News

The season draws to a close this weekend with a home encounter against relegated Edinburgh City.

The recent run of defeats, culminating in last week’s loss in Dumfries, spelled an end to our playoff hopes, Montrose snatching the one remaining spot thanks to their win over Kelty, so this will be our final ninety minutes of 2023/24.

Having been well placed at the turn of the year, our rivals enjoyed much stronger second halves to their campaigns, and we will be left on the sidelines as the end of season shootout unfolds.

Paul Hartley admits that will be painful to watch:

“There’s no point in me trying to pretend this has been anything other than a difficult season.

“We made a lot of changes last summer. Going hybrid, results not going the way we wanted, the injuries, I’ve never seen an injury list like we have had; all that has contributed to what has been a hugely frustrating time, particularly over the last few months.

“I think it was always going to be a transitional season, it has certainly been more difficult than I thought it was going to be, and the selection issues have not helped. For the most part, I’ve been unable to pick my strongest team, we’ve had to chop and change too much, but we need to dust ourselves down and make sure we come back stronger after the break.

“I still believe moving towards full-time football was the right thing to do. If we hadn’t done so, we wouldn’t have got our top goalscorer in Rumarn Burrell, a goalkeeper of the quality of Nick Suman, or a promising young player like Arron Darge; that’s what attracted them to Cove.

“Airdrie were a hybrid model for five or six years, Raith Rovers have been there; it does work, but it was a new set-up for us.”

As ever, there will be a turnover of the squad this summer, and that is something the manager has been giving serious thought to:

“There will be changes, that happens at every club, and you have to do that if you want to improve. League One is a tough league, it can be a tough one to get out of as Falkirk found out up until this year with a much bigger budget than us, so you have to get your recruitment right.

“We made mistakes last summer, but we made some good signings also. As a manager, you have to look at yourself, ask what you could have done better, and I will, but the players have got to do that too. Could they have been better, could they have given more?

“There are things we all need to do better, things I need to do better, and no-one is shying away from that; we need to improve right across the club.”

Paul remains hopeful for the future, and believes that while the current disappointment is understandable, better times lie ahead:

“I still think the club is in a good place. We have achieved so much in such a short space of time, more than many other clubs in the SPFL, and it is going to be all about bouncing back.

“We need a breather, then you do what you try to do every season, come back with a fresh approach, confidence and optimism. Good, bad or indifferent, that’s always the aim. Even when you win titles, you try to improve and be better next time round.

“We will reassess, come up with a plan, and we’ll be raring to go for the new campaign.

“I can understand the fans being frustrated, we all feel that too, but I can promise we will be working hard over the summer to put a team on the park capable of making us all proud.

“For now, we have to be really professional, try to win the last match against Edinburgh, and sign-off with a good positive result.”

The injury problems which have hit us all campaign remain an issue right to the end, with Nick Suman ruled out due to concussion protocols, and a number of other players missing. On the plus side, captain Mitch Megginson returns to the squad for the season finale.

Tickets can be purchased HERE

Article Copyright © 2024. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and to www.coverangersfc.com

Rumarn Dominates End Of Season Awards »