Cove Rangers set a goal to reach the Championship within five years of joining the SPFL. Mission accomplished.
Their ascension to the second tier of Scottish football has been an impressive sight, with Paul Hartley and his side getting their rewards for three years of relentless hard work.
When Hartley replaced John Sheran as manager in 2019, it was a sign the club wanted to deliver on its ambition. Climbing the leagues was not just a pipe-dream, but something they realistically believed they could achieve.
Hartley had led Alloa Athletic from League Two to the Championship in his first managerial job, before taking Dundee up and into the Premiership’s top six.
An ill-fated spell at Falkirk had burned him, but you get the sense all the pieces fit together at Cove and he has unmistakably put his stamp on this team.
Cove were always renowned as an attacking force in the Highland League under Sheran but that style of play has been refined under Hartley. Key pieces to the jigsaw have been added along the way; Fraser Fyvie, Rory McAllister and latterly Iain Vigurs have been important figures in making them regular table-toppers in the SPFL.
They pride themselves as a front-foot team, something backed up by their goal return in the SPFL. McAllister’s goalscoring prowess was well-known after his tenure at Peterhead, but the form of Mitch Megginson has been sensational in the last three years.
He spent much of the first season operating as a lone striker, but has seen his role change since McAllister’s arrival, playing either just off the main forward or alongside him in a two. It is a team game, but having two of the best strikers in part-time football helps no end.
Harry Milne’s attributes were well-known in the Highland League, but he has adapted to the demands of league football with apparent ease. Numerous stand-out performances, not least in the Scottish Cup defeat to Hibernian, have opened eyes in the wider Scottish football community to just how good a player he can be.
He will move on in the summer, having signed a pre-contract with Championship Partick Thistle – and he certainly deserves a crack at full-time football, which Cove cannot offer him at the moment.
There are plenty of unsung heroes in there, too. Connor Scully and Blair Yule have played alongside each other for years at Cove and have both been reliable utility men for Hartley to turn too.
Both have played as a full-back, wing-back, central midfielder and winger over the last three years and give their all for the cause. They are the proverbial manager’s dream.
Morgyn Neill has arguably been the most improved player this season. He came in as a physical defender, but needed to adapt to Cove’s style of play. Over the course of the season, he has become more comfortable bringing the ball out of defence and looking for more incisive passes; his goal against Falkirk was also one of the best of the season.
Scott Ross and Stuart McKenzie have been dependable figures at the back, while Shay Logan, Ryan Strachan, Leighton McIntosh, Jamie Masson and Robbie Leitch have all played their part, too.
The signing of Mark Reynolds in January was indication of the level Cove see themselves reaching. He may be at the tail-end of his career, but he was still captain of a Premiership side prior to his arrival. He should still have an impact in the Championship.
The squad will need some freshening up in the Championship. They went top-heavy with experience this season to get the job done and it worked – but they do need some younger players for going up a level again.
Cove have 13 players who are 29 or older – 14 if you count Ross Draper when he returns from his loan spell at Elgin City – and, while they have proved they can compete with full-time clubs, an element of long-term planning will need to come into play.
They will look to incorporate some form of full-time model in the future, too, perhaps in a hybrid format which will allow them to retain the cherished part-time players who have been a huge part of their success.
You can guarantee behind-the-scenes preparations will have been taking place for next season for a while, whether they went up or not. Now they know what division they will be in, it may help crystalise some of those plans.
Cove have shown little fear in taking on new challenges and going by their track record, there is no reason to suggest they will start to in the Championship.