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Having kicked-off our Premier Sports Cup campaign in disappointing fashion with the home defeat against The Spartans, the team has the chance to make amends when we take on Forfar on Saturday afternoon.

Athletic pulled off a surprise win at Dunfermline in midweek, having lost their Station Park opener to Livingston, and they will go into this one in a confident frame of mind.

It will be a fourth competitive meeting between the sides, the others, which Cove won, coming in the shortened 2020/21 season, and Paul Hartley is looking for his players to bounce back from Tuesday evening, and maintain that winning run:

“It was a bitterly disappointing performance against Spartans, one I didn’t see coming after how we played pre-season, but that can happen, and what is important is how you react. We need to rediscover the energy and intensity we showed in the warm-up games, and we have the chance against Forfar to do that, although it will be another difficult game.”

While the league will always be the priority for Cove, Paul had hoped to get off to a good start in this competition, and he believes doing so can set the tone for the months ahead:

“You want to try to get into good habits, winning habits, but unfortunately the whole team underperformed on Tuesday. It is going to have to be better all-round if we’re to get some momentum going, as we want to. I spoke to the players afterwards and we all know we can’t let that happen again.

“This competition does throw up some strange results – you saw Forfar winning at Dunfermline in midweek – and you can lose games, but it is how you lose them that matters. We are still a few players short, and we would hope to have them in, and the squad settled, for the start of the league season, but right now we have to remain positive and upbeat.”

“We have to work hard, shake off the negativity that comes with a defeat like the one we suffered, and have the right attitude for Saturday’s game.

“It’s still so early, but once we get the players in and have the team we want, I’m sure we’ll get to see the real Cove.”

Away supporters who want to buy their tickets in advance can do so online. Full details are available HERE

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

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