Cove away Nov2024

[tm4tj]

 

 

Cove Test

 

It's a difficult fixture on Saturday as Inverness head East to Altens to face table toppers Cove Rangers at the Balmoral Stadium. It's a 3:00pm kick-off in what will be a serious test of our resolve to remain in League1. A few weeks ago we were rubbing shoulders with Cove. Now we are polar opposites with the Caley Jags at the South end of the table. Scott Kellacher will be looking to get his first win in charge and remains positive after taking a point from Kelty Hearts last weekend. Three weeks after this game, we will be back at Cove for a 3rd round fixture in the Scottish Cup.

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Match/Ticket/Supporters Bus/Info

Expressions of Interest

 

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Our Season so Far on the park

INVERNESS CT:  D L D D W D D D L  / W L  Our season got off to a slow start with a draw at home to Dumbarton followed by a penalty defeat at Annan. Another two draws against Montrose (h) and Kelty Hearts (a) before our first win of the season over Queen of the South at the Caledonian Stadium. We beat Stirling Albion 3-0 to send us into a fourth Rnd tie away to Livingston thanks to a brace from Adam Brooks and a strike from Adam MacKinnon. That was followed up by us throwing away a two goal lead at Alloa to end up with a 2-2 draw six minutes later. A Danny Devine volley and Calum MacLeod with his first goal for the club were the scorers at Recreation Park. Last time out we had a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Cove Rangers who opened the scoring through Adam Emslie. James Nolan on loan from Manchester United's youth squad levelled the game before the hour. Next up was a home game against Stenhousemuir. Quite frankly this was a dull game with neither side able to score although Musa Dibaga did make a wonderful penalty save in the first half. Relegated Arbroath was our final game of the opening round of fixtures and despite creating enough chances, we came away from Gayfield with our second defeat of the League1 campaign. Away from League duty last weekend, we put up a good fight against Livingston in the Challenge Cup at Almondvale but lost out 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after it finished 2-2 over the ninety minutes. Paul Allan and Charlie Gilmour were our scorers during the ninety minutes.

Our first game in the second round of fixtures turned out to be Duncan Ferguson's last stand. It ended like his first game in charge, a win as we defeated Annan 1-0 at home. Administration and management removal followed by five players being released and fifteen points being wiped off our total. First game after Admin was at Dumbarton with Scott Kellacher as head coach and Billy Mckay his assistant on and off the park. Alas it ended in a 3-1 defeat after a promising first hour. Kelty Hearts came North next and went away with a point in a 1-1 draw.

Cove Rangers: L L D L W W D L W  / W W W  After a disappointing League Cup campaign that included a 5-0 drubbing at home by Spartans, Cove got off to a poor start in the League before getting their first win five games into the season when they beat Montrose 1-0 followed by a 3-1 win at Kelty before drawing with the Caley Jags in Inverness. Unfortunately for us they have since gone four games on the trot taking full points. Three of the last four games ended 2-0 to Cove and last week they pumped Dumbarton 3-0 at the Rock. This has shot them to the top of the table with Alloa Athletic on 20 points.

The first encounter this term ended all square in the Highlands: Drab Draw: Inverness hosted Cove Rangers and were without Flynn Duffy, Lewis Nicolson and Ethan Cairns. Paul Allan and former Cove players Luis Longstaff and Charlie Gilmour had returned to the squad with Gilmour and Longstaff starting. Cove had won their last two outings and put three past Kelty Hearts last weekend with Mitch Megginson always a threat up front. Adam Emslie tapped in at the back post to open the scoring after twenty minutes. Substitute James Nolan levelled five minutes after the restart following a corner. A replacement official was required to complete the game and despite fifteen minutes added on, there was no further scoring. FULL TIME: 1-1 The only positive to take from today was Caley Jags fan Jamie MacKinnon stepping in to save the game being abandoned and running the line after the referee went off having made too many wrong decisions... Or maybe he was injured. Apparently the tannoy announcement was so successful the club will do the same at next weeks game with Stenhousemuir and will ask the fans if there is a manager in the stands willing to step in and do Dunc's job. There you go Jamie. This week running the line, next week running the club. The world is your lobster.

LATEST TEAM NEWS

INVERNESS Hope to have Charlie Gilmour back and Ethan Cairns and Lewis Nicolson will be in the squad again.

 

 

COVE RANGERS had this squad at Dumbarton and came away with an excellent 0-3 win courtesy of three second half goals. An og by Durnan started the Dumbarton rot swiftly followed by Megginson firing into the top corner. (Screamer alert!) Adam Emslie rounded it all off in the last minute slotting into the bottom corner after being set up by Megginson.

