Cove Rangers co-manager Graeme Mathieson hopes his club’s new SPFL status will lead to it receiving a helping hand from city neighbours Aberdeen.
Highland League champions Cove will embark on their debut season in Scottish League 2 in August and Mathieson hopes he and fellow co-manager John Sheran will be able to bolster their ranks with promising young loan talent from Pittodrie.
Mathieson said: “We are hoping to get a few loan players from the Dons. We have asked before but they were in a very difficult situation as they couldn’t favour us over Inverurie Locos, Huntly or the other Highland League clubs.
“It will be beneficial for Aberdeen as well as their youngsters, who will gain some vital experience against some older more experienced players.” Cove have been the dominant force in the Highland League, winning three of the last four titles.
While confident his side can compete in League 2, Mathieson knows the squad will need to be bolstered.
He said: “With this squad I’d like to hope we will be able to compete but we will be looking to improve the squad. There is a lot of work to do as it is a completely different league.
“The ambition of the club is to move up the divisions. If you were to talk to the chairman, I’m sure he would agree that our aim is to move up the divisions.
“It is vital to have players with experience of League 2 to progress. That’s the reason we have signed them.
“We are trying to push the players as much as we can and now they will be tested every week.”
The two areas of crucial importance in Mathieson’s view are midfield and attack.
He said: “Connor Scully and Blair Yule have been absolutely immense all season in the centre of our midfield.
“They have consistently played at a high standard but we don’t have much cover there so I would like to add another player in that position to bolster the squad.
“I would also like to see someone similar to Mitch Megginson come in, in case Mitchell gets injured for a few weeks.”
Fraser Fyvie has been linked with a Cove move following his release from Dundee United but Mathieson fears his club’s non-grass pitch will prove prohibitive to an agreement being reached.
Mathieson said: “We are looking at Fraser Fyvie. We will look to bring in as high of a standard a player as possible.
“But Fraser might not be that keen in coming as he had a bad injury as a kid playing on an artificial surface.
“Fraser might be a more of a target for Peterhead as they look to progress through the divisions.
“We will hopefully attract more players due to our elite status and our brand-new stadium.”