Fraser Fyvie has pinpointed key areas of improvement if Cove Rangers are to make strides under new manager Jim McIntyre.
Cove have suffered back-to-back defeats in the League Cup, with losses against Livingston and Kelty Hearts, which have shone the light on some deficiencies in the side.
The Aberdeen side were unable to kill off Premiership side Livi at the weekend despite having a man advantage, before conceding a late winner.
In the Kelty game, they were exposed defensively by their opponents’ front three and it saw Cove ship three goals.
“A new manager has come in and I wouldn’t say there’s been a big change in how he wants to play,” said Fyvie. “There’s little bits and boys need to get used to that quickly.
“In spells we’ve played some good stuff but that end product could be better. The ball sticking up top is a must; when we play out we play expansively so teams are going to try to