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Following our opening day defeat at Hamilton, the team is gearing up for our first home game of the League One season, with Falkirk the visitors to Balmoral Stadium.

It was a disappointing ninety minutes in Lanarkshire, but a reminder to the squad just how demanding the campaign is likely to be. There has been a real determination in training this week, and Paul Hartley expects that to shine through against John McGlynn’s side.

The manager is confident the players will put on a much better showing, and he expects them to prove why they should be considered among the challengers for a promotion place:

“We’ve had a really good week at the stadium, the boys know last Saturday wasn’t good enough, and I sense they’re eager to put things right.

“At this stage, it’s inevitable it’s going to be a wee bit bumpy as we try to get a settled team, but the important thing is we believe in what we’re doing. It might be that everyone is going to have to be patient over the next few weeks as we find our feet, but there’s a good group of players there, and I have confidence we’ll get it right.”

That’s a sentiment echoed by central defender Will Gillingham, one of nineteen new faces brought in over the summer. He sees signs that after all the upheaval, the squad is beginning to come together:

“It’s almost a brand new team, that’s not an excuse for why we lost at Hamilton, but it will take time for us to mesh and for everyone to gel together. But it’s coming, it’s getting better week by week, we are all getting closer and you can see in the locker room at training, and before and after games, that the relationship is getting stronger.

“There’s no need for alarm, it’s a long season and it’ll come right if we continue to do the right things day in, day out at training.

“Last week was pretty intense, it was a game between two teams who I think will be challenging, and there wasn’t much between the sides.

“It will be the same this week, another tough one, but I’m really looking forward to playing the first league game in front of our fans. Coming to Scotland, it’s a whole new experience for me, but I’ve enjoyed it so far, and there’s a lot for us all to be excited about in the season ahead.”

Paul Hartley believes Balmoral Stadium can be a big asset in our promotion push, and he is looking for a return to the days when our home form was as impressive as any other team in the country:

“The last time we were at the club, our record here was key to all the success we enjoyed. No-one liked coming to Cove, they all knew they were in for a tough ninety minutes, and if we can replicate that in what will be a hard-fought, competitive division, that will go a long way towards helping us meet our ambitions for the season.”

The manager has not been helped by a lengthy injury list, but hopes that will ease off in the coming weeks.

While Luke Strachan is out long term, Mitch Megginson and Fraser Fyvie should be in contention for next week’s trip to Montrose, and Blair Yule is edging closer to a long-awaited return to first team action, hopefully by early September.

Paul McGowan is suspended for Falkirk, but Josh Kerr, who limped off at Hamilton, is expected to be passed fit.

Fans can purchase their tickets for the game HERE.

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