Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘Legendary’ Cove Rangers stalwart, Mike Pirie, dies

The club has paid tribute to the former coach, physio, and kit man who passed away at the weekend at the age of 65.

The club says "matchdays will never quite be the same without his smiling face." Image: Kami Thomson/ DC Thomson
The club says "matchdays will never quite be the same without his smiling face." Image: Kami Thomson/ DC Thomson

Cove Rangers has paid tribute to club stalwart Mike Pirie, who has passed away at the age of 65.

The former coach, kitman, and physio was a cherished figure at Balmoral Stadium.

His most recent role saw him take on duties in the boardroom and corporate lounges on matchdays.

Joined by his wife, Karen, and their daughter, Shelly, the trio provided a warm welcome to those in attendance, said the club in a moving tribute online.

Mike with daughter Shelly. Image: Cove Rangers FC

Family tied Mike Pirie to Cove Rangers

Mike’s association with Cove stretches back decades, with family ties to the club through his grandfather, mother, and father.

His grandfather, Alex Cowie, was team trainer when the present-day Cove Rangers was formed in 1922.

Alex’s daughter Pearl – Mike’s mother – worked behind the scenes, serving food, helping to clean the strips and to raise funds.

With wife Karen. Image: Cove Rangers FC

His father, Charlie Pirie, was employed as a handyman and kit manager for many years until ill-health forced him to step down in 2018.

Mike, who was also a dad to Mark, summed up his love for Cove Rangers in a book published in 2022 to celebrate 100 years of the club, saying: “My whole family is proud to have such a long-standing connection to Cove Rangers.

“I used to love hearing the tales about my grandfather being involved when the club first played in the 1920s.

Mike Pirie and Cove Rangers – a match made in heaven

Cove Rangers chairman Keith Moorhouse said: “I was absolutely devastated when I got the call on Saturday, and my thoughts are with Mike’s loved ones.

“I knew him for close on forty years through football, and he was an absolute stalwart for us, turning his hand to anything and everything over the years.

“We are fortunate to have Karen and Shelly on our team, and alongside Mike, they have always done an amazing job for us.

“Our thoughts and best wishes are with them at this terrible time, but Mike Pirie will always be part of the Cove Rangers family, his contribution to the club never forgotten.”

A statement on the club’s website says that “matchdays will never quite be the same without his smiling face”.

Mike has been described as an “absolute legend”. Image: Cove Rangers

John Sheran, former Cove Rangers manager and current director, said: “Mike was an absolute legend at the club and he and other family members are the type of people who do terrific work behind the scenes for clubs like ours.

“Mike became physio, kitman, hospitality helper… whatever needed doing.

“We travelled around the Highlands for 10 years together and you couldn’t have met a better, nicer guy.

“My thoughts go to Karen and Shelly. It is devastating.”

Conversation