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Saturday night’s encounter with Stenhousemuir will be just the tenth meeting of the sides, but it seems fair to suggest this one will be the biggest to date!

The first game between the pair was in December 2009, the hosts winning 5-0 at Ochilview in a Scottish Cup third round tie, but we got our revenge eight years later when, still as a Highland League team, an own goal and a Mitch Megginson penalty saw us win 2-0 there in the Challenge Cup.

Stenhousemuir prevailed in the first ever league match, 3-2 in October 2019, but we took maximum points from the two others, John Robertson with a late winner that December, and Mitch (twice) and Rory McAllister on target in a 3-0 success away from home as we closed in on the League Two title.

Another Challenge Cup tie in 2021 finished goalless, Cove going through 4-2 on penalties on our run to the semi-finals.

The other three meetings have been this season.

Despite Findlay Marshall giving us the lead back in August, Stenhousemuir netted three times either side of half-time, and Grady McGrath’s late counter was merely a consolation.

The next encounter was on a cold Tuesday night at the start of December, the original game having been postponed because of heavy snow, and the visitors won 3-0 at Balmoral as we suffered what Paul Hartley has described as our worst performance of the season.

Incredibly, less than two months later, the team put on a classy display down at Ochilview, romping to a 4-0 victory! Declan Glass, Megginson and Marshall were all on target in the first half, with Fraser Fyvie’s goal of the season contender late on, the icing on the cake.

Now the stage is set for this one with three vital points up for grabs as both sides try to edge closer, at the very least, to securing a play-off place.

Supporters can buy their tickets in advance HERE

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