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We go up against familiar foes this weekend when Montrose make the short trip up the coast to Balmoral Stadium.

Since we were first promoted to League One in 2020, the teams have met on a dozen occasions, a series which has produced five Cove Rangers wins, four for the Links Park side, and three draws.

Montrose have made the better start this time round, following up a decent Premier Sports Cup campaign with a four game unbeaten run in the league: three draws then last week’s narrow victory over Queen of the South.

Despite taking the lead in each of our last three matches, we are still chasing our first league win of the season, and Paul Hartley is well aware what the problem has been:

“We made bad errors at the back last week, and that’s been our problem. We’ve been creating chances, there’s been some really good play, but basic individual mistakes are costing us. We’ve done some work with the back line, highlighting where we went wrong and what we need to improve.

“The bottom line is, we just need to defend better, and that’s not just down to the back four, it’s right across the team. We need to start keeping clean sheets.”

One plus point from last weekend was the introduction of recent signings Reuben McAllister and Liam Parker, and the manager expects them to make a big contribution going forward:

“We’ve got quite a few young players in the squad, and you see how Findlay Marshall and Adam Emslie have settled in, both among the goals. It was good to get Reuben and Liam involved, and hopefully as the weeks go on, we’ll see more of them.

“Those players give us energy, but the more experienced boys are equally important, they need to help the younger ones. Everybody needs to stand up and be counted. The start we have made has been far from ideal, but it’s still only early in the season, and I expect to see an improvement.”

The league table remains tight, and Paul believes that is not about to change any time soon:

“It’s going to be a tough division; we all know that. I’ve been here before, the situation where you don’t get the start you want, but what’s important is how you then react, and how you finish. It’s all about getting up and running, and beginning to build some momentum.

“We know all about Montrose, they’ve got a settled squad and they’re an aggressive team, so we have to be ready to match them, and I’m confidence we can do that.”

Finlay Murray remains on the injury list, but that apart, the manager will have a full squad at his disposal.

Supporters can buy their tickets in advance at this LINK

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