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The team reaches another milestone on Saturday evening with the televised encounter against Inverness Caledonian Thistle marking our 200^th league game in the SPFL.

It has been a remarkable journey so far, one which has seen many highlights, and those, and the achievements of the players who have contributed most over the years, can be read about in features published on the Cove Rangers website this week.

Paul Hartley has been in charge for all but nineteen of the matches we have played so far, and he says it has been a pleasure to have been involved in the club’s rise:

“It has been an incredible journey, one I have shared most of the way, and a memorable one for so many reasons; none of the other clubs to have come up through the pyramid playoffs has achieved anything like the success we have.

“You’ve got to take the good with the bad in football, but there have been a lot of highs for the majority of the time we have been in the league, a couple of titles, a playoff semi-final and final. That really is good going for a club of our size.

“I will always remember that first game in the SPFL, the 5-0 win over Edinburgh City. It was a great crowd that day, the sun was shining, and it was a wonderful occasion, one that really set us up for what was a brilliant first season.”

Having taken just two points so far, and with the team sitting at the foot of the table, the manager knows there is going to have to be an improvement, and says the Inverness game would be the ideal time for that to start:

“It’s great to look back, and the successes of the past should never be forgotten, but I also have to concentrate on the here and now, and we’ve obviously had a tough start.

“The circumstances haven’t helped, we’ve never had a full squad, and the injuries have been mounting up, but we’re only five games into the season, there’s a long way to go, and we just need that one win to get us going.”

Paul does however accept that will not be easy against a Caley Thistle side which has got off to a flier:

“For me, they’re the best footballing team in the league, Scott (Kellacher) has recruited well, and they’ve got a really strong squad. They’re a Championship club with the quality they’ve got.”

“But we’re at home, it’s in front of the cameras, and we’ve shown already this season we can match anyone – I’m thinking of Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup and Hamilton a fortnight ago when we were down to the bare bones – and that’s what we’re going to need against a team I see as title favourites.”

The squad is unlikely to be much bigger this weekend with Fraser Fyvie out long-term and Declan Glass and Arron Darge on the injury list, but Mitch Megginson will return after missing last Saturday through illness.

Fans are reminded the game is a 5.30pm kick-off. Tickets should be purchased in advance at THIS LINK

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