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The build-up to our first season competing at Championship level continued with a comprehensive victory over Lowland League opponents Rovers in our challenge match at Balmoral Stadium.

Midfielder Fraser Fyvie capped a fine personal performance with a double, with Rory McAllister, Robbie Leitch, Leighton McIntosh, Iain Vigurs, Morgyn Neill and skipper Mitch Megginson – a little fortuitously- completing the scoring.

McALLISTER got us going by nodding home from close range in the eighth minute, after Mark Reynolds headed a Jamie Masson corner forward to him from the edge of the area.

We went close on several other occasions before Rovers drew level on the half-hour, when Zander MURRAY drilled a cut-back home from 15-yards.

We were back in front five minutes later.

Blair Yule played the ball to LEITCH and he showed some clever footwork before lashing an unstoppable 14-yard shot into the roof of the net.

Rovers worked extremely hard in the first period and would have gone in level at the interval if keeper Kyle Gourlay hadn’t made an outstanding save from Jazic Balde’s net-bound 10-yard shot.

The intensity of our play proved too much for Rovers in a more one-sided second half.

Substitute McINTOSH had only been on the pitch for three minutes when he met Leitch’s cut-back from the right and placed a 14-yard shot into the far corner of the net.

Neill then saw a header from a well flighted Vigurs corner cleared off the line as we pushed for more.

Former Cove Rangers striker Jimmy Scott, now the player-manager Rovers, received a rousing ovation when he came on after 55 minutes, but there was little he could do change the course of the game.

It was 4-1 just before the hour when slack Rovers defending allowed McIntosh to pinch the ball.

When he played it back to VIGURS the veteran midfielder calmly picked his spot from the edge of the area.

We went 5-1 up in the 66th minute from arguably the pick of the goals.

Leitch’s cross from the right was cleverly dummied by McIntosh and FYVIE got a just reward for his efforts by rifling a 16-yard shot beyond the reach of Rovers keeper Sam Baxter.

We scored again within a minute when Vigurs sent a corner over from the left and NEILL rose above the Rovers defenders to power a header home.

FYVIE claimed his second in the 71st minute.

Leitch was the architect once again, with a cross from wide on the right to the back post for Fyvie to net from close range, despite the best efforts of the diving Baxter.

The scoring was completed in the 78th minute when one of the Rovers defenders attempted to clear yet another right wing cross from Leitch, but only succeeded in battering the ball off the knee of the inrushing MEGGINSON and that sent it it past Baxter into the net.

We were forced to play the final few minutes with 10 men when Fyvie went off injured, but we played some impressive possession football as the clock counted down.

COVE RANGERS: Gourlay, Logan (Thomas 83), Ross, Reynolds, Scully, Fyvie, Yule (Vigurs 46), Leitch, Masson (Neill 46), McAllister (McIntosh 46), Megginson.

Subs: McKenzie.

GALA FAIRYDEAN ROVERS: Baxter, Hall, Greene, Daniel (Scott 55), Jordan, Dougal (Campbell 46), Berry (Hall 46), Watt (Addison 46), Murray, Galbraith (Touray 46), Balde.

Referee: Joel Kennedy.

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