Growing their fanbase was always going to be a key tenet to Cove Rangers progressing as a football club.
They had one of the best attendances in League Two when they came up to the SPFL in 2019, but – if they were to realise their ambition of eventually getting to the Championship – their followers would need to grow.
This season, with the team perched at the top of League One, manager Paul Hartley has noticed a steady increase in their backers. Cove have started to generate a vocal away following, too, taking a good number to title rivals Airdrieonians at the end of March. Some hardy souls even went to Dumfries on a Tuesday night to watch their Scottish Cup triumph over Queen of the South.
These could be the games where Cove seal the League One title and every fan is going to be a vital one if the club are to keep making strides.
“I would like to think we would have got a good crowd anyway over the next two home games, but it’s good for the club,” said Hartley. “Hopefully we’ll get a few more people coming to the game and giving us as much support as they can.
“There’s been some good numbers at games. There were good numbers at Airdrie. It’s not easy where we’re coming from, it’s a decent expense for our supporters.
“They’ve given us really good backing. I’m sure the club want to get as many people through the gates as they can and get young fans to start supporting Cove.”
They have scored more and conceded fewer than any other team at home this season. Cove are also unbeaten in the league at the Balmoral Stadium, meaning their supporters certainly get value for money.
“I think there’s only three games this season we’ve not scored,” said Hartley. “We try and play good football.
“The majority of the time we try to be the team that’s attacking and on the front foot. You’ve seen that in the goals we’ve scored in the league and hopefully they’ve got value for money when they’ve come to watch us.
“I’ve seen a lot of young girls and boys at games, so their parents are bringing them along. We want to try encourage as many supporters as we can to come to Cove.”
Heroics in back-to-back games has seen Cove extend their unbeaten run to 22 games, a remarkable feat of consistency which has seen them entrenched as the League One leaders for a considerable period of time.
The pressure continues to come from Airdrieonians though. That the Diamonds’ own 16-game unbeaten stretch does not have them top of the pile is testament to Cove’s performances.
Cove head to Falkirk, one of Hartley’s former clubs, today, in what is the fourth away game in a row for the Aberdeen side. With four games left in the campaign and a three-point lead to maintain, there is no time for slip-ups.
“Their season has been inconsistent, but they’ve got a lot of good players,” said Hartley. “They’ve just not strung enough results together.
“Every team has still got something to play for. They’ll still think they can get into the play-offs.
“It’s four games to go and every game is so important to us. We had a good result and performance down there last time, so if we can take the same result and performance here I’d be really happy.
“It’s just another game to try get a result. We’ll be as positive as we can, a game at time, between now and the end of the season.
“We know what’s in front of us. You have to be on your game all the time. If I’m the players, I’d be excited at this moment in time. We’re at the right end of the table, where we wanted to be.
“We have to take the chances. Everybody at the club should be excited. I’m sure the board are excited. But I’ve not said once what’s going to happen (at the end of the season) as the focus has always been on a Saturday.”
Connor Scully looking for more chapters in Cove Rangers story as he reflects on club’s progress