Tuesday 16th July ‘24 • 19:45 KO
A Sat 20th Jul, ‘24
Forfar Athletic v Cove Rangers League Cup
H Tue 23rd Jul, ‘24 Cove Rangers v Livingston League Cup
A Sat 27th Jul, ‘24 Dunfermline Ath v Cove Rangers League Cup
H Sat 3rd Aug, ‘24 Cove Rangers v Annan Athletic cinch League One
A Sat 10th Aug, ‘24 Queen of the South v Cove Rangers cinch League One
H Sat 17th Aug, ‘24 Cove Rangers v Dumbarton cinch League One
Everyone at the club was deeply saddened to learn of the recent death of loyal Cove Rangers supporter, Diane Adams.
Diane, who passed away on July 1st, was a season ticket holder, and followed the side home and away with her husband, Dave, who told us that attending Cove matches remained a great highlight for his wife, despite her illness.
There will be a minute’s applause ahead of this evening’s Premier Sports Cup tie
against The Spartans as we take the opportunity to pay our respects.
Diane was laid to rest last week; Dave having shared with us her following request: “Don’t mourn me, celebrate my life...don’t wear black”.
All of us at Balmoral Stadium would like to pass on our thoughts and best wishes to Dave and the rest of Diane’s family and friends.
As has become the norm at clubs all across the country, the summer saw a fair bit of upheaval at Cove Rangers with eight players departing Balmoral Stadium.
Among those were two who made a massive contribution to the success we have enjoyed since gaining promotion to the SPFL in 2019; Iain Vigurs and Mark Reynolds.
Iain joined the club in the summer of 2021 and was a key figure during that title-winning League One campaign. He would go on to feature in sixty-five matches, scoring five goals.
Mark arrived during the following transfer window in January 2022 and was a regular at the heart of the defence for the next two and a half seasons.
He played eighty-eight games during that time, putting him in the top ten appearance list for the club in the SPFL.
Both were out of contract, and they departed with our thanks, as did the six others who moved on; Jacob Jones, Dayshonne Golding, Matty Shiels, Paul McGowan, Cameron Stewart and our top-scorer in 2023/24, Rumarn Burrell.
Rumarn has signed for Burton Albion, and we would like to wish him and the other players good luck in their future careers.
While it has been a quieter summer than of late in the transfer market, a conscious decision by manager Paul Hartley, there can be little doubt he has brought in quality in the form of Declan Glass and Ryan Harrington, and real promise in the case of sixteen year-old midfielder, Cole Donaldson.
Declan was first to arrive at Balmoral Stadium, a well-known face to all of us, and a popular addition to the squad among the supporters.
He first signed for Cove Rangers in 2019, on loan from Dundee United, and put in a series of exciting performances, scoring seven goals in twenty-one appearances before being recalled midway through the campaign. He had however played a major part in helping the side to clinch the League Two title, and says he still reflects proudly on that:
“It’s a place where I’ve had a lot of good memories, so it’s nice to back somewhere I feel really comfortable. The first time, it was probably my most enjoyable spell in football, a period I look back on fondly and with real pride, so being here again feels right at this stage of my career.”
Declan was also with us for the second half of the Championship campaign, and now fully fit again, he is excited to get up and running:
“I’m feeling good! Obviously, I have had my problems, but only missed one or two games through injury last season and I’m ready to go. The fans have always been great with me up here, always really supportive, they’ve been brilliant. I look forward to seeing them out backing the team when the action gets underway.”
Next through the door was versatile defender, Ryan Harrington, who featured extensively in all the warm-up matches, putting in a series of impressive performances.
The Welshman started his career at Wrexham before signing for Everton as a youth player. He then joined Aberdeen’s development squad, where he played a major part in the Dons’ run to the Youth Cup Final in 2018. A loan move to Montrose followed, where Ryan appeared in thirty matches for Stewart Petrie’s side, helping them to a fourth place finish in League One.
