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Having been with Cove Rangers since he was a teenager, midfielder Connor Scully has seen and done it all before with the club he loves.

A serial winner as Cove moved from the Highland League into the SPFL, and up through the divisions thereafter, Connor admits 2023 was a tough year, particularly the first half, when the side battled to retain its Championship status.

That ultimately ended in despair and he acknowledges it was a difficult time for everyone at Balmoral Stadium:

“You think back to the start of the year, we weren’t in a good place, it really was tough after being used to winning week in, week out, and then there was the heartbreak at the end of last season.

“There was also the change of manager twelve months ago, and a lot of new faces in January, and it just proved too tough a hurdle for us to overcome.”

Following that turnover at the start of 2023 when ten players arrived, a further twenty-one were signed in the summer, and Connor says it was inevitable it would take time for all that to settle down:

“It’s like there has been two different changing rooms this year, and that took a bit of adjusting to given we’d had pretty much the same group for years. It was never going to happen overnight, we all needed time to bed in and get used to it.”

“The last few months have seen a big improvement though, we’re looking a lot stronger now, and it’s definitely much more enjoyable getting the wins on the board more regularly again.”

After the announcement at the end of the 22/23 campaign that the club was moving towards going full-time, the midfielder was even left wondering if he would still be here:

“It was a strange time for the five of six of us part-time players, and I wasn’t sure what the future might hold for me, but the club stuck by us and made it clear they still wanted us to play a big part going forwards. I certainly expect to be here at least until the end of my contract.

“The experienced players like me, Mitch, Blair, Fraser and Mark know the club inside out, there’s a lot we can draw on to help the younger boys.”

So, how does it feel for Connor now being viewed as one of the old heads?

“It’s a bit surreal to be honest! In my mind I still feel like a sixteen or eighteen year old and it’s been such a quick career, pretty much all of it obviously spent with Cove. There have been a few ups and downs along the way, that’s what happens in football, but it’s been a brilliant experience and I’ve loved it.”

“I’m definitely not finished yet, I feel as if I’ve got as long way to go and will hopefully keep playing until I’m thirty-eight, thirty nine. It might not be here I guess, that will depend on what happens with the club looking to go full-time, but it’s been wonderful, and I’ll keep giving my all for as long as I’m asked to.”

With the second half of the season now getting up and running, and Cove very much involved in the promotion shoot-out, Connor says he is excited by the prospect of what might lie ahead in 2024:

“We’re in a decent place, we’ve shown a lot of good form and played some positive, attacking football, and we need to try to build on that as we move towards the run-in. It’s not an easy league, you can’t just turn up and expect to pick up the points; you need to work for everything you get.

“This is a strong group, we’re all focused on bringing success back to the club, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve over the next few months.”

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