are still available for selection. The professionalism they show to get you fit again when you have been injured is to be admired. It involves Donal and Eilidh regularly giving up their spare time to come to Balmoral Stadium most evenings to treat players, which we have all really appreciated. Fitness coach Tam Ritchie is another whose contribution has been invaluable. We’ve all benefited from his expertise and Tam keeps in contact on a regular basis to make sure we get the proper rest needed between sessions and games so that we are able to give our best. The further we get into the season, the more we want to reward those people for what they do on our behalf. The best way to do that, of course, would be to get the points we need from our remaining eight league games to ensure we finish where we are right now in League One. That won’t be easy because we know the longer we go unbeaten the more opponents will be gunning for us. It’s why we never look any further than the next match. Clyde have a very strong squad and we know if we don’t show them the proper respect, they are more than capable of punishing us. CYCR! Mitch Megginson

44 45

— 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

46 47

— Today’s team lines

Cove Rangers FC Manager - Paul Hartley

Clyde FC Manager - Danny Lennon

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 19. 20. 21. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. 8. 10. 11. 12. 14. 16. 17. 18. 20. 21. 23. 24. 25. 26.

Stuart McKenzie Morgyn Neill Harry Milne Connor Scully Scott Ross Ryan Strachan Blair Yule Mitchel Megginson (C) Jamie Masson Leighton McIntosh Rory McAllister Ross Draper Jevan Anderson Iain Vigurs Ola Adeyemo Rhys Thomas Robbie Leitch Balint Demus Kyle Gourlay Fraser Fyvie Shay Logan Mark Reynolds Kai Fotheringham

Neil Parry (GK) Billy Mortimer Adam Livingstone Morgaro Gomis Scott Rumsby Lewis Jamieson Barry Cuddihy Ross Cunningham Ally Love Mark Docherty Kevin Nicoll Aaron Splaine Robert Jones Nick McAllister Jonathan Page Joshua Bradley-Hurt (GK) Owen Andrew Gregory Tade Paul Kennedy Matthew Elsdon

Today’s referee - Craig Napier Today’s assistant referees - Stuart Stevenson, Andrew McWilliam Team lines sponsor