Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley has heaped praise on midfielder Blair Yule for his early-season form.
Yule has been restored to his natural central-midfield role this season and has been a consistent performer in Cove’s return to competitive action.
He missed only one game last season and has rekindled a partnership with Connor Scully in the middle of the park at the start of this campaign.
Hartley, who was a midfielder in his playing career, hailed as Yule as a team-mate he would like to have as the 28-year-old’s performances catch the eye.
Hartley said: “He’s versatile – we mainly used him as a right-back last year but he’s shown how good a midfielder he is. He’s so consistent, you know what you’re getting from him.
“He’s a player you don’t need to say a lot too. He goes about his business, trains all the time, is never injured – he’s a good team player.
“You can’t have enough of them in your group. He’s playing well and is the kind of player I’d like playing with. He’d be a really good team-mate.”
Cove will look to continue their 100 per cent start to the season with victory over Forfar Athletic this afternoon.
They have now racked up 16 straight league wins at the Balmoral Stadium and Hartley has a simple message for his players.
He added: “Keep working as hard as we have been, never take our away for it. We can’t afford any slips. We’ve got to keep that home record we’ve achieved. Every game in this league is tough and we always respect the opposition.
“They know how we work, how we train and they’ve got a fantastic attitude. They’re getting the rewards on a Saturday. You can’t switch it on and off; you’ve got to be at it all the time and our players are at it in training and take it into a game.
“We’ve been really solid, defending as a team, so we’ve got to keep it coming. We haven’t achieved anything – it’s a good start but there’s another three points we’re playing for.”
Midfielder Fraser Fyvie took part on training on Thursday night but this weekend’s game will come too soon for the ex-Aberdeen and Dundee United man.
The Aberdeen outfit will also be without Daniel Higgins for the next three weeks, after he pulled a hamstring in the 1-0 win over Partick Thistle seven days ago.
Hartley said: “It’s not as bad as we first thought. It’s maybe three-to-four weeks. He’s feeling a lot better. It’s not as bad as he was last time when he was out for about seven weeks.
“Fraser did a bit on Thursday night in with the team, so hopefully he’ll join in next Thursday for a full session.”
That likely means defender Ross Graham will be drafted into the back four after coming on against Partick, while Rory McAllister stated his case for a start after scoring the winner against the Jags.
Hartley added: “If you’re not in the team you need to find a way to get in it. If you’re in the team you need to stay in it. Our squad will be used over the course of the season. When you get your opportunity, you need to impress. It’s pretty simple, it’s not rocket science.
“Sometimes you need to change one or two positions, when you see who you’re playing against. We want to be as consistent as possible but sometimes you see something that can help you win the game.”