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We kick-off our KDM Evolution Trophy campaign against familiar opponents, The Spartans making the trip to Balmoral Stadium just a few weeks after being here on Premier Sports Cup duty.

Cove came out on top that evening thanks to an early Declan Glass strike and will be keen to repeat that success as the new-look competition gets underway.

The revamped league format will see us play six ties over the coming months with the top twenty-two out of thirty clubs joining those from the Championship in the knockout stages. That means a hectic start – we will have played eleven matches by the end of August – and the format has placed additional demands on the players, not something welcomed by manager Paul Hartley:

“I’m not a fan of the change, but we just have to get on with it, and we will go out to try to win the game like we always do.

“I’ve had to rely on the same boys for most of the matches so far, and it’s not ideal having so many more games. I need to look at giving some of the older ones a rest, and this will be a chance to give some of the youngsters a run out and give them minutes on the pitch.”

It will be a new-look Cove as the tournament gets underway with the team wearing red shirts as part of a partnership with the cancer charity UCAN and the Cove Rangers Community Foundation.

The strip was launched at an event at the stadium earlier and will be worn throughout our involvement in the competition.

Declan Glass and Fraser Fyvie will again be missing from the squad, and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, making it more imperative that we get new faces in. It is a situation the gaffer is acutely aware of, and is working hard to rectify:

“It has been particularly difficult this year. We’re in a situation where we have to look at the loan market, and we have had talks with a number of clubs, but we need them to make decisions over which players they are ready to send out.

“Because of injuries, and in some cases, the demands of Europe, they have been holding off, which I understand, and we just have to hope they decide as soon as possible.”

Tickets for the game can be purchased in advance HERE

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