Cove Rangers FC Match Programme — vs. Inverness CT 15.10.22

The first double of Connor Scully’s SPFL career set up an important win against our nearest rivals in the league, and moved Cove up to seventh in the cinch Championship table.

The opener came in the 16th minute. Dunne rolled the ball to Blair Yule, who fired a pass wide to Max Johnston. The full back raced past Hancock and delivered a delightful cross which SCULLY met flush with his forehead to give Gaston no chance from eight yards.

Soon after, it was two-nil.

“A convincing and thoroughly deserved win...”

Yule and Scully were involved as the move began in midfield, the ball was played out wide to the overlapping Logan, and Shay raced in on goal before shooting with his right foot from an angle. Gaston pushed the ball out, but only into the path of SCULLY, and the midfielder gleefully smashed in his second of the afternoon.

The final whistle confirmed a convincing and thoroughly deserved win for Jim McIntyre and his team; a performance and result which set them up for the encounter with Dundee three days later.

Cove Rangers

(4-3-3)

Gourlay; Johnston, Sanders, McClelland (Ross 75), Logan; Yule, Gilmour, Scully; Longstaff (Masson 82), Megginson, Dunne

Substitutes McKenzie, Towler, McDonagh, McIntosh, Vigurs, Leitch, Reynolds

Goalscorers Connor Scully (16, 34)

Arbroath (4-4-1-1)

Gaston; Oakley, Little, Hamilton (c), Hancock; Linn (Corfe 63), Jacobs (Shanks 63), Gold, Tait (Bitsindou 63); Allan (Fosu 63); Hilson (McKenna 63)

Substitutes: Gill, Isiaka

Booked Dylan Tait (54)

Referee

Euan Anderson

Attendance 881

MATCH REPORT

On a memorable night at Balmoral Stadium, for the second time in seventy-two hours, Connor Scully was Cove Rangers’ two-goal hero, his stunning acrobatic strikes earning the side three richly deserved points.

Dundee opened the scoring when Cieran Dunne looked to have been fouled out wide, but referee Walsh waved play on, and Williamson’s shot was deflected over by Kyle McClelland. From the resultant corner, the ball fell for Max ANDERSON, who had the freedom of the box to finish comfortably.

After a slow start, Cove picked up momentum, and levelled in the twentyeighth minute.

Yule was bundled over in the middle of the park by Williamson. Logan floated

in the free-kick, Sanders’ header was stopped, but Kyle McClelland got to the ball, and his return header was glanced into the bottom corner by MEGGINSON for his fourth of the season.

In the early part of the second half, Connor Scully stole the show.

The move for his first did not start promisingly when Gilmour passed across his own box and Gourlay had to scramble clear, but that helped launch a counterattack. Yule played a pass to Megginson, and Mitch rolled the ball wide to Dunne. Cieran drove to the bye-line and sent in an inviting cross towards the back post, where SCULLY made perfect contact with a mid-air hitch-kick volley. Legzdins could only stand helpless as the ball flew past him into the bottom corner.

“ ...the final whistle prompted noisy celebrations as the home fans marked a night to remember at The Balmoral.”

Within four minutes, Cove won a throwin, Logan teased the full-back, then played a backheel pass for Dunne. From down by the corner flag, he whipped in the cross. It was blocked by French, but only as far as SCULLY, whose first shot took a deflection, flying high into the air. The midfielder leapt acrobatically off the ground and executed a perfect overhead kick, the ball flying past a stunned Legzdins.

There were opportunities to add to our tally, and the defence had to stand firm at times, but we saw the game out comfortably, and the final whistle prompted noisy celebrations as the home fans marked a night to remember at The Balmoral.

Cove Rangers

(4-3-3)

Gourlay; Johnston, Sanders, McClelland (Ross 61), Logan; Yule, Gilmour, Scully (Vigurs 85); Longstaff (Leitch 90), Megginson (c) (McIntosh 90), Dunne

Substitutes: McKenzie, Towler, Neill, McDonagh, Reynolds

Goalscorers Megginson (27), Scully (50, 54)

Booked Megginson (75)

Dundee (4-3-3)

Legzdins; Kerr, French, Ashcroft, McGhee (c); Anderson (McCowan 59), McGowan (Mulligan 59), Williamson (Marshall 88); McMullan, Robinson (Rudden 46), Cameron (Sheridan 59)

Substitutes Sharp, Byrne, Strachan, Grayson Goalscorers Anderson (10)

Booked Robinson (41), Rudden (75)

Referee Nick Walsh Attendance 1,322

After the euphoria of the back-to-back wins over Arbroath and Dundee, the boys were brought crashing back down to earth again with a thumping defeat.

