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COVE RANGERS 0–5 THE SPARTANS

The season got off to the worst possible start on a foggy night at Balmoral Stadium, the visitors romping to what was a well deserved victory. Two-nil up at the break, they found the net three more times after the interval, seemingly unaffected by the gloomy conditions and poor visibility.

There were competitive debuts for recent signings Ryan Harrington and Grady McGrath, while another of the summer captures, Declan Glass, started his third spell with the club. Two further arrivals, Finlay Murray and sixteen year-old Cole Donaldson, were on the bench. Another teenager, Milosz Ochmanski, made his first appearance for Cove in a side captained by Fraser Fyvie.

Before the match, there was a minute’s applause as we remembered long-time Cove Rangers fan Diane Adams, who had sadly passed away earlier in the month.

Spartans kicked-off and showed intent immediately, Craigen firing over the bar from long range with just twenty seconds on the clock.

They maintained that early tempo, and Nick Suman had to get an important touch on a dangerous Russell cross soon after.

Cove began to enjoy some possession without threatening, but we fell behind in the seventeenth minute when Doyle was adjudged to have fouled Russell in the box. Referee Nicolson immediately awarded the penalty, and Blair HENDERSON did his usual immaculate job from the spot.

With the fog thickening, it was becoming more difficult to follow the action on the far side of the pitch, but Spartans pressed on, and when a low cross from the right emerged through the gloom, it deflected off Will GILLINGHAM at the near post and rolled beyond Suman.

There was a brief suggestion of a comeback, Glass shooting over and Harrington having a shot blocked, but overall, it had been a poor forty-five minutes, and we could have no complaints about the scoreline.

Josh Kerr replaced Ochmanski for the second half, and he made an instant impact, threading a super long pass into the path of Glass, but the midfielder, having made space, shot just wide from twenty-five yards.

Within minutes, the visitors struck for the third time. Again, it was difficult to see the build-up through the fog, but the ball eventually squirmed across the area and Jamie DISHINGTON tapped home from close range.

We might have snatched a lifeline when from Fyvie’s corner, Kerr rose above the Spartans defence, but his header flew over the bar.

A good passing move soon after, our best passage of the entire game, saw the ball run to Grady McGrath, but his shot was blocked for a corner, and from that the striker tried again, his effort charged down by Paul Watson. Fyvie then hooked a shot goalwards, the ball bouncing just wide of the far post.

Declan Glass was next to have a go, but his low angled drive was touched wide by Carswell.

That was to be our last serious attempt of the match, but Spartans were not finished, and Cameron RUSSELL helped himself to a late double. First, he smashed an outstanding volley over the head of the despairing Suman from twenty-five yards, then a few minutes later he curled a free-kick over the wall and inside the keeper’s left hand post.

An error-strewn performance by the team meant we got what we deserved, the result leaving our hopes of making an impact in the group already hanging by a thread.

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Suman; Doyle, Gillingham, Ochmanski (Kerr 46), Harrington; Darge (Gallagher 62), Fyvie (c); Yule, Glass, Scully; McGrath

Substitutes: Demus, Murray, Strachan, Donaldson, Gaffney, Milnes

Goalscorers:

Booked: Doyle (81)

THE SPARTANS (4-1-4-1): Carswell; K. Watson, Sonkur, P. Watson (Inglis 88), Booth; Hunter; Dishington (Denholm 62), Craigen (Wylie 80), Whyte (Walls 62), Russell; Henderson (c) (Geany 88)

Substitutes: Meek

Goalscorers: Henderson (pen 17), Gillingham (og 29), Dishington (53), Russell (73, 82)

Booked:

Referee: Duncan Nicolson

Attendance: 275

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