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Having been back in pre-season training for three weeks and with four official warm-up matches and a couple of bounce games under his belt, Paul Hartley says he has enjoyed what he has seen from the squad, and is keenly anticipating the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

That begins next Tuesday with our Premier Sports Cup opener at home to The Spartans, with the League One season kicking-off at the start of August when Annan Athletic will be our visitors.

The manager says he has been impressed with the players and how quickly they have got back to work:

“It’s been good! There have been a lot of sessions, plenty game time, and I’m really pleased with how the boys have come back, they were in good nick.

“There have been some good performances in the pre-season games, I’ve played a lot of the youngsters also, and made a few signings, so delighted with how it’s gone so far. We’ve been consistent with the set-up we’ve played, and the important thing is we’ve come through unscathed with no injuries.”

That could be key to the success of the coming campaign after the selection headaches Paul suffered last time out, with top players like Blair Yule and Fraser Fyvie sidelined for months. He is hoping for better luck this time round:

“I’ve had to manage them over pre-season, they’ve not played a lot in the last eighteen months, so we have to monitor their workload and be careful. They are two key performers for us, we miss them when they’re not in the side, and it’s about getting them through this period so they’re fully ready for the first league game.”

The numbers in the squad have been boosted by a group of trialists who have taken part in training and the games, giving the manager the chance to fully assess their worth before deciding whether to offer contracts:

“We have to get the signings right this year, take our time, not rush into anything. We’re still a few positions short, probably the forward area is the main one, but we’ll take our time and be patient.

“I’m looking at bringing in four or five more players, and the loan market will be key for us. I’ve spoken to a few of the Premiership clubs about some of their youngsters, especially at the top end of the pitch, so hopefully we’ll get a decision on that in the next couple of weeks.

“I would expect that by the time the Annan game comes round we’ll know where we are, the team will be settled, and we’ll have the squad we want.”

While the league will always be the priority for Cove Rangers, Paul is well aware of the importance of the Premier Sports Cup, and he is hoping for a similar showing to last season when we came close to reaching the knock-out stages for the first time in the club’s history:

“We want to get off to a good start against Spartans, get the campaign up and running, and while we’re still short of numbers, we have enough quality to make an impact in the group.”

As for the season generally, the manager says the ambition, the targets, will be kept within the dressing room, and the talking done on the pitch:

“We’ll keep those between the squad. It’s a competitive league, last season Falkirk and Hamilton ran away from the rest, but everyone else can beat each other, and I expect that to be the same this year.

“People will probably look at Inverness being the favourites, but I believe every team is going to be strong this season, and we have to make sure we are ready for the challenge.”

Our Premier Sports Cup campaign begins next Tuesday, July 16^th, with a 7.45pm kick-off against The Spartans.

Supporters can get their tickets in advance HERE and are reminded that a value for money Hospitality Package is also available; join us in the Balmoral Lounge by booking your place at this LINK.

The full interview with Paul Hartley can be viewed at the Cove Rangers FC YouTube channel.

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