The team were denied what looked like two clear-cut penalties, with both Megginson and Longstaff being brought down in the box, but in truth, Raith Rovers deserved their win.

The opening goal came in the sixth minute, and it was entirely self-inflicted. Jack Sanders lost control just outside the box, and Aidan CONNOLLY gathered, raced in on goal, and finished low past Kyle Gourlay.

In the twenty-seventh minute, it was two-nil. Rovers were awarded a free-kick twenty yards out, and Jamie GULLAN curled the ball into the top corner, giving Gourlay no chance.

Raith had shown little after the break, but with sixty-five minutes on the clock, they effectively killed the game as a contest. Spencer and Connolly were heavily involved in the build-up, and as the ball bobbled around inside the box, taking a couple of deflections, it fell to Sam STANTON who drilled his close-range shot beyond Kyle.

Overall, a hugely disappointing performance from the team which put an end to the recent unbeaten league run.

Raith Rovers

(4-2-3-1)

MacDonald; Millen, O’Riordan, Dick, Ngwenya; Brown (c), Spencer (Matthews 70); Connolly, Stanton, Ross (Frederiksen 75); Gullan (Easton 85)

Substitutes

Thomson, McBride, Connell, Coulson, Masson

Goalscorers

Connolly (6), Gullan (27), Stanton (65)

Booked Brown (37), Millen (81)

Cove Rangers

(4-3-3)

Gourlay; Johnston, (Towler 46), Sanders, Ross, Logan; Yule, Gilmour (McDonagh 70) Scully; Longstaff, Megginson (c), Dunne (McIntosh 54)

Substitutes

McKenzie, Neill, Vigurs, Leitch, Reynolds

Booked Gilmour (39), Megginson (80)

Referee David Dickinson Attendance 1,517

Official

CONNOR SCULLY

For much of his long and successful Cove Rangers career, Connor Scully has, at least to the outside world, been the unsung hero.

Since being moved from the left wing, he has been the grafter in midfield, the dog of war, freeing up other, perhaps more technically gifted, team mates to do their work.

But, in seventy-two glorious hours, that all changed.

Having been urged to get into the box more, Connor bagged successive doubles, with his spectacular acrobatic strikes against Dundee gaining national headlines.

“It was great getting the two goals against Arbroath, and then that second half against Dundee! It’s just a haze if I’m honest.”

As he wheeled away in delight after the overhead kick, the midfielder found exactly the right spot to celebrate; in front of virtually his whole family:

“Everyone was there! My Mum, my aunties and uncles, Dad, my girlfriend was there with her Grandad, he comes to every game now. It’s a real family affair!”

It all began for Connor at Pittodrie where, alongside the likes of Mitch Megginson, Fraser Fyvie and Blair Yule, he was part of the Dons’ youth programme up until the age of twelve when, in his words, he “slipped away”.

lad; cut me open and I bleed blue, that’s what they say!”

Not only has Connor seen the development of the team on and off the park, he’s been there stretching back through the nomadic years, and at the club’s previous home, Allan Park:

“It was a good little ground, but it was limited, and a lot of teams just didn’t like coming there because it was so small. Big Stu used to kick it the length of the pitch! But we were used to it, it suited us.”

While he has fond memories of the old place, he knows the club had to move, and says the players love the facilities at Balmoral Stadium:

“It’s incredible what we have here now, amazing! That’s probably been the biggest change in all my years here.”

After that, he played with his mates at Dee Boys Club, had a spell with Peterhead working under Nat Porter, and was then spotted by the current Cove kitman, Adrian ‘Edser’ Thomson:

“He was youth coach at the club back then, I was fourteen or fifteen, and I’ve been here ever since.

“When I think back to those days, it’s amazing how far the club has come. It’s been a dream come true for me, a local

If he harbours any frustrations at not having played at a higher level earlier in his career, Connor hides it well. With an impressive haul of winner’s medals to his name, the midfielder says he has been more than happy to have stayed with Cove:

“It just never happened for me in the early days. You’ve got to be lucky, to be in the right place at the right time, but I’m probably just made for here.

