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COVE RANGERS 2–0 FORMARTINE UNITED

Another impressive performance saw the side remain unbeaten during their run of pre-season friendlies at Balmoral Stadium with first half goals from our trialist striker and Declan Glass enough to secure the victory.

The manager continued to shuffle his pack, ensuring the players got as much game time as possible ahead of next week’s Premier Sports Cup opener against The Spartans. Suman, Doyle, Fyvie, Yule and Glass all returned to the starting line-up with Trialist K again leading the line.

The team started strongly, and rarely let that level drop throughout a dominant first half.

They might have been ahead within three minutes, Declan Glass finding Blair Yule with a cross from the left, but the midfielder volleyed over from ten yards. The opening goal was however delayed only briefly.

Fraser Fyvie collected, moved forward, and chipped a pass into the box, Arron Darge nodded the ball across the area, and TRIALIST K finished with a controlled low first-time shot.

The Cove pressure continued, and after a corner on the right was taken quickly, Yule crossed to the back post. Will Gillingham headed it out towards the edge of the box and Fyvie shot from twenty-three yards, his effort fizzing just wide of the left post.

Formartine might have levelled soon after. Rodger wriggled clear on the edge of the area and sent in a low angled shot which Nick Suman did well to save. Campbell looked favourite to reach the rebound, but Trialist C was alert and made a superb goal-saving interception.

The trialist was then involved at the other end of the pitch, surging forward and crossing low from the left. Yule gathered and shot goalwards, beating the keeper, but Rhys Thomas slid in to make the block.

There followed a string of Cove attempts. Fyvie shot over from the edge of the box, Trialist C did likewise seconds later, then from what looked like an impossible angle wide in the box, Blair Yule unleashed a powerful angled strike which MacDonald did well to tip over.

The team were playing a lot of attractive football, and following their latest move, which involved half the team, Trialist K fired in a low shot which the keeper saved, then Glass showed some fancy footwork before curling an effort wide of the far post.

He was to have better luck soon after. Trialist C threaded forward an accurate long pass, and after teasing the Formartine defence with a skilful run, Declan GLASS drove from just inside the area, his shot taking a slight deflection before flying past MacDonald.

We came close to adding a third just before the interval.

In a swift counter-attack, Blair Yule picked the ball up and laid it off to Glass who played a superb pass wide to the left. Connor Scully ran on to it and fired in a low cross, but Trialist K’s first time effort was saved by the keeper.

Balint Demus and Mark Gallagher replaced Suman and Glass for the second half, and the midfield substitute might have scored almost immediately. Doyle and Yule combined down the right, but Gallagher’s shot was grabbed by MacDonald.

Just past the hour mark, we again came agonisingly close to making it 3-0. Fyvie fed Doyle and the full-back sped down the wing before crossing to the back post. Scully knocked the ball back across the area and Trialist K was unlucky to see his shot deflected wide.

There followed a quartet of changes with Milosz Ochmanski, Mikey Milnes, Myles Gaffney and Josh Kerr entering the fray at the expense of Scully, Yule, Gillingham and Trialist D, who had impressed at centre-half.

Trialist K was unlucky once more in the sixty-seventh minute when, after Fyvie had spread the play down the left and Trialist C had crossed low, his first time shot cannoned back off the post.

There was another close thing shortly after. Another flowing move saw the ball land at the feet of Mikey Milnes and the seventeen year-old curled in a dipping effort from the edge of the box. It appeared to be netbound for what would have been an excellent goal, but MacDonald got his fingertips to it and deflected the shot over the bar.

Trialist I then replaced Arron Darge, and before the end Paul Hartley would make his seventh switch, Luke Strachan getting the last few minutes in place of Fraser Fyvie.

Myles Gaffney very nearly snatched the third with five minutes remaining. At the end of another good move, the striker found a yard of space in the box, but his shot took a nick off an outstretched leg and bounced just wide of the far post.

The visitors might have got a late consolation when Alberts capitalised on a slip-up and raced into the box, shooting towards the near post, but Demus was alert and got down quickly to make a fine save.

Our on trial striker once again came close to adding to his tally in stoppage time. Trialist I broke clear and sent in a low cross, but the shot was deflected just over.

It was another satisfying ninety minutes with plenty enjoyable football on show, setting the players up nicely for the start of the competitive action next Tuesday night.

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Suman (Demus 46); Doyle, Trialist D, (Kerr 62), Gillingham (Ochmanski 62), Trialist C; Darge (Trialist I 71), Fyvie (c) (Strachan 78); Yule (Milnes 62), Glass (Gallagher 46), Scully (Gaffney 62); Trialist K

Substitutes:

Goalscorers: Trialist K (6), Glass (39)

Booked:

FORMARTINE UNITED (4-2-3-1): MacDonald; Crawford, Thomas (Trialist 69), McLean, Smith (Spink 56); Mykyta (Paterson 86), Norris; Campbell (Adams 66), Rodger (c), Lisle (Trialist 71); Wade (Alberts 75)

Substitutes: Lawrence, Trialist, Middleton

Goalscorers:

Booked:

Referee: Joel Kennedy

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