Easy or No Easy?

 

Game four of a frantic April which will culminate in a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on the 29th. So far so good with three wins in April and four on the bounce. You could be forgiven for thinking this will be an easy win, but given Cove's recent form that is what the bookies will be suggesting after only two draws in their last nine games. Over two months without a win, on February 4th, 1-0 against Partick Thistle. They have been known to concede multiple goals at times, in fact we have put 11 past them this season in the Championship. However, it might be prudent of us to be cautious as it would be foolish to throw away our good work with an under par effort at Cove. We won our fifth game on the bounce back in October at Cove. Can we do it again?

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Match/Ticket/Supporters Bus info

Semi-Final Tickets

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Venue

Pld

Won

Drn

Lst

For

Agst

+ / -

Home	5	4	1	0	16	5	+11
Away	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1
Neutral	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	7	5	1	1	18	8	+10

Only the seven games played, but a big advantage to the Caley Jags at the moment.

All Competitive Meetings

6 - 1 (H)

1 - 0 (A)

4 - 1 (H)

1 - 1 (H)

1 - 3 (A)

3 - 2 (H)

2 - 0 (H)

Cove Cruise, July 2021: 1 - 3 Inverness' dismal run of League Cup results continued with defeat at Cove. Our only crumb of comfort...A penalty to Inverness in the 90th minute offered little consolation for the Caley Jags but Duku duly converted from the spot.

Cove kept at Bay, Oct 2022: 1 - 0 Our first visit to Balmoral Park on League business ended with a hard fought win, our fifth on the bounce. Inverness opened the scoring after twenty minutes through Steven Boyd, his first of the season. However Roddy MacGregor was helped off the pitch after being injured in the build up to that goal. Allardice stayed in the dressing room at the interval to be replaced by Lewis Hyde. Ridgers did well to deny Cove after the break and right at the end Cove were reduced to ten men as McIntosh was sent off. Still joint top as Partick also win with Dundee and Morton leading the chasing pack.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Table ahead of Friday night game
1.	Dundee	32	16	9	7	57	33	57
2.	Queens Park	32	16	6	10	58	45	54
3.	Partick Thistle	32	15	6	11	58	40	51
4.	Ayr United	32	14	8	10	57	41	50
5.	Inverness CT	32	13	9	10	46	42	48
6.	Morton	32	12	11	9	45	38	47
7.	Raith Rovers	32	11	8	13	43	44	41
8.	Arbroath	32	6	14	12	28	43	32
9.	Hamilton Ac.	32	7	8	17	28	58	29
10.	Cove Rangers	32	6	9	17	35	71	27

Fiday 14th April (7:45pm)

Queen's 1-0 Accies

Saturday 15th April (3:00pm)

Cove Rangers v Caley Jags    

Dundee v Morton

   Partick v Ayr Utd 

    Rovers v Arbroath

Last Time Out

We kept the Raith Rovers hoodo going last weekend then followed that up with another convincing 2-0 home win on Tuesday against Arbroath. Second half goals from the form guys Nathan Shaw and a Scott Allardice (pen) put us in control. However, Jay Henderson was red carded with ten minutes left and will miss the game at Cove. I suppose if you could pick a game to miss, then this would be your choice.  L W W W W 

Cove took a much needed away point in the relegation battle with Hamilton Accies. Luis Longstaff had given Cove the advantage in the second half but Connor Smith squared matters five minutes later. That's a point more than we have managed against Accies all season. That's a concern for us as Cove dig their heels in as they try the great escape. Their previous home game was a 5-0 thrashing from Partick Thistle.  L L L L D 

Latest Team News

Jay Henderson is suspended. Danny Devine has sat on the bench over the last two games after a recent injury. Max Ram, Roddy MacGregor and Wallace Duffy have all been missing in recent weeks along with season long casualties Sutherland and Walsh.

Here's Bazza to tell you what's happening>>>

Cove Rangers starting XI v Hamilton

Fox

Logan     Ross     Reynolds     Longridge

Longstaff     Yule     Scully     Dunne

Megginson     O'Halloran

That's a potentially potent strikeforce with Mitch Megginson who likes a goal against us and Michael O'Halloran the former St Johnstone and Rangers player. Plenty experience in defence as well with Shay Logan, Mark Reynolds and Luis Longstaff. Let's not forget that Iain Vigurs is still around as well. Not as easy a game as some might have you believe, we may have to be patient again.

 

😜

The league that no one wants to win.😆

Seems that way, And....County now bottom!

Good result boys and if things remain we have dragged PT back into things too

Late equaliser for Dundee, I guess they're out of reach now.😅

The question now is, how much rotation before hamilton game? can we affor to rest either allardice or welsh? not been impressed with woods yet personally, personally wouldn't have him in the midfield 'pivot' holding midfielders. Delaney maybe to be rested after his knock just at start of 2nd half? 

Well done to Aaron Doran on seemingly changing the game after he came on with the winning of the penalty and the assist for Cammy 👏👏

What a rollercoaster of an afternoon. With 25 mins to go, our campaign looked pretty much over, but now we are right back in it for the playoffs.

And what an exciting league - 3 games to go and 9 of the 10 teams still have something to play for.

1 minute ago, Yngwie said:

What a rollercoaster of an afternoon. With 25 mins to go, our campaign looked pretty much over, but now we are right back in it for the playoffs.

