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IT was the classic game if two halves as our perfect league record at Balmoral Stadium was ended by a 2-1 defeat against Montrose.

We were deservedly leading the League One clash at the interval, thanks to a marvellous headed goal from left-back Harry Milne – and could have gone in two up but for Montrose keeper Allan Fleming’s astonishing save from a net-bound Rory McAllister effort.

It was a different story after the interval though as the Gable Endies stormed back to draw level via a Graham Webster spot-kick and then take all three points with a breathtaking strike from Russell McLean.

It was a goal worthy of winning any match and meant our glory run since stepping up to the SPFL was ended at 17 games, which is still something to be proud of.

Skipper Mitch Megginson missed out through injury but his absence was countered by the return of defender Daniel Higgins, after several weeks out because of a hamstring injury.

We were very impressive in the early stages and could have gone ahead in the fifth minute when Fraser Fyvie crossed the ball from the left to McAllister, but the striker’s powerful 14-yard header went wide of the front post.

Leighton McIntosh also fired a 20-yard shot over the crossbar as we probed for the opener.

McAllister set up our next chance when he pounced on a poor pass out of the Montrose defence and then passed to Fyvie, but the midfielder’s 18-yard shot was held by Fleming.

Montrose had a great opportunity in the 13th minute when slack Cove defending left Lewis Milne with a free header from 14-yards, but he failed to hit the target.

Skipper-for-the-day Ryan Strachan then stormed forward like a Sherman Tank, from inside his own half, before exchanging passes with McAllister at the edge of the Montrose area.

Visiting keeper Fleming was out quickly though to make a brave save at the feet of Strachan before he could get a shot at goal.

McAllister’s stroke of bad luck came in the 26th minute, from a move he started and finished.

The striker fed the ball out to the left to Jamie Masson then darted to the edge of the area to meet the return pass and McAllister’s powerful shot was going in in until Lewis dived full length to his left to make a brilliant save.

Higgins did his bit at the other end with a well timed last-gasp tackle to stop Cammy Ballantyne getting a shot in from 15-yards after the full-back had been sent clear down the right by a long pass from Kerr Waddell.

The goal we had worked so hard for finally arrived in the 38th minute when Masson fired a corner over from the left and MILNE rose high at back post to bullet a header into the net from the edge of the Montrose six yard box.

McAllister’s grafting almost paid off in the 41st minute but he was just a fraction away from beating keeper Fleming to slack back pass from Harry Cochrane.

We swept forward in style two minutes later in a move involving Milne, McAllister and Masson.

It ended with the latter crossing to striker McAllister and his shot needed a deflection off one of the Montrose defenders to stop it going in.

Masson took the resulting corner and Milne was just inches away from connecting and claiming his second goal as the ball sped across the face of the Montrose goalmouth.

We started the second half well too, with Scott Ross sending his header off a Masson corner wide in the 53rd minute.

But our afternoon started to go sour when referee Lloyd Watson awarded Montrose their penalty in the 56th minute, for a McIntosh challenge on Andrew Steeves.

WEBSTER gave keeper Stuart McKenzie no chance from the spot and the Gable Endies grew in confidence from then on.

They were helped considerably by taking the lead in the 63rd minute with a quite brilliant goal.

McLEAN made a clever turn to create space for himself then rifled an unstoppable 19-yard shot into the top corner of the net.

Fleming denied us the equaliser, just two minutes later, when he twisted to tip a raging 22-yard Higgins free-kick over the Montrose crossbar.

Montrose almost added to their lead in the 80th minute when Webster’s cross from the right wriggled out McKenzie’s grasp, with the ball then hitting the post before being grabbed again by the keeper.

Substitute Jamie Semple got on to the end of a Fyvie through pass in the 81st minute but failed to get any height on his attempted lob, so the ball was comfortably collected by Fleming.

Broque Watson, who was also brought on in the latter stages, then cut the ball back from the byline to Strachan but the defender hammered his shot from the edge of the Montrose area over the crossbar.

We made loud appeals for a penalty when full-back Ballantyne appeared to handle the ball deep into injury-time but referee Watson was having none of it, it just wasn’t going to be our day.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Milne (Livingstone 68), Scully (Seb Ross 76), Scott Ross, Strachan, Yule, Masson (Semple 76), McIntosh, Higgins, McAllister (Watson 76), Fyvie.

Subs: Brown, Graham, Demus.

MONTROSE: Fleming, C Ballantyne, Steeves, Cochrane, Waddell, Dillon, Webster (R Campbell 87), Watson (Callaghan 65) McLean (Johnston 74), Milne, CF Ballantyne (Mochrie 65).

Subs: I Campbell, Allan, Quinn, Lennox.

Referee: Lloyd Watson.

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