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Our League One season finishes as it began, against Annan Athletic, but much has changed since that opening day loss at Balmoral Stadium.

The 3-1 defeat last August, which also saw Mitch Megginson red-carded, was followed by two more losses and a draw, and it was not until the end of the month that Mitch’s goal earned us a first win of the campaign against Montrose.

There were further setbacks, inevitable in such a competitive division, but a strong run in the late autumn saw the team emerge as serious promotion challengers, and the playoff place was finally secured in last week’s draw against Kelty Hearts.

Now Paul Hartley has to plan not just for the trip to Galabank, but for the end of season shootout as well:

“We do have one eye on Tuesday night, that’s just a must, because it will be such an important game for us, but we still have a match to play on Saturday, so I’ve got a few decisions to make.

“I’ve got to keep players fresh, and guys who have not played, they need to get some minutes under their belt, because we might need them in the playoffs.

“Annan will be much the same, they could be travelling to Elgin on Tuesday, and with them in survival mode to try to stay in the league, I would expect them to make some changes. We definitely will be, but I still want to win, and finish in second place.”

As things stand, it seems most likely we will face Queen of the South in the semi-final, but Alloa Athletic could yet claim third, or even second, spot. It is all down to the last ninety minutes of the season, but the manager knows that a Cove win removes all uncertainty:

“You get the three points and that’s it, but there are various possibilities, and the good thing is we know all the teams, we’ve played them enough. What we don’t know is the fixtures, could we be facing another long journey down to Dumfries? Will we be at home, will we be at Alloa? All those factors have to be taken into consideration when selecting the team for this one.

“We’ve had the Championship covered the last few weeks, watching the teams likely to finish ninth, so we’ve been across that too. You need to be properly prepared for anything.”

Paul knows we might easily have ended up with more points, but given we have amassed more than last season, conceded much fewer goals and are top scorers in League One, he says there is good reason to be proud of his players:

“I didn’t feel like that on Saturday night (after the 2-2 draw with Kelty) but I looked back on the game and we played really well at times!”

“Overall, across the season, what the players have contributed has been outstanding. We’ve had to deal with injuries to key players for long periods, I’ve had to play boys out of position, we’ve hardly filled the bench; there have been a lot of challenges, but they’ve risen to them.

“I’m really proud of the group, how they train, their application, and what they have given me. Now, I want them to push on again and make the season as long as possible. I can promise you this, we will attack the playoffs; you’re better having a go and see where that takes you.”

Not only will Saturday determine our semi-final opponents, but also the order of the fixtures. For a full explanation of how the playoffs work, check out this feature.

Fans travelling south to back the team can purchase their tickets in advance HERE

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Job Done! Now For The Playoffs »