Four wins on the bounce have rocketed Cove to the top of the table after a slow start to the season that included the hammering from Spartans and being dumped out of the Challenge Cup by East Kilbride

 

 

 

 

 

Pos	Team	Pld	Gd	Pts
1	Cove Rangers	12	6	20
2	Alloa Athletic	12	6	20
3	Arbroath	12	0	18
4	Stenny	12	1	17
5	Queen of Sth	12	-2	17
6	Kelty Hearts	12	6	16
7	Montrose	12	2	16
8	Annan Ath	12	-13	13
9	Dumbarton	12	-4	12
10	Inverness CT	12	-2	-2

 

 

 

 

[+CaleyHedgehog]

Looking forward to the top of the table being toppled by the bottom of it!

C'mon Caley you can do it.

[+Moogthurso]

We have one less loss than cove.

 

So we should be ahead of them.

 

Happy clappers unite.

[LisleRightPeg]

I’m feeling slightly confident about today. I fancy 3 points on the board 

[tm4tj]

 

[+Moogthurso]

Looking at the avalable data on the teams .

Inverness Caledonian Thistle  32 pts

Cove Rangers 17pts 

Based on scrabble we should win 3 -2

 

Cmon caley thistle. We start climbing today.

 

 

[caley100]

1 0 Down       Megginson      not the start we needed, Def. needing some goals but from where?

[caley100]

Mackinnon !!!!  1  1  great, now 3 more please!

[+Moogthurso]

The match stats look really positive. But now we need to use our subs.

 

 

 

[KennySim93]

2-1 up!!!

[caley100]

 2  1  Keith Bray!!!!!   yes!!

[+Moogthurso]

We are battering them like a Mars bar in Stonehaven...

[KennySim93]

Full time!  What a result.  Dumbarton losing too makes it even better.  Going by the stats we completely dominated with lots of shots on goal.  Shows we can compete with any team in this league.  Reduced the gap to Dumbarton to 11 points.

[caley100]

2  1 win!   excellent! 

[Yngwie]

Great win. Can finally enjoy a Saturday night!

[Ronaldo]

We are going up, we are going up!

[IBM]

Great to get a win today well done to all the team 

[+snorbens_caleyman]

Fantastic!!  Glasses being raised tonight - and I don't mean the ones on my nose 

[Huisdean]

I think staying up is the first priority 

[big cherly]

Great result. Never an easy place to go and get a result. Well done and earned boys. The result we all needed to change the direction we’re on! 

[een]

Onwards and UPWARDS, negative to POSITIVE, in points as well as in survival  hopes.

Well done lads!!.

[Charles Bannerman]

The ultimate result… an away win over the league leaders. What an afternoon!

[+Hiro]

I wonder if that penalty save from Musa could be something of a sliding doors moment.  By all accounts we were outstanding after the save and it seemed to galvanise the team.  He comes across as a thoroughly decent guy as well as a good goalkeeper so delighted for him.

Back to a positive points total seems like a milestone.  A tough couple of games coming up but onwards and upwards we go.

[tm4tj]

A fine afternoon for a game of football and after a minutes silence it was game on. Billy Mckay brought out the first save of the game but one minute later we were behind. No surprise for guessing that Mitch Megginson opened the scoring. The on form striker fired home after Fraser Fyvie threaded a ball to Blair Yule who unselfishly teed up Megginson to open the scoring. Half an hour gone and chances were difficult to come by with Cove not shy to halt our attacks by fair or foul means. Touch wood and Cove had the opportunity to double their lead when Megginson stepped up to take a penalty after he was fouled by Jake Davidson. Musa Dibaga saved his spot kick and two minutes later we were level when Adam MacKinnon's shot from outside the box found the net. Just before the break Luis Longstaff slashed wide after James Nolan headed down to him in the box.

HALF TIME: 1-1

Longstaff and Billy Mckay missed the target and Nolan had his attempt saved as the visitors started the second period on the front foot. Goal scorer MacKinnon was unfortunate as his long range shot came back off the post and Nolan missed the target after good work by Jake Davidson. Megginson brought Dibaga into action as the big keeper denied the strikers low shot towards the bottom corner, the keeper saving comfortably. Charlie Gilmour's deflected shot from range at the opposite end had the same result, Demus saving. However, the visitors persistence paid off when Keith Bray drilled in from outside the box. Gilmour shot over and Mckay saw his shot saved as the visitors looked for a wee cushion in the final quarter of the game. Into the final ten and substitute Declan Glass fired just over as Cove looked to level the game. In the final minutes Glass saw Dibaga save from close range at the expense of a corner as the visitors held firm for an important three points.

FULL TIME: 1-2

[Robert]

That’s potentially a season defining win.

After losing an early goal, to save a penalty and score two goals to turn it round and get our first away win is just what the players needed.

By all accounts it was a well deserved result and, after the players hearing the support they have from fans in Bar 94 after last week’s game, confidence must be high.

We’ve made up 4 points in Dumbarton over the last 2 games.

There is still a long way to go, but things are looking up.

Now we need a good crowd next week to help the team overcome Alloa and get us back to back league wins for the first time this season.