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Following the midweek outing against Dunfermline Athletic, the team has its second pre-season friendly at Balmoral Stadium on Saturday, July 1st when Formartine United are our visitors.

Stuart Anderson’s side finished fourth in last season’s Highland League table and will be keen to put in an even stronger challenge for the title this time round.

The match is a 1.00pm kick-off, and tickets can be bought at the CRFC website. Cove Rangers fans should do so HERE while Formartine supporters can secure theirs at this LINK.

By game time, the Cove players will have been back at work for a week, and with the bulk of the squad having seen action on Wednesday night, manager Paul Hartley is pleased with how they are shaping up:

“I’m not a big fan of pre-season friendlies, but they are necessary, and it’s all about getting the players’ fitness up to a certain level.

“To be fair, they all came back in good shape, and they’ve put in a really good shift over the past week. The attitude is good and I’ve liked what I’ve seen.”

Kyle Connell is one of six new signings so far – more will follow in the coming days – and the striker says he has really enjoyed being part of the new look squad:

“I feel as if I’ve settled in really well, and it definitely helps that there are a number of other boys in the same situation as me.

“The players who were already here have been great, they’ve made us all feel very welcome, and I’ve enjoyed the training. We’re working hard, but you have to do that, and I’ve no doubt we’ll be ready for the season kicking-off.”

“It was good getting forty-five minutes under my belt against Dunfermline and I look forward to playing a part on Saturday too. It’s important to get these games in as well as what you do in training.”

The manager used eight trialists in midweek, players who have been in at the club and taking part in the daily sessions. He has cast his net far and wide with those being monitored coming from England, Holland and closer to home, and he says they will be given every chance to try to win a full-time contract with the club:

“The players are all a decent standard and they’ve shown up well. I’ve long since learned not to make snap judgements, you need to watch them closely in training and during games, and if you get one or two, then it’s been worth it.

“They’ll get another run out against Formartine, then we can sit down and make some decisions.

“I’ve been really pleased with the new boys, the six we’ve signed so far, and they’ve settled in well. The fans can expect to see them again on Saturday, and we’ll also be able to give Arron Darge a run out as his Hearts contract will have expired.

“It has been a good first week, but there’s plenty hard work ahead of us, and we’ll be doing that on and off the pitch to make sure we’re ready for the Viaplay Cup games and the kick-off to League One at the start of next month.”

Fans are reminded that the pre-season friendlies have been priced at £10 and £5 across the board and that tickets can be purchased in advance at the Cove Rangers FC website.

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