MATTHEw 8.6 🙄

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1.	Dundee	33	16	10	7	60	36	58
2.	Queens Park	33	17	6	10	59	45	57
3.	Partick Thistle	33	15	7	11	59	41	52
4.	Ayr United	33	14	9	10	58	42	51
5.	Inverness CT	33	14	9	10	48	43	51
6.	Morton	33	12	12	9	48	41	48
7.	Raith Rovers	33	11	9	13	44	45	42
8.	Arbroath	33	6	15	12	29	44	33
9.	Hamilton Ac.	33	7	8	18	28	59	29
10.	Cove Rangers	33	6	9	18	36	73	27

 

 

 

Unfortunately..........

TUESDAY 18TH APRIL

Hamilton Academical 19:45 Inverness Caledonian Thistle

That's enough to make your keekie winker twitch... 

 

We are due a win against Hamilton.

We need be focussed for the whole game.

A win puts us third and heaps pressure on Partick and Ayr. 

1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

Unfortunately..........

TUESDAY 18TH APRIL

Hamilton Academical 19:45 Inverness Caledonian Thistle

That's enough to make your keekie winker twitch... 

 

I'm scared already lol 

Hamilton is a massive challenge after what has been achieved so far.  They really are a tough nut and it is quite remarkable that Tuesday's game represents by far and away our biggest challenge this season. Meantime congratulations to the Club for the result today.  We need everyone to play out of their skins on Tuesday.

A much better second half - positive. Could have had more goals after the second if we’d taken shots on. Instead did a lot of little passes around the box, which did at least demonstrate pretty impressive close control.  Might have regretted that had Ridgers not pulled off a great save near the end! Was impressed by Boyd when he came on for Samuels. Neat and looked confident.

49 minutes ago, CELTIC1CALEY3 said:

Hamilton is a massive challenge after what has been achieved so far.  They really are a tough nut and it is quite remarkable that Tuesday's game represents by far and away our biggest challenge this season. Meantime congratulations to the Club for the result today.  We need everyone to play out of their skins on Tuesday.

It's quite remarkable that no points againts Hamilton are the difference between us challenging for automatic promotion rather than pushing for a play-off place, and could yet cost us that too.

Also remarkable that Partick just a couple of games ago looked challengers for title and yet we could catch them.

Anyway great result again today, without Henderson. We could do with having Duffy back soon to give us the option of pushing Carson forward, if required to give Welsh or Allardice a breather

12 hours ago, STFU said:

Based on current form, which so many have been getting excited about, surely this is our easiest possible game? 🙄

You called it, another win! 👌

Another hard fought three points at a potential banana skin. The games are coming quick and fast, and unfortunately we are running out of games, obviously hoping to win, but also to increase our goal difference.  We just have to give it our best shot, as we are in a position I didn't think we'd be in several games ago.

Just back from my technology free holiday, and what great results from the boys. 

It happens every year - the team lose faith, we lose faith, we all threaten not to buy a season ticket next year - and then ICT pull some magic out of the hat, and we all enjoy a nerve wracking, nail biting finish to the season .....keep it up boys, this is what it is all about and who knows where it could take us, both in the league and the cup.

Oh, and I got my T shirts today - thanks to all those involved ... all set for the semi final. 👕👕

A very good three points but a very poor performance. Cove were stuffy and got a lot of players behind the ball and challenged us to break through and we struggled for long periods of the game. Once we got close to the opposition penalty area we ran out of ideas most of the time. Very few killer passes were made. Shaw in the first half was able to pick a killer pass to find Mckay and although he found the net the linesman, eventually, put his flag up.

The opening goal was a low free kick effort from Vigurs about 20 yards out. It seemed that Ridgers possibly expected him to send it over the wall but instead is was cleverly placed along the ground into the bottom corner.

I didn't see exactly what the penalty was given for but I thought at the time it was a pull on Doran as he got in behind the Cove defence to chase down a high ball over the top. Strange that no card was given by the referee. Mckay  leathered the ball into the net from the spot to take him eve closer to Wyness' goal scoring record. Doran had a hand in the winner as well after he collected the ball in the box after a cross from the right found him. He laid it off to Harper who coolly cut inside his marker and lashed a shot past the keeper. Towards the end Ridgers pulled off a stunning save to deny Cove an equaliser.

I think we just about deserved the win but it was a game that was very low on quality. There were only about 3 or 4 good bits of football played all game which at times seemed like a pre season friendly. For us MacKay and Samuels were really disappointing and both are struggling to make things happen during matches at the minute. When Doran came on and Shaw moved to the left we looked better almost right away and Boyd was also decent when he replaced Samuels. Probably time to start them both on Tuesday.

Doran, with 366 appearances, has drawn level with Richard Hastings in 3rd place in our all time appearances list. 3 more will put him into 2nd, overtaking Grant Munro.

6 hours ago, Bridge and a Castle said:

not been impressed with woods yet personally, personally wouldn't have him in the midfield 'pivot' holding midfielders.

I thought he looked better when he came on on Tuesday compared to his earlier appearances.

He picked up an injury after joining us and did not have a club in the first half of the season so there may be more to come from him.

He’s only 20, the same age as Lewis Hyde, and seems to be being preferred to Hyde when substitutions are being made. 

18 minutes ago, Robert said:

He’s only 20, the same age as Lewis Hyde, and seems to be being preferred to Hyde when substitutions are being made. 

I would rather see Lewis Hyde play for us as he has done well over the season when called upon and he is a local player.