Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley admitted difficult weather conditions spoiled Saturday’s meeting between two of League One’s top sides.
The Aberdeen side were held to a 0-0 draw by Montrose at a windy Links Park with both teams struggling to cope with the conditions.
Clear-cut chances were hard to come by and good football was at a premium on a day when defences were on top.
Cove manager Hartley said: “It was not a great day for football. It was a game for defending and defenders. Not a great game. It was impossible to play the way we like to.
“It was disappointing as we like to set high standards. We can pass it a lot better than we did today. With the wind we might have passed it better.”
His views were backed up by Cove defender Ryan Strachan.
He said: “The wind spoiled it. Two decent enough teams, playing in horrendous conditions, just made for a poor spectacle. I don’t think any team particularly deserved to win the game.
“There weren’t many chances, it was just a game with defenders on top and both sets of defenders managed the game properly.”
Paul Hartley made two changes from the 3-3 draw with Queen’s Park with Harry Milne and Scott Ross coming in for Shay Logan and Connor Scully who dropped to the bench.
Montrose had the advantage of the wind in the first half and Graham Webster had the ball in the net after just four minutes but his strike was chalked off for offside.
With 28 minutes on the clock, Cammy Ballantyne dribbled his way into the Cove box and fell before he could get a shot away but the home side’s half-hearted penalty appeals were waved away by referee Grant Irvine.
When chances did fall to either side the wind was making shooting difficult and an Iain Vigurs shot on 54 minutes cleared the bar.
After 64 minutes, Cove’s Finlay Robertson found himself in a good position but his shot was well saved by Aaron Lennox at the expense of a corner.
A minute later, the visitors had their own penalty claim turned down when a Montrose player seemed to handle the ball in clearing his lines.
Cove had probably the best chance of the game in 75 minutes when Mitch Megginson broke clear, only for his wind assisted chip to clear both keeper Lennox and the bar. On another day his effort would probably have found the net.
A minute later, Montrose’s Terry Mason shot over from a good position before Aidan Quinn latched onto a defensive mix up in Cove’s six yard box only for the ball to run away from him for a goal-kick.
Just on full-time, Ola Adeyemo turned his man on the edge of the box but his shot was blocked.
So what might have been an important day at the top of League One was blown away by the wind.
With all of the other games in the league finishing level, Airdrie’s 3-1 win against Peterhead allowed them to move to the summit.
How long they will stay there remains to be seen as Cove travel there later this month and Montrose host them in early December.
