News

We make the short trip down the coast for our third fixture of the League One season with a derby against local rivals Montrose.

Stewart Petrie’s side lost their opener at home to Kelty Hearts, but bounced back with victory at Annan last weekend, while we are still chasing our first win of the campaign following Falkirk’s last gasp equaliser in the 2-2 draw.

Manager Paul Hartley expects another hard fought encounter at Links Park:

“The first six games or so, you’re never quite sure how teams are going to be, but all the times we’ve faced them over the years it’s been very tough, they’ve got a threat in Hester and McAllister, and Stewart Petrie has done a good job there over the years, they’re always up there in the mix for promotion.”

“It’s still early, there are things we still need to work on, but we’re getting there, and it has been a tough start against two big teams. It does take time, but last week against Falkirk was a good gauge, and I thought we did well against a good side. I thought the fitness levels were excellent last week, and that’s down to the hard work we’ve been doing in training.

“I’m still getting to know the players and I feel I’m getting closer to knowing what might be my strongest team, but we’ve still got experienced boys to come back, and when we have them in the fold again, we’ll have a good squad.”

Left back Jacob Jones is one of the many new faces settling in at the club, and he believes there are signs the revamped squad is beginning to take shape:

“We’ve had two tough games against full-time opponents, two of the sides who will be battling for promotion, and I think we’ve acquitted ourselves pretty well. We could have been better against Hamilton, but there was a big improvement last week, and we were unlucky not to take the three points.

“It’s fine margins in this league, we’ve conceded two own goals and an equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but we’ve had a couple of games under our belts and now is the time for it to click. We’ve got to show that determination as a group, we’ve had good training sessions and now we’ve had matches together; the onus is on us as players to make it work on the pitch.”

Having ventured this far north for the first time in his career, Jacob admits it has been a big step for him, but feels he is finding his feet and is looking forward to the rest of the season with optimism:

“As a left back, it’s all about developing new partnerships with the central defenders, the winger in front of me, the midfielders. It’s a big learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed it, and I’m enjoying Scottish football. It’s end to end, it’s more physical in terms of the running output, but being a fit lad, that suits me.

“Montrose will be another new challenge for me. I obviously don’t know too much about their history and what they’re about, but we’ve done the video analysis and we’ll know what we’re up against. It’s going to be all about taking our game to them and trying to push on.

“Winning builds momentum, it builds confidence, so once we get that first victory on the board it gives you that lift and makes you even more determined, you try to get two or three on the bounce, and that can make a huge difference. We’re all focused on getting that started on Saturday.”

The weekend fixture was given an extra edge with the clubs paired in the draw for the Third Round of the SPFL Trust Trophy, the league match giving both sides the chance to lay down a marker ahead of the cup-tie next month.

Blair Yule and Luke Strachan are still out, but Fraser Fyvie is edging closer to a return, and having resumed full training, captain Mitch Megginson is expected to be in the plans. Paul McGowan will also be back after his one game suspension.

The manager is delighted have McGowan available again, and having put together a young squad over the summer, he says having the others fit will make a huge difference:

“The likes of Blair, Fraser and Mitch, they know what this league is all about, and it will be important to have those guys around again. They’ve been strong in this division before and they can make a big difference as they give you that blend you need if you’re going to be successful.”

Fans planning on travelling down to support the team can buy their tickets HERE

Article Copyright © 2023. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and to www.coverangersfc.com

Lounge Available For Montrose Cup-Tie »