“I’ve got to look at myself. I’m now playing in the Championship with Cove;

“It’s been a dream come true for me, a local lad; cut me open and I bleed blue.”

— Connor Scully

I’ve come all the way through the divisions with them. Along with the other guys, we’ve got to see that as an amazing achievement.

“What’s happened in the last four or five years, I wouldn’t swap that for anything.”

Like most of the squad, Connor juggles life in the Championship with his day job. He is a mobile maintenance engineer, working in schools and for the NHS: “I’m up early, in for five, half-five, before the kids get in, to get on with repairing the things they’re wrecking during the day. I’m used to it now. It can be tough when you have midweek matches, but it’s well worth it.”

The big challenge this season for Connor was, he felt, getting into the side, and testing himself against a higher standard of opposition:

“You do worry, you think ‘am I going to get into the team?’, but I’ve played every game, and I know I have to keep playing well if I’m to stay there.

“It’s a great dressing room, we’re a weird, funny bunch, but the new boys have fitted in well, and there are some quality players in there.”

Having found their feet in the Championship, the players are desperate to kick on in the second half of the campaign, and it seems certain Connor Scully will be at the heart of everything they achieve.

Play

and support the club

JIM MCINTYRE

Last week’s defeat at Stark’s Park was a sore one to take.

We had hoped to build on two excellent wins, and to keep up the momentum, to extend the unbeaten run, but we simply weren’t at the races.

It was a reminder of just how tough this division is, and how you need to have one hundred percent focus if you’re to get anything. The main thing in such a competitive league is to start games well, and we didn’t do that.

It’s happened on a few occasions this season, and we have managed to recover, but you can’t expect to do that every time, and having got a grip on the game, Raith’s confidence grew and ours diminished.

We have to learn the lessons from that without getting too down. There will probably be more matches like that, that’s the nature of the Championship, but what we have to do is to try to minimise that, and to get the most we can from every game we play.

I have a good bunch of boys, they’re honest, and they know they underperformed last weekend.

They have shown already this season that they can deal with the disappointments and bounce back. They’ve shown determination and a real strength of character, and that’s what I will be looking for this afternoon.

“

Having got the squad up to the numbers and quality I wanted, we have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks with Fraser Fyvie, Jamie Masson and Kyle McClelland all sidelined. Getting those guys back, and keeping everyone else fit, will have a big bearing on how the season pans out.

Today’s match gives me another opportunity to pit my wits against my old pal, Billy Dodds. Caley Thistle are rightly one of the promotion favourites, having come so close in the play-offs last time round, and they’re on a great run right now.

But our home form – apart from the loss to Ayr United – has been good, among the best in the division, with three wins picked up. Maintaining that kind of record here at Balmoral Stadium will be key to our success this season.

Since the ground opened, it has been something of a fortress for the team, and that’s exactly how we want it to remain.

Enjoy the game! Jim McIntyre

They’ve shown determination and a real strength of character, and that’s what I will be looking for this afternoon.”

Thistle

CT

Champ

Champ

Champ

Champ

Park SPFL Champ

Rovers

Thistle

Champ

Champ

Champ

Champ

Champ

Champ

Park SPFL Champ

Rovers SPFL Champ

SPFL Champ

Thistle SPFL Champ

Hamilton SPFL Champ

CT SPFL Champ

Arbroath

Champ

Champ

Morton SPFL Champ

I have said it before, with the Championship as competitive as it is, we are going to have plenty ups and downs this season. Last week we experienced both the highs and lows.

We started the week on a positive, by comfortably defeating Arbroath 2-0 to move off the bottom of the table. We were threatening in attack, and we dealt with everything Arbroath threw at us. It was great to not only claim all three points, but to also keep a clean sheet, something which we have struggled to do throughout this campaign so far.

We then took that momentum into Tuesday night’s match against a good Dundee side, and despite going behind, we stuck together as a team and fought for everything, eventually turning it around to win 3-1, in what will go down as a memorable night at Balmoral Stadium.

I can’t discuss our victories over Arbroath and Dundee without giving a special mention to Connor Scully. Connor has been at Cove for almost his whole career, he has come up the leagues, and at every step-up, he has adjusted to that level and his quality has got even better. Nothing fazes him at all, and that is a testament to his attitude. He works so hard both on and off the pitch to be the best he can, and he is a great player to have in the team.

I could sit and speak about the quality of his strikes in the Dundee match as well, but there isn’t too much to say other than they were tremendous! I don’t think he could have scored two better goals in a single game; they were absolutely world class finishes!

He is one of a few unsung heroes in our team that goes about their business quietly, but effectively. It’s great to see him getting the plaudits he deserves, after such a phenomenal week.

Last weekend was a poor performance all round from us. We went into the match on a high, but Raith came out the traps flying, and that perhaps caught us out, as we were slightly leggy after having two games in the week building up to the game in Kirkcaldy. On the day, nothing seemed to work for us, and we didn’t work together as a team. It was a frustrating afternoon.

“ We have got some making up to do, and we are determined to do that today.”

What is important in this league is how you bounce back and react to poor performances and results. The boys have got something to prove this afternoon. Our performance against Raith Rovers last weekend was not good enough, and we must ensure it is not repeated.

It will be a tough encounter - Inverness showed their quality last week, when they defeated Partick Thistle by one goal to nil, to go joint top of the table. In addition, on both occasions we have met at the Caledonian Stadium already this season, we have faced a top side that is well organised and hard to beat.

We have got some making up to do, and we are determined to do that today.

COYCR! Mitch Megginson

Scottish League 1

Winners

‘21-’22

Highland League

Winners

‘00-’01, ‘07-’08, ‘08-’09, ‘12-’13, ‘15-’16, ‘17-’18, ‘18-’19

Runners-up ‘89-’90, ‘92-’93, ‘94-’95, ‘95-’96, ‘09-’10, ‘11-’12, ‘16-’17

Highland League Cup

Winners

‘94-’95, ‘99-’00, ‘04-’05, ‘14-1’5, ‘16-17, ‘18-’19

Runners-up ‘90-’91, ‘92-’93, ‘95-’96, ‘97-’98, ‘05-’06, ‘07-’08, ‘11-’12

Scottish League 2

Winners ‘19-’20

Scottish Qualifying Cup (North)

Winners

‘90-’91, ‘00-’01

Runners-up ‘88-’89, ‘91-’92, ‘01-’02, ‘03-’04

Aberdeenshire Cup

Winners

‘01-’02, ‘10-’11, ‘18-’19

Runners-up ‘92-’93, ‘94-’95, ‘16-’17, ‘17-’18

Aberdeenshire Shield

Winners

‘01-’02, ‘10-’11, ‘18-’19

Runners-up ‘94-’95, ‘12-’13, ‘15-’16

Aberdeenshire & District League

Winners

‘00-’01, ‘08-’09, ‘10-’11, ‘11-’12, ‘12-’13, ‘14-’15

Runners-up ‘06-’07

Aberdeenshire

Centenary Cup

Runners-up ‘86-’87

Inter-League Trophy Winners ‘01-’02

Cove Rangers

Manager - Jim McIntyre

Stuart McKenzie

Shay Logan

Evan Towler

Connor Scully

Scott Ross

Morgyn Neill

Gerry McDonagh

Blair Yule

Mitchel Megginson (C)

Jamie Masson

Leighton McIntosh

Charlie Gilmour

Kyle McClelland

Iain Vigurs

Luis Longstaff

Jack Sanders

Rhys Thomas

Robbie Leitch

Balint Demus

Cieran Dunne

Kyle Gourlay

Fraser Fyvie

Mark Reynolds

Max Johnston

Inverness CT

Manager - Billy Dodds

Mark Ridgers

Wallace Duffy

Cameron Harper

Sean Welsh (C)

Robbie Deas

Danny Devine

Tom Walsh

David Carson

Billy Mckay

Aaron Doran

Shane Sutherland

Roddy MacGregor

George Oakley

Max Ram

Lewis Hyde

Daniel MacKay

Scott Allardice

Cameron Mackay

Nathan Shaw

Zak Delaney

Austin Samuels

Aly Riddle

Robbie Thompson

Steven Boyd

Harry Hennem

Ethan Cairns

Lewis Nicolson

Matthew Strachan

Calum Mackay

Keith Bray

Today’s referee - Graham Grainger

assistant referees - David McGeachie & Paul McAvinue

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