2 minute read
View from The Dugout
JIM MCIntyre
Welcome to Balmoral Stadium for what has been the eagerly anticipated kick-off to the club’s first ever season in the cinch Championship.
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I have watched the development of Cove Rangers from the outside over the years and been impressed by how far they have come. What’s about to unfold is the reward for all the hard work that has been put in.
It is only six weeks since I took on the manager’s job, and I can see why the club has been so successful. We may be parttime, but the mentality here is a full-time, professional one, and everyone, from top to bottom, will be pulling in the same direction as we look to make our mark in the second tier of Scottish football.
It will not be easy; we all know that.
The Championship is always a fiercely contested division, I know that from past experience, and we’ll be up against betterfunded sides packed with players who know the league insideout. Every week is going to be a stiff challenge; there genuinely will be no easy games.
But I have total confidence in my team, and I see no reason at all why we cannot compete. There are talented guys here who have proved themselves at even higher levels, and we have that core of players who have been here for years, and have forged a strong bond.
That will be a major strength in the coming months, and make no mistake, while this will be a step up for some, they have proved in the past they are more than capable of performing at this level.
The biggest frustration for me has been the difficulty in adding quality to the squad.
I have been working tirelessly trying to bring in new players, and on a number of occasions I have believed a deal has been done, only for it to fall through at the last minute.
The two major factors are geographical, and the fact we’re part-time, and those are obstacles we have to overcome, but I will continue making the calls, and we will get the right players in to help the boys.
The squad has been working hard in training, and we did get a lift from how we performed in Inverness last weekend, against a team I expect to be right in the hunt for the title. We matched them toe-to-toe, and that reinforced my belief that we can hold our own in this division.
It all begins against Raith Rovers, another team under new management, and one which pushed all the way for the playoffs at the end of last season. There has been a growing sense of anticipation this week, and I feel sure my players are ready for the challenge.
Enjoy the game!
