Paul Hartley’s 10 months out of football reminded him of just what he missed.
Being dismissed by Falkirk three games into last season left him watching football from afar. After an initial cooling-off period, the itch to return to management came back.
When Cove Rangers came calling in the summer, on the back of promotion to the SPFL for the first time, it was an opportunity that intrigued him.
The previous manager John Sheran – father of Hartley’s partner Lisa – led the club to five Highland League titles, before a health scare at the end of last season prompted him to take a step back from the dugout.
Hartley pitched in with some training sessions at the end of the campaign, as Graeme Mathieson and Roy McBain saw the Aberdeen side comfortably past Berwick Rangers.
The club has no shortage of ambition and some may have raised eyebrows when Hartley took the reins at the League 2’s newest club. For him, however, it has brought back his enjoyment of the game.
Hartley said: “I love coming in with the players and working the chairman and the board of directors. I was talking to Jim Duffy a couple of days ago – he said himself, me and Peter Grant have gone to part-time clubs and people will be asking why. It’s because we enjoy it.
“I was out for 10 months and know how difficult it can be. Being in the dugout on Saturdays is where you want to be.
“It reminds you of what you miss. You look at the first few months (out of work) and you’ve got no real interest in the game. It isn’t until months down the line and it’s all you’ve ever known, it’s what you enjoy.
“It’s never easy getting a job again when you lose your job. I was fortunate to be able to come here and I want to make the most of it.”
The signing of League 1 and League 2 players, the building of a new stadium; Cove have been gearing up for promotion to the SPFL for a good number of years.
A three-year deal for Hartley at the Balmoral Stadium highlights his level of belief in what chairman Keith Moorhouse and the board want to achieve.
Hartley said: “I’m looking at long-term planning. I want to enjoy myself and football again, working with good people above me. I didn’t have to take the job but when I saw the ambition of the chairman, I saw the setup at Cove and having a little bit of inside knowledge, it really helped me.
“The players have been excellent. They’ve taken everything on board; we want to try raise the standards. The guys before did an excellent job and we want to take it on to the next level again.”
Creditable performances against Caley Thistle and Dundee in the Betfred Cup did not produce the rewards Cove arguably deserved. The 3-0 triumph over Raith Rovers – a full-time team in League 1 – last weekend gave Hartley his first win as boss and underlined the quality packed into their squad.
However, bookmakers making Cove early favourites for the League 2 title does not sit well with Hartley, even with his previous experience of winning the division with Alloa Athletic.
He said: “I think it’s silly, for me. It’s something I don’t really read into. We know how tough the league is. Because you win the Highland League and the play-offs, doesn’t mean you have any right to be favourites for the league. We’ll never look at ourselves as favourites.
“It was more difficult at Alloa as we didn’t really have a squad – we had to put a whole new team together. . We had a tough start at Alloa – it wasn’t until the Christmas period where we got on a good run of form.
“Anything can be achieved. You look at Livingston, when they went to the bottom tier and ended up in the Premiership. We’ll always be level-headed and keep our feet on the ground.”
Tomorrow’s league opener against Edinburgh City is another landmark day in Cove’s history. It entered the Highland League in 1986 and numerous silverware-laden seasons later, is making another giant leap forward.
Aberdeen will have two SPFL clubs as of 3pm tomorrow and if Cove have their way, it will be so for a long time to come.
“It should be exciting for everyone connected to the club – the chairman, directors, supporters and players. It’s been a long time in coming. They’ve been trying ever so hard to get into the SPFL and they are finally there.
“We’re always wanting to progress. We want to try keep it going; we’ve not really set any targets for this year. I think you’d be silly to do that. It’s a tough league with a lot of good teams in it. We’ll never underestimate anyone.”
