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The team completes the opening quarter of our League One campaign on Saturday with a first meeting with Annan Athletic since January 2020.

Cove Rangers won both previous encounters at Balmoral Stadium, in our League Two title-winning season, but crashed to a shock 6-1 beating at Galabank. The side would lose just two more games as they romped to promotion.

Annan came up through the play-offs earlier this year with impressive wins over Dumbarton and Clyde, moving into the third tier for the first time in the club’s history, and after a tough start have picked up wins over Edinburgh City and Stirling Albion.

They sit a point ahead of us in the league table, one of a number of reasons why manager Paul Hartley is targeting this as a game we have to win:

“It’s the end of the first round of fixtures, and we all know how close the league is. If we pick up the three points, it will make a huge difference, and set us up for the second quarter.”

“I thought we played some good stuff last week, gave away a couple of bad goals, but once again we created chances and were a real force going forward, particularly after we went down to ten men.

“What we’re seeing on the pitch is a reflection of how we train, and it’s what we want to see on matchdays. We need to keep that going, we’re a real threat, and it’s enjoyable to watch. I know it’s the sort of football the Cove fans like to see. Earlier in the season, we had lots of possession but weren’t creating the opportunities and that’s changed.

“Our play in the opposition half is as good as anyone else in the league.

“We have to stop conceding though, I know that. It’s down to individual errors and we have to cut them out. It’s about taking responsibility, being a good team-mate; the players don’t mean it, but it’s happening too often, and it has to stop.”

We will be without captain Mitch Megginson on Saturday, following his sending-off at Forthbank. It remains a decision which baffled and frustrated the striker:

“For me, there was nothing in it. I was battling away with the left back and the centre half, as I normally do, and there was the usual crack and banter between us; it’s a physical game. I’ve spun to go into the box, McGregor pulled me, I’ve pushed him away to get into a good position, and he’s gone down holding his face.

“Violent conduct has never been part of my game, it’s just not in my persona and I would never condone anything like that. If I had done anything, I would hold my hands up and take the punishment, but I’m an honest boy, I have been throughout my career, and I did nothing to try to hurt him.

“I asked the referee why he was sending me off and he just said I had squared up to the defender. You don’t get a proper explanation. I’ve watched it back, you can see there’s nothing there, and it was annoying that he seemed to make such a quick decision.

“This season I’ve been pretty calm, which was a conscious decision. I’d only had two yellows and I’ve generally not got involved with the refs, which hasn’t always been the case before. I’m quite passionate out there, especially when I’m playing for Cove, and I’ve had silly bookings in the past, but I’ve been cutting that out, so that makes the red card even harder to take.”

Mitch admits it is going to be a tough ninety minutes on Saturday afternoon:

“It is going to be so frustrating not being out there helping the team. I’m worse as a spectator than I am out on the pitch, that’s for sure. I don’t like it at all! I will be sitting up there, hiding away in a corner of the stand and trying not to get too involved, but I will be right behind the boys.”

The manager says the captain will be a big miss, but wants others to step up:

“It’s disappointing, but it gives someone else the opportunity to come in. I have spoken before about the talent and options I have in the front line; this is the chance for some of those players, the ones who feel they should be getting more starts, to step in and prove it.”

Other than Mitch, we will be without long term injury victims Josh Kerr and Luke Strachan for the game.

Supporters can get their tickets HERE.

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