He returned to Wales, signing for The New Saints, where he gained experience playing in the top division, as well as in Champions League and Europa League qualifiers. Following a two-year spell at TNS, Ryan made the switch to fellow Welsh side Connah’s Quay Nomads in 2021 and was in the squad that won the JD Welsh Cup in June this year.
The twenty five-year old says he already feels at home here:
“I was given the opportunity to come in during the time we had off, worked with the gaffer and the team, and really enjoyed it, so I quickly agreed to come in. I knew a few of the faces from my time up here before when I was with Aberdeen and out on loan, so that definitely made things easier.
“They’re a great bunch of lads, they’ve really looked after me, so it’s been really easy to feel a part of things. It’s been great, a really good atmosphere, and the transition has been dead easy.”
The third of our signings was young Cole Donaldson, the son of Inverurie Locos manager, Dean. The teenager was also involved as a trialist pre-season, and caught the eye of manager Paul Hartley both in the matches and during training.
He is a player who excites Paul:
“The good thing about Cole is he has not come through an academy, which has probably been a good thing for him. He’s a natural talent, a bit of an old school street footballer if you like, and has great ability. He can play as a number eight, or a number ten, and the quality is there for everyone to see.”
“Cole is the latest youngster to be brought to the club as we invest in the future, following in the footsteps of Milosz Ochmanski, Mikey Milnes, Myles Gaffney and Jack Robertson who all joined last summer.”
Paul says he expects big things from the midfielder: “He has only just turned sixteen, so we’ll be patient and work with him over the next eighteen months, but from what I’ve seen so far, he’s fitted in with the first team no problem, and if he develops as I anticipate, I think we’re going to have a really good player on our hands.
“He is one for the future, but I wouldn’t rule out the chances of him being involved in the team as the season goes on.”
“He’s a natural talent, a bit of an old school street footballer if you like, and has great ability.”
The manager set up four pre-season matches at Balmoral Stadium, and also organised a couple of ‘behind closed doors’ friendlies, as he prepared the squad for what will be another long, hard and competitive campaign.
The players returned from their summer break on Saturday, June 22nd, and were joined by a host of trialists, most of whom saw some action in the warm-up games with some really catching the eye.
Among those were Ryan Harrington and Cole Donaldson, both of whom have signed for the club, with others still being monitored and considered.
The first of the official games was on Tuesday, July 2nd when Dunfermline made the trip north for the third year in a row, and it was a good start to the build-up for Cove, Connor Scully capping what had been a fine team performance by netting from the edge of the box midway through the second half.
We might have added to that, but missed chances, and the visitors snatched a late equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw.
Two nights later, Banks O’Dee made the short trip to Balmoral, the line-up once again sprinkled with trialists. One of those, Trialist L, headed us into an early lead, and that was doubled on the half-hour mark when Scully scored an opportunistic effort at the back post.
Connor became provider after the interval, teeing up the on-trial number eleven for his second of the evening.
Paul Hartley had operated a 4-2-3-1 formation for those games, and stuck to that on the Saturday afternoon for the encounter with Inverurie Locos, although the personnel was shuffled to give all the players valuable minutes on the pitch.
It was to be another promising display, the only goal coming in the sixty-first minute when Milosz Ochmanski raced out of defence and fired an accurate pass forward. Trialist K controlled the ball, turned his marker, then curled a delightful shot round the despairing keeper and inside the far post.
The last of the quartet of home friendlies was a week ago, the team maintaining its unbeaten run with a 2-0 success over Formartine United.
The manager made five changes, his selection full of experience with the return of Mikey Doyle, Fraser Fyvie, Blair Yule, Declan Glass and Nick Suman, and the fans witnessed another dominating performance.
Trialist K was again on target, finishing off a fine early move, with Glass adding the second before the break.
The side played a lot of attractive, passing football and looked well organised at the back, albeit both keepers, Suman and second half substitute Balint Demus, were called into action briefly, each making a fine save to preserve the clean sheet.
