6 minute read
Club Partners
Principal Club Partner Principal Stadium Partner
Official Club Partners
Advertisement
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.” 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.
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.
