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This weekend sees us take on Edinburgh City for the second time this season, but the visitors’ line-up will be almost unrecognisable from the one we faced back in September.

Following a reported ‘cash crisis’ the capital club has released a host of players, some having already signed for new teams, and their squad is likely to include no more than five who featured in the 2-2 draw at Meadowbank Stadium.

They have lost their three matches since the news broke, conceding three goals in each, and sit bottom of the League One table, but Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley says he and his team have to push that to one side, and just focus on doing their job:

“It hasn’t been the easiest in terms of preparing for this one and to be honest I’m not sure what kind of Edinburgh City team are going to turn up. They’ve found themselves in a difficult position financially, a lot of players leaving, so it’s really hard to gauge what line-up they’re going to go with.

“We’ve done what we can; I’ve watched the footage from last week against Queen of the South, but we obviously don’t know too much about some of the personnel, the younger players they’re using. It’s about what we do though, how hard we have worked this week, and I fully expect a much better showing than we got against Alloa”.

The last-gasp defeat last weekend brought an end to our eleven match unbeaten run, but while the result was hard to take, it was the performance which disappointed the gaffer even more:

“We were nowhere near our best, and I just didn’t see that coming. We had been so good, so consistent in terms of how we had been playing, how we had been working, and we lost two really poor goals, which has not been like us over the past three months.

“We should have managed the game, we should have at least got the point to keep the unbeaten run going, but it is time to bounce back; that’s the sign of a good team.”

“You do sometimes find throughout the season there’s one side that for whatever reason you struggle against; when we won the league in 21/22 it was East Fife, who were bottom of the table at the time, so we just need to take last week on the chin and look for a big reaction, which I’m sure we will get.

“It will be about getting back to the basics, being a good unit and working hard; that has been the theme in training this week.

“We didn’t move the ball quickly enough last Saturday, so it has been about trying to break the lines quicker, to show more intensity, just reminding the players about all the things we had been doing so well up until the Alloa game.”

Now, Paul hopes to see all that put into practice as the side kicks-off what is likely to be an important period. We face the teams directly below us, Montrose and Kelty, after the weekend, followed by away games against Falkirk and Hamilton.

The manager knows the next few weeks could have a big bearing on where we finish up at the end of the campaign:

“We want to see out 2023 on a high, and we are well aware what lies ahead, but for now we are fully focused on Edinburgh. Like all the games in this league it will be a tough ninety minutes, we cannot afford to have the mindset that we can go in and win easily, that just doesn’t happen. You have to earn the right first.

“They will have a number of young players out there who will be fit, enthusiastic and full of energy, so we have to match that, then hope that our quality will come through.

“Over the piece, the first half of the season has been okay. We had a poor start, then had that great run, and that’s what we need to get back to. The players were all disappointed last week, but I know them well enough to know that they can bounce back, and that’s what I expect on Saturday.”

Josh Kerr completes his two-match suspension, and the manager will also be without injury victims Luke Strachan, Fraser Fyvie and Balint Demus. Luke is nearing full fitness again, and there was good news this week about Fraser and Bal; neither player will need an operation, so should be back within 6-8 weeks.

Tickets for the game can be bought in advance HERE.

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