PAUL HARTLEY

The news broke this week that Jamie Masson is about to emigrate to Australia, and I would like to start by paying tribute to a boy who has made a huge impact at this club.

He’s a great character and a talented player, technically probably one of the best at the club, but he’s got an opportunity to go away to Australia, which I know has been on the cards for a while, and at this stage of his life, I completely understand why he’s keen to make the move.

I honestly think he could have done much better in his career, but he’s been a good servant to Cove, and he’ll be sadly missed around the place. I’ll certainly miss that smiling face of his! At times, if you weren’t feeling at your best, Jamie would be the one to cheer you up, and the dressing room will certainly be a quieter place without him.

He’s just ‘Mass’, happy go lucky, and we wish him well. It will be good to get back playing again tonight after the frustration of having the cup-tie postponed. We were made to wait until the Saturday morning before officially announcing it, but we knew from the Thursday – when we were forced to cancel training – that the game wouldn’t be going ahead, as the pitch was rock solid.

It’s unusual for a match to be called off here because of frost, in fact it’s the first time I can remember that happening, so that was frustrating as we were desperate to get the game on.

It was fortunate we were able to get a slot at the Aberdeen Sports Village on the Saturday and we had a really good session then, and we’ve backed that up with a couple of good nights this week.

The Cup game is now on the back burner until next week, but the draw has of course been made, and there will be an extra incentive for both clubs knowing that another home tie, against Elgin City, is up for grabs.

Tonight’s match is however the most important thing. It’s vital we start getting victories, picking up more points, and if we can get a good result this evening, that will put a bit of pressure on Arbroath and Hamilton for tomorrow.

It will be a tough game though, I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve seen from Ayr United, but we’re at home, the TV cameras are here, and we want to put on a show for everyone.

I know the team has done well under the lights so far this season, in fact I was at two of them, the impressive wins over Dundee and Queen’s Park, and that’s a reminder that we’ve got it in us. Those were excellent performances, and I’m hoping we can do something similar tonight.

We have added a few players since the last match, and the new boys are in the squad, so I’m hoping that will give us a lift too. Whoever I select, we’re going to have to be at our best if we’re to get the result we all want.

Enjoy the game!

Paul Hartley

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