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Cove Rangers captain Mitch Megginson admits the departure of Paul Hartley came as a real surprise, but he says Chairman, Keith Moorhouse, has got it right in the past, and backs him to do so again.

Mitch had assumed Paul’s initial decision to remain at Balmoral Stadium was the end of the matter, so he was stunned when he got the call last Friday telling him of the turn of events.

“I thought it was over, so yes, it was a bit of a shock, but it’s part and parcel of the game, and something you just have to be ready for. Keith called me and we arranged a Zoom meeting with as many of the guys as we could rustle up. He was very open with us, explained the situation and outlined his plan”.

The skipper is full of praise for the job that Hartley and his assistant, Gordon Young, did at the club, and he says they go with the best wishes of the players.

“We all have a high regard for Paul and Gordon. We had a professional approach before they arrived, but Paul in particular helped take that to the next level. You couldn’t doubt his pedigree, what he’d achieved as a player, and the success he’d had in management.

“You could say we needed him, but he also needed us, and we were all on the same wavelength. We had won plenty Highland League medals, Paul helped us be competitive in the SPFL, and he did a brilliant job”.

As is the case whenever a manager moves on, the thoughts of the Cove players very quickly turned to who the new man will be. Mitch admits he was immediately at a loss as to who might come in, “As a player, you’re always aware of other players and who’s out of contract, but you don’t really pay the same attention to managers”, but he does have firm views on what attributes Hartley’s successor must have.

“The new boss is going to have to be the right fit for the club. He’s going to be taking over a squad with a strong mentality, and while we clearly need five or six players, he’s going to have a good nucleus there. We’re winners, we like to play attacking football and I would hope the manager shares that approach. We’ll also be open to fresh ideas. There’s a great group of guys in the dressing room, we’re hungry to win, and we’ll do whatever it takes to keep the success going”.

With his thirtieth birthday just around the corner, the captain still has plenty years of playing ahead of him, but did it cross his mind to throw his hat into the ring for the manager’s job?

“Funnily enough, my Mum asked me that too! I’m far too young to even think about that, I just want to carry on scoring as many goals for Cove as I possibly can. It’s been a strange few days, but I’m so excited for next season, looking forward to getting back into training in a couple of weeks, and meeting the new boss”.

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