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The two form teams in the division go head-to-head this weekend as we take on the league leaders at the Falkirk Stadium.

John McGlynn’s side have enjoyed an outstanding start to the campaign, their only defeat in twenty-two matches coming back in July, when they lost a Viaplay Cup group match to Dundee United.

They remain unbeaten in League One but their advantage at the top was cut to a single point in midweek when they drew 0-0 at Montrose and Hamilton ground out a victory at Annan.

Cove head south in confident mood following seven straight wins and nine without defeat in the league, a run which has propelled us into third place in the table.

The earlier encounter at Balmoral finished 2-2, the visitors equalising in the sixth minute of stoppage time, and Paul Hartley sees this one as being a good barometer of where his team is right now:

“Of course it’s a big test for us, but it’s one I’m looking forward to. They’ve been very consistent, along with Hamilton, and they have a lot of good players. There’s speed in the Falkirk team and they have excellent options up front.

“I know John well, he’s an experienced manager, and he has his team organised and well drilled.

“It’s important we go there and play our own game, do what we’ve been doing throughout our unbeaten run. That approach has paid dividends and that’s what we need to keep doing.”

Last season’s player of the year, Connor Scully, has maintained his standards in 23/24 and has featured in all twenty matches to date. The midfielder agrees with the manager and says it was always going to take a little time for the new-look squad to adjust to the hybrid system introduced in the summer:

“There were so many new faces, you had the full-time boys all coming into the club, and it was difficult initially both on and off the pitch.

“We just needed more time in training, and playing games, and it has been obvious to anyone watching that we have looked a very different team over the past few months. It takes a while to build relationships on the park, but we have all got used to each other now, and the benefits have been shown in the results.

“There’s a confidence, a self-belief there now, we’ve been strengthened by a few players coming back from long term injuries, and we have the momentum that’s so important in football.”

“This is a big game, but we’re just treating it like any other. What each of us has to do is to focus on our jobs, and make sure we do what we’ve been doing for the last ten matches. It was an exciting game earlier in the season; we’ll be hoping to cause them a few more problems on Saturday.”

The manager points out that encounter was early in the evolution of his side, and he feels they are better prepared this time round:

“We are in a different place now. We’ve put together a run of strong defensive performances, and that starts from higher up the park. There’s a settled formation which is working for us, and we have a strong keeper in Nick, in fact, we have two good keepers with Balint Demus ready to step in if needed.”

“It is all about continuing to work hard, to look to keep improving. I know where we are in the table, but I don’t concentrate too much on that. I’ve never seen a league title won after fourteen games; you need to keep going, to hit a level of consistency, and that can be tough. All we will do is try to keep this run going for as long as we can, then we’ll see where that takes us.

“There will be a lot of attention on this match, it’s clearly game of the day in League One, and it’s a fixture which excites me. I have every confidence in my team, and I think the supporters could be in for a thrilling afternoon.”

Mitch Megginson is back in the squad, having been suspended for the Cup win over Stirling Albion, but there is still a doubt over Fraser Fyvie, who has missed the last two with a knee injury. Long-term casualty Luke Strachan is the only other absentee.

Fans planning on making the trip to support the team can find ticket information HERE

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