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Cove Rangers will be going all out to improve our disappointing away record when the team takes on third-placed Ayr United at Somerset Park.

The five trips so far undertaken have produced a single point, gained from the late comeback at Firhill, and that’s a situation manager Jim McIntyre knows his side has to rectify if they are to move clear of the bottom end of the table:

“We are all fully aware that we’re going to have to pick up more points away from home if we’re going to start climbing the league.

“It is not difficult to identify where the problem lies. We have made individual errors at key moments to concede goals, and we’ve missed good chances up the other end. That has cost us, particularly at Morton and Queen’s Park, and if we cut that out, I have no doubt we’ll start getting the points on the board.”

The team has enjoyed good spells of possession in most matches so far this season, and played attractive passing football, but the big issue has been creating clear-cut chances, and being clinical in the opposition penalty area:

“That has been an issue, and we need to make better use of the ball in the final third, both in terms of our crossing, and finishing. If we can carve out more opportunities, and take them, that will make a massive difference.

“Ayr United have been a bit like that of late, losing three of their last four games by a single goal. Key incidents have gone against them; they’ve suffered in the way that we have in a number of matches this season.

“If the boys give me the same committed performance that I got against Caley Thistle last week, and cut out the errors, then we’ll be in a good position to add to the points tally.”

Winger Luis Longstaff is well aware of the threat posed by the Ayrshire team:

“They showed when they won up here that they’re a decent side, but we came back at them, and might have earned a point.

“You can’t really pay too much attention to the table at this stage, everyone is so close together. We’ve seen all season how unpredictable this league is, and you have to go into every match confident that you can pick up the points.”

Luis says the players are not getting too hung up on the away form, although he admits, it is going to have to improve:

“I think it’s just one of those things, I don’t think it’s a massive concern at the moment. If you get to after Christmas, and we’re still in the same position, then it’s probably more of a worry, but I do believe it’s just a matter of time before we start picking up points on the road as we have been doing at home.

“Now that we’ve seen everyone, I’m definitely confident that we can push up the table. There’s been no-one you look at and think ‘we can’t get points there’. If we play as we can, we’re capable of getting the results we all want.”

Three players have been ruled out of the manager’s plans. Kyle McClelland will be absent for a few weeks yet, after injuring his ankle in the win over Dundee, and the central defender will be joined on the sidelines by Jamie Masson (rib) and Fraser Fyvie (hamstring). Late decisions will be taken on a couple of others who face a fitness test ahead of the game.

Tickets can be purchased HERE https://tickets.ayrunitedfc.co.uk/package_link/LZEmOKzmpW/AwayCove

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