News

After back to back wins and clean sheets against Alloa Athletic and Queen of the South, the team takes on another of our promotion rivals this weekend, making the short trip down the coast to face Montrose.

We narrowly came out on top in the earlier encounter, but it was a tight match, as they all seem to be in this division, and with no team having so far won more than two in a row, Paul Hartley is well aware of the importance of putting a run together:

“It will be another tough one, that’s what League One is. You look at the results each week and you’re never surprised, so you have to be ready for every game to be a battle, but we’ve put ourselves in a good position.”

“We’ve been playing well, solid at the back and scoring a few goals. We need to keep it going, stay strong, and have a good attitude.”

The manager has put out a settled team in recent weeks, a blend of the younger players and the older heads, and he sees no reason to tinker with that:

“It is a simple formation, there’s no need to over-complicate things, and it’s working for us. There is a good mix, the defence has steadied after getting a fair bit of criticism, but they have shown a good mentality. I love having the pace and energy of youth, but you do need the experienced players, and they have been great for me, guiding the boys, especially when you’re going through a tough spell.”

Montrose are a side Paul knows well, and he has full respect for what Stewart Petrie – the second longest serving manager in the SPFL – has done at Links Park over the past eight years:

“He’s done a great job, he’s put a good squad together, and they’re always up there. They tend to tie their players down quite early to contracts and Stewart doesn’t make too many changes.

“You know what you’re facing against Montrose, it’s always been tight against them, and I would expect more of the same, but we go into the game high in confidence.”

Declan Glass has resumed full training, so returns to the squad for this one, while Nick Suman is also close to making his comeback.

Fans intending on travelling down to Links Park can secure their tickets in advance at this LINK

Article Copyright © 2024. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and to www.coverangersfc.com

Doyle And Megginson On Target As Cove Go Top »