Cove Rangers FC Matchday Programme – vs. Clyde 18.07.23

LEAGUE TABLE

SQUAD

After a turbulent season last time round, it has proved to be an equally busy summer with significant changes at the club both on and off the pitch.

Eighteen players were signed during 2022-23, either permanently or on loan, and of those, only Jason Naismith remains at Balmoral Stadium.

Five loanees returned to their parent clubs in January, the others left at the conclusion of the campaign along with Miko Virtanen and Gime Toure, while Scott Fox departed a couple of weeks ago.

Luis Longstaff was offered a new deal but opted to return south to pursue his future career in English football.

We also said farewell to some club stalwarts who had served Cove Rangers well over the years with Scott Ross, Leighton McIntosh and Kyle Gourlay among those to leave the club.

The move towards a full-time set-up means we will be operating a hybrid

system in the short term, and some key players, who have been part-time throughout their Cove careers, will continue to be a massive part of the team.

Training has been implemented in a way which integrates that group: Mitch Megginson, Connor Scully, Blair Yule, Fraser Fyvie, Mark Reynolds, Iain Vigurs and Jason Naismith, with all the other players doing daily sessions.

The manager has moved to strengthen the squad, lowering the average age in the process, and to date has brought in eight players, all on full-time contracts, with highly-rated goalkeeper Balint Demus also penning a new deal.

He has been running the rule over a number of trialists in recent weeks and will continue to do so while at the same time using his extensive contracts to bring more new faces to the club.

WELCOME ABOARD!

Following the move to full-time football and a raft of departures, the boss has been working non-stop behind the scenes to rebuild his squad and in this evening’s programme we put the spotlight on the first four of his summer signings.

The quartet in question are Kyle Connell, Luke Strachan, Will Gillingham and Arron Darge.

Twenty-one year old Kyle came through the youth ranks at Motherwell and Blackburn Rovers before joining Kilmarnock, where he made his debut in January 2020. The following year he netted a dramatic late equaliser for the Ayrshire side in a League Cup tie against Morton.

In between times, he had a productive loan spell with Airdrieonians, scoring six times in eleven starts, and would later enjoy a similarly successful season with East Fife. It was during that campaign that he caught Paul Hartley’s attention when he found the net in two of the meetings with Cove:

“He came on to our radar during those loans with Airdrie and East Fife, and I’ve kept an eye on him since.

“Kyle’s hungry, he’s raring to go, and being able to remain full-time was a big draw for him. He’s a good age – that’s the profile we’ve be looking at with our new signings – and I’ve got no doubt he will score goals for us.”

Kyle feels the time is right to launch his career in the north-east:

“I’ve played against Cove a number of times and always liked how they played football; I think that style will suit me, and I’m keen to get started.

“The fact the club is now going full-time was important, and I’m at a stage in my career where I’m looking forward to getting a good run of games and hopefully scoring plenty goals.

“I know a number of the guys from playing against them, and I know there will be more new faces coming in. It’s an exciting time for the club and I’m happy to be a part of that. I’ll work hard, we all will, and the aim will be to be pushing towards the top of the league and get promoted again.”

Twenty-two year old Luke Strachan joins Cove Rangers from Dundee, having been at Dens Park since the summer of 2019.

Luke enjoyed loan spells with Brechin City, Forfar Athletic and Alloa Athletic and made his Dundee debut in a Challenge Cup win over The New Saints in September 2022.

Paul Hartley is delighted to have captured the youngster, who can also play in midfield:

“He is versatile, which will be important to us, and he is a player I feel can make a big impact at Cove.

“I watched him a few times last season and liked what I saw, and I believe he will fit nicely into the squad we’re putting together.”

Luke was a regular in the Forfar first team in 2021-22, making thirty-one appearances, and also gained much experience last season when he

featured in thirteen games for Alloa. He believes he is now ready to kick-on at Balmoral Stadium:

“I played a fair bit of football in the division last season, so I feel I know it well, and I’m hopeful that will help both me and the team.

“As soon as the manager spoke to me, I had a good feeling, I liked what I heard, and I’m really pleased to be part of what will be an exciting time for the club as they move towards full-time football.”

Luke comes from a richly-talented football family. His father Gavin has been part of the Celtic coaching staff in recent years, while his grandfather is Scottish legend Gordon Strachan. That being the case, he says he’s never short of advice:

L-R Kyle Connell & Luke Strachan

“Between the manager, my Dad and Grandad there’s so much wisdom and experience there that I can call on, and it’s great to know I have that option. Both my Dad and Grandad were really encouraging when this move came up, they see it as a great chance and have urged me to make the most of it, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Six foot, four inch central defender Will Gillingham also signed up in recent weeks. Born in London, his family relocated to New Zealand when he was a child, and he developed his love for the game growing up in Auckland.

The twenty-four year old then secured a college place in California, turning out regularly for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos ahead of signing a professional contract with US League One side Central Valley Fuego.

He moved to Scotland earlier this year, spending some time training with Livingston, and says he is delighted to have joined Cove Rangers on a fulltime basis:

“I just felt the time was right to make this move. I was born here, I see Britain as the home of football, and I always wanted to play here.

“I got a really good grounding playing college football in the States, it was a great experience, and I learned so much there working with many different people. I’m confident that has put me in a good place, and I’m now ready for the next stage of my career.”

Manager Paul Hartley says Will comes highly recommended, and feels he can play a big part in our League One campaign next season:

(L-R) Will Gillingham & Arron Darge

“He came on our radar through Gordon Young’s contacts in the States, so we had a look at him, and liked what we saw.

“Will is a player who likes to defend, which is important, he is strong and aggressive and will be a good presence in both boxes.”

Arron Darge is a commanding central defender who came through the Hearts youth system and regularly captained their B team in the Lowland League. The twenty year old enjoyed a successful loan with Kelty Hearts last season, scoring in back-to-back League One encounters with Edinburgh City and Peterhead.

He says he sees the move to the northeast as the next logical step in his career:

“I had a great time at Hearts, worked with so many good people, and that gave me a start in football. I learned so much there.

“Going out on loan in the second half of last season was important for my development and playing in midfield took me out of my comfort zone. It was a big test, but I think I benefitted from it, and I really enjoyed it.

“The fact that Cove are moving to fulltime football played a big part in my

decision to come here, and I think that working with the manager and coaching staff will help me to improve my allround game.

“While I do like to step out with the ball on occasion, my main strength is defending, and whichever position I play, that will be what I’ll be focusing on.”

The manager believes Arron will be an important addition his squad:

“Arron is mainly a centre-half, but he has filled in at right-back, and he’s also played one up in the midfield. He definitely gives us some good options.

“He’s full of energy and drive, is a strong player, and the perfect profile for us.

“I spoke to Robbie Neilson, who could not have been more positive about Arron, and given more experience, he is going to be a really good player for us in the future.”

In the next programme, for the game against Livingston on Tuesday, July 25th, we will focus on the next batch of new signings: Rumarn Burrell, Mouhamed Niang, Mark Gallagher and Nick Suman.

FIRST 4 SUMMER SIGNINGS

CONNOR

SCULLY

The popular midfielder came out on top in the club, players and fans Player of the Year voting, and also scooped the Goal of the Season honour for his sensational overhead kick in the win over Dundee last October.

Connor featured in forty-two matches last season, easily the highest figure in the squad, and missed just one game through injury, the defeat to Dundee at the start of March.

He collected his trophies when the players returned to training in late June and reflected on the campaign:

“Obviously it was a disappointing end, and we gave everything we had to stay in the Championship, but we fell just short. That was the most important thing, but it is nice to have been recognised for my efforts, and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me.”

Then last weekend, the popular midfielder was back in the spotlight with his Testimonial Match against Fraserburgh at Balmoral Stadium. Having been with the club for almost half his life, Connor is a Cove Rangers legend, and everyone was delighted to see him enjoy his big day with his family and friends.

We look forward to ‘one of our own’ continuing to make a big impact at the club in the coming seasons.

Connor Scully swept the boards in the voting for the 2022/23 Cove Rangers end of season awards.

