Cove Rangers FC Matchday Programme – vs. Partick Thistle 01.04.23

— Upcoming Fixtures

— League Table

50/50 winner!

The winner of the 50/50 Half Time Draw at the Dundee game on March 3rd was Alan Gibson. The winning ticket number was 129666 and Alan collected £550.

SURVIVAL BATTLE FOR

Since the last match programme, we have played four games, and although there were encouraging signs in some of them, results have not gone our way, leaving the side still embroiled in a battle for survival at the foot of the cinch Championship table...

“ Unfortunately, the run of defeats continued.”

— Results Round-up

In the last appearance here at Balmoral Stadium, we lost out to Dundee in a match of fine margins.

An even first half, during which Michael O’Halloran came closest to scoring for Cove, tipped in the visitors’ favour during stoppage time when Cameron’s long range shot took a wicked deflection and looped into the net. We put in a number of searching crosses, but failed to

an unfortunate own goal, Morgyn Neill diverting a cross past Scott Fox with just twelve minutes remaining.

Given that display, there was reason for optimism ahead of the trip to Kirkcaldy, but Raith Rovers were gifted an early opener, and from that moment on the afternoon went from bad to worse. There could be no complaints about the eventual 6-1 scoreline, our only consolation coming in the shape of Jackson Longridge’s first goal for the club which had briefly offered some hope of an unlikely comeback.

The players had six days to lick their wounds before more Friday night football and a final meeting of the campaign with an Ayr United side which had hammered in eight without reply in successive encounters at Balmoral two months previously.

capitalise, and Dundee sealed their 2-0 victory when Ashcroft hammered home from six yards on the hour mark.

Then came the first of three successive away matches, the Friday night encounter with league leaders Queen’s Park.

The players put in arguably their best performance of the season, pushing Owen Coyle’s team all the way, and Leighton McIntosh was desperately unlucky when hitting both the inside of the post and the crossbar with two headers. The side created other opportunities, but could not make them count, and we lost out to

Unfortunately, the run of defeats continued.

After a bright start for Cove, the home side took an early lead. Morgyn Neill appeared to be fouled in the build-up, but the referee waved play on, and O’Connor ran free to net the opener. Neill came close to equalising, but soon after, following slack defensive play, Akinyemi doubled Ayr’s advantage.

The manager made second half changes, but we could not find the breakthrough, and Mitchell-Lawson rounded off a 3-0 win in the latter stages of the match.

“...Jackson Longridge’s first goal for the club which had briefly offered some hope of an unlikely comeback.”

PAUL HARTLEY

It has been a tough spell for everyone at the club, and the losing run was typified by last Friday’s defeat at Somerset Park.

We started well, but Ayr got a break for their first goal, and once again we suffered from the defensive lapses which have scarred the whole campaign.

Unfortunately, it has been a recurring theme where we make mistakes, we gift the opposition goals, and we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to get a real foothold in the game.

It has been the case that we’re not creating enough chances either, or when we do, when balls are flashing across the penalty area, we’re not getting enough bodies into the box. That is partly down to confidence. When you’re flying, when you’re winning games, players take risks, they get into good positions more often. If everything is going against you, you’re more likely to be cautious. It is a mindset we’re going to have to change.

At this level, you might only get a few good scoring opportunities in a match, and we simply have to be more clinical.

We are all aware that we are going to have to be better at both ends of the pitch if we’re to remain in the Championship, and we all have to take responsibility, both as individuals and collectively as a group.

I still believe we have what it takes to stay up. That’s not just blind optimism, it’s a genuine feeling, but we have to try to remain positive.

I watch the players in training, I see what they are capable of, and I know the spirit in the camp remains high. What we need is for the guys to take what they show me in training into the games.

That can be difficult at times, and I do feel for the players. It’s not easy when you’re losing week after week, and the temptation is for the heads to go down, but we cannot afford to let that happen in the last six games. I see it in them, I know they have the attributes we are going to need. I don’t want anyone playing with fear, I want them to express themselves, to get back to the performance levels which will see us pick up the results we all want.

Obviously, the games away to Hamilton and Arbroath this month are going to be massive, and they will decide the fates of all three clubs, but we cannot afford to focus on them right now. First and foremost, we have to do the business this afternoon.

We’ve done well against Partick Thistle this season, with a draw and a victory at Firhill, and another share of the points here at Balmoral, a game which was snatched from us in the cruellest of fashions deep into stoppage time.

It would be good to think that we might get a break or two during the run-in, but the most important thing will be the application and desire of the players. Get that right, and we can secure that coveted eighth place.

Enjoy the match!

Paul Hartley

“What we need is for the guys to take what they show me in training into the games.”

— Player and Management Sponsorship

Management

Defenders

Goalkeepers

Gordon Young Jimmy Boyle

20. Jackson Longridge

Tam Ritchie

28. Brody Paterson

6. Morgyn Neill

12. Scott Fox

3. Jason Naismith

Midfielders

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4. Connor Scully

8. Blair Yule

24. Fraser Fyvie

9. Mitchel Megginson

11. Leighton McIntosh

16. Iain Vigurs

17. Luis Longstaff

25. Declan Glass

14. Miko Virtanen

27. Gime Touré

19. David Bangala

18. Tony Weston

— Season 22/23 statistics

Cove go into this afternoon’s encounter with Partick Thistle unbeaten in the three previous meetings with the Firhill side this season.

The first was back in mid-September, and off the back of five games without a win, the side looked in serious trouble when, after goals from Lawless and Bannigan, Thistle were coasting to victory, 2-0 up with time running out.

We were saved by an unlikely hero in the shape of Mark Reynolds. From two Shay Logan deliveries in the last nine minutes, the central defender twice rifled home from inside the box to earn the most unexpected of points.

There was also to be late drama in the last game against Partick at Balmoral, but this time it was of a heart-breaking nature.

Cove had secured an early advantage, Longstaff and Johnston combining to set up Mitch Megginson, and the skipper lashed the ball home from ten yards.

The lead could easily have been extended, Fyvie twice coming close and Leighton McIntosh spurning a one-on-one, but as the match ticked over into the fifth minute of stoppage time, it looked as if we would see it through.

Thistle forced one last corner, and when the delivery arrived, goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon found himself unmarked to glance a perfectly placed header beyond Stuart McKenzie.

Two months later we were back in Maryhill and this time the match was settled much earlier. Megginson was again the scorer, getting on the end of a superb cross from Cieran Dunne to divert the ball back across goal and into the net.

From then on, the players defended solidly, and Scott Fox, making just his third appearance for the club, pulled off a series of outstanding saves to ensure we finally picked up our first away success of the campaign.

“

...we finally picked up our first away success of the campaign”

CAPTAIN’S VIEW —

It is hard to believe we only have six games left in the season, and given where we are in the table, it is obviously going to be a tense ending to our first ever campaign in the Championship.

Things have not been going well of late, there’s no point in me trying to deny that, and last week’s trip to Ayr was fairly typical of what’s been happening.

We started well enough, but it all ran away from us, and once again, mistakes cost us dearly. It is not just about the boys at the back, we have to defend better as a team, and we are going to need to create and take more chances if we’re going to turn things around.

There have been a lot of ins and outs at the club this season, starting from the managerial change last summer. For a long time, there was a real continuity at Cove and a group of players that had come through the divisions together. That was always going to come to an end at some point, and when you look at last week, there was only myself and Connor Scully who started the game, but while the upheaval has clearly played a part, we cannot put that out there as an excuse.

The simple truth is that we have to be better at both ends of the pitch. What we have to do is adopt the same approach to games as we did when we were winning titles.

It is going to be about having the right mentality, working hard, and proving to everyone that we deserve to stay in this division.

“

The simple truth is that we have to be better at both ends of the pitch.”

In a number of matches recently, we have played plenty good football, but have allowed the game to run away from us. We’ve had a bad habit of conceding goals in multiples and not allowing ourselves to get a foothold. At 1-0 down, you’re still in with a chance, but all too often we have given up the second goal too, and that makes it extremely difficult. We need to make sure we’re competitive for the whole ninety minutes.

We have worked hard in training this week – we always do –and despite the recent run, there is still a good, positive feeling among the boys.

Apart from upping the performance levels, we could also do with catching a break! Anyone who has watched us regularly this season will know that luck has not gone our way, and I firmly believe that has got to change at some point, hopefully starting this afternoon!

We’ve done well against Partick Thistle, and we can feed off our last victory down at Firhill, but they’re a good side, and we’re going to have to rediscover the form we all know we’re capable of if we’re to get the right result.

A win today would be massive, and it would boost our confidence ahead of next week’s trip to Hamilton and the away game with Arbroath in three weeks’ time.

Those matches will likely be decisive, but for now our focus is on Partick, and I can promise you we will be giving absolutely everything to secure the three points.

COYCR!

Megginson

Mitch

for now our focus is on Partick, and I can promise you we will be giving absolutely everything to secure the three points.”

SIX GAME SEASON

Following the recent run of seven without a win, the team has half a dozen matches left to preserve Championship status for the club.

After eight tough months, we are essentially now down to a six game season.

For quite some time, it has been evident that we were going to be in a three-way battle with Arbroath and Hamilton, and the advantage we held over both rivals has been eroded in the second half of the campaign.

Accies got back in touch with an unbeaten run of five in January and February, and although they have picked up a solitary point from their last three matches, they go into the weekend breathing down our necks.

Hamilton have back-to-back trips to Dundee this afternoon and Raith on Tuesday night before our head-to-head with them at New Douglas Park next Saturday.

They then face two more away games, against Queen’s Park and Morton, followed by a double-header at home to Caley Thistle and Partick Thistle.

SEASON

“

We are not going to play our way out of trouble, at this stage of the season, it is going to be about fight and hard work.”

Arbroath went into last night’s meeting Ayr United having suffered just one defeat in eight, a sequence which saw the Gayfield outfit climb above us into the coveted eighth position.

They will be at home to Dundee next Saturday, then travel to face Inverness and Raith Rovers before we make the short trip south on the 22nd of this month.

Their penultimate fixture is at Firhill, then on the final evening of the regular season, when we will be at home to Morton, Arbroath entertain Hamilton in what could be a shoot-out for survival.

Our other matches during the run-in are at home to Caley Thistle on the 15th and away to Dundee on Friday 28th.

For those last few games to be meaningful, the team is going to have to find a way to stop the rot and do what the other two have done, pick up points over a series of outings.

The likelihood is that the Arbroath and Hamilton meetings will be pivotal, and the good news on that front is that we are unbeaten in the six previous head-to-heads this season, with a win and two draws against each of our relegation rivals.

Victories in both would go a long way to easing our fears, but whatever happens, it seems certain to be a nerve-shredding conclusion during which mentality is likely to be the most important factor.

As the manager put it last week:

“We are not going to play our way out of trouble, at this stage of the season, it is going to be about fight and hard work.”

Everyone at Balmoral knew this was going to be a challenge for Cove; as a part-time team stepping up to the highest level the club has ever operated at, it was always going to be a demanding campaign.

If the players can find something special over the next few weeks, retaining our Championship status would be up there with the biggest achievements in the club’s history.

A GREAT DUO

Relax and enjoy the official history of Cove Rangers with a glass of gin in hand.

Shop online or head to Balmoral Stadium for a copy of ‘100 Years: Cove Rangers FC’ and a bottle of our limited edition CRFC Centenary gin.

Balmoral Stadium Wellington Circle, Altens, Aberdeen AB12 3JG

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Honorary President

Directors

Safety Officers

Committee

Football Manager

Assistant Manager

First Team Coach

Fitness Coach

Goalkeeping Coach

Head of Youth Development

Physiotherapist

Kit Manager

Club Doctor

Commercial Manager

Head of Media & Communications

Digital Media

Club Photographers

Child Wellbeing & Protection Officer

Club Chaplain

Alan McRae OBE

Keith Moorhouse - Chairman

Graeme Reid - Vice Chairman

Duncan Little

John Sheran

Darren Anderson

Grant Moorhouse

John Morgan, Bill Ogilvie

Michael Coull, Richard Forbes, Gordon Taylor

Paul Hartley

Gordon Young

Jimmy Boyle

Tam Ritchie

Derek Soutar

Gary Hake

Aimee Clark

Adrian Thomson

David Fowler

Angela Bruce

Richard Gordon

Andrew Jamieson

Dave Cowe, Richard Forbes

Kate Dean

Dougie Simpson

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

Aberdeenshire Shield

Winners

‘90-’91, ‘00-’01, ‘08-’09, ‘17-’18.

Runners-up

‘94-’95, ‘12-’13, ‘15-’16

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 & 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

2

4

Partick Thistle

Manager - Kris Doolan

1 Jamie Sneddon

2 Jack McMillan

3 Harry Milne

4 Kevin Holt

5 Darren Brownlie

6 Kyle Turner

7 Scott Tiffoney

8 Stuart Bannigan

Brian

Today’s referee - Duncan Williams

Today’s assistant referees - Calum Spence & Gordon

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