Overall, it was an encouraging series of games, setting the players up for what we all hope will be a successful season ahead.
Welcome to Balmoral Stadium for our season opener as we kick-off our Premier Sports Cup campaign against The Spartans.
It seems like no time at all since we finished off 2023/24 and I feel the same excitement as I do every year; I cannot wait for the action to get up and running.
We all got together again last month and having had four official warm-up matches and a couple of bounce games, I have liked what I’ve seen from the group and have no doubt they’re in the best condition possible. I have been really impressed with the players and how quickly they have got back to work.
It’s been good! There have been a lot of sessions, plenty game time, and I’m really pleased with how the boys have come back, they were in good nick.
There have been some good performances in the preseason matches, I’ve played a lot of the youngsters also, and made a few signings, so delighted with how it’s gone so far. We’ve been consistent with the set-up we’ve played, and the important thing is we’ve come through unscathed with no injuries.
It has been a real plus seeing important players like Blair Yule and Fraser Fyvie back out on the pitch too. I’ve had to manage them over pre-season, they’ve not played a lot in the last eighteen months, so we have to monitor their workload and be careful. T
hey are two key performers for us, we miss them when they’re not in the side, and it’s about getting them through this period so they’re fully ready for the first league game.
I have also had a number of trialists in over the past few weeks and have been monitoring them.
“We want to get off to a good start against Spartans, get the campaign up and running”
We have to get the signings right this year, take our time, not rush into anything. We’re still a few positions short, probably the forward area is the main one, but we’ll take our time and be patient.
I’m looking at bringing in four or five more players, and the loan market will be key for us. I’ve spoken to a few of the Premiership clubs about some of their youngsters, especially at the top end of the pitch, so hopefully we’ll get a decision on that in the next couple of weeks.
I would expect that by the time the League One opener against Annan comes round we’ll know where we are, the team will be settled, and we’ll have the squad we want.
The league will always be the priority, but I know the importance of the Premier Sports Cup, and I’m hopeful we can emulate last season when we came close to reaching the knock-out stages for the first time in the club’s history.
We want to get off to a good start against Spartans, get the campaign up and running, and while we’re still short of numbers, we have enough quality to make an impact in the group. If we are to do so, we will need a strong, positive performance tonight, and that is what I am expecting from the players.
Enjoy the game, Paul Hartley
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Club
Scottish League 1
Winners ‘21-’22
Scottish League 2
Winners ‘19-’20
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
Scottish Qualifying Cup (North)
Winners ‘90-’91, ‘00-’01
Runners-up ‘88-’89, ‘91-’92, ‘01-’02, ‘03-’04
Highland League Cup
Winners ‘94-’95, ‘99-’00, ‘04-’05, ‘14-1’5, ‘16-17, ‘18-’19
Runners-up
Aberdeenshire Cup
‘90-’91, ‘92-’93, ‘95-’96, ‘97-’98, ‘05-’06, ‘07-’08, ‘11-’12
Winners ‘01-’02, ‘10-’11, ‘18-’19
Runners-up ‘92-’93, ‘94-’95, ‘16-’17, ‘17-’18
Aberdeenshire Shield
Winners ‘90-’91, ‘00-’01, ‘08-’09, ‘17-’18
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
The club is now offering alternative hospitality in the Players Lounge, an option which has proved highly popular.
Already, we have had stag parties, work and family outings, and other large groups, and the package is also available to individuals.
Competitively priced as just £70pp, which includes VAT and the cost of the match ticket.
The afternoon is hosted by the club’s former kit-man, Adrian ‘Edser’ Thomson – a popular and well-known figure among Cove fans.
To find out more and to secure your places, please contact Angela Bruce at abruce@coverangersfc.com
Package includes:
• Arrival ninety minutes prior to kick-off
• Complimentary drinks
• Sandwich platter pre-match
• Reserved seating in the West Stand
• Half-time tea, coffee and pie
• Full-time bar for 45 minutes after final whistle
• Car parking
• No dress code
• One-off option or book for the season