“...it is nice to have been recognised for my efforts, and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me.”

NEW AWAY KIT

The club revealed its new away strip for the 2023-24 campaign, and it has already proved a success with Cove Rangers fans.

The all-white kit, with black trim, was modelled at its launch by captain Mitch Megginson and has been worn during the pre-season friendlies. It will also be on display during our Viaplay Cup group games.

Supporters can purchase it at the Cove Rangers FC website. The new home strip will be unveiled before the kick-off to our League One season.

PAUL HARTLEY

Welcome to Balmoral Stadium for the official kick-off to our 2023-24 campaign. I’m delighted to be getting back into competitive action, and I’m sure you’re all looking forward to it as much as I am.

I have never liked pre-season friendlies, either as a player or a manager, but they are a necessary evil as you try to get the boys ready for the important matches ahead, and having had half a dozen games, and worked hard in training, I’m confident the squad is ready.

The big difference this summer has, of course, been the move towards full-time football and it’s been good getting to work with all the new signings on a daily basis. We’ve tried different personnel, different formations, and that’s what these summer matches are for, but we’ll now settle down and go with what we believe to be our strongest team.

We’ve had a lot of trialists in, and that whole process can be a bit of a headache. You get inundated with offers from agents trying to get their clients a deal, and you have to have a look at the ones who get recommended to you, but to be honest there’s not been a great deal there in terms of the quality we’re looking for.

Mark Gallagher is one who did shine, and we’re pleased to have got him signed up, but it would have been nice to have unearthed one or two more.

Loans will again be important to us, but you can be waiting until well into August before clubs decide who they’re letting out. We will eventually get some in through that route, but we’re still trying to bring players in on a permanent basis too; we need that, as we’ve not got the biggest squad right now.

Being full-time definitely helps to attract new signings, but we do still have the geographical problem, and we’ve lost out on a number of players who would rather stay in the central belt. It’s not just us, it is a problem for all the clubs in the north, but that’s just something we have to deal with.

One of the issues I’ve had to address is the fact we’re operating a hybrid model right now, and the obvious difficulty of having the mix of full-time and the part time boys who train twice a week, but I can see that bond starting to emerge, and once we’re playing games regularly that will develop more. It does take a little bit of time.

Having most of the squad based in and around the city will help in that respect too.

As for tonight, I would like to welcome Brian McLean and his Clyde team, and we will show them all respect in tonight’s tie. It’s an important one for us, good to have a home game to kick things off, and I see this as a vital part of what we’re hoping to achieve.

I know some people see the tournament as part of their preseason, but we are taking it seriously, and the aim is to get out of the group for the first time in the club’s history. I think the draw has given us that opportunity, but we’ll have to hit the ground running if we are to do so.

“...having had half a dozen games, and worked hard in training, I’m confident the squad is ready.”

Principal Club Partner

Principal Stadium Partner

Official Club Partners

Richard has pioneered work with charities, community hubs, befriending and foodbank groups, raising over £200,000 in the last 24-months to help worthy causes and individuals facing challenging times.

If you would like an opportunity to me et with him and discuss any matters that you feel he can be of assista nce with , please contact Richard on 07977 399 537 or email rbrooks@aberdeencity.gov.uk

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Alan McRae OBE

Keith Moorhouse - Chairman

Graeme Reid - Vice Chairman

Duncan Little

John Sheran

Darren Anderson

Grant Moorhouse

Graeme Anderson, John Morgan

Michael Coull, Richard Forbes, Gordon Taylor

Paul Hartley

Gordon Young

Tam Ritchie

Derek Soutar

Gary Hake

Charlotte Clarke

Ian Sellar

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

TONIGHT’S TEAM LINES

Cove Rangers

Clyde

Manager - Brian McLean

Jack Leighfield

Neil Parry

Logan Dunachie

Ross Lyon

Peter Grant

Darren Hynes

Jon Craig

Erik Sula

Stuart Carswell

Ross Forbes

Ray Grant

Liam Scullion

Euan Cameron

Barry Cuddihy

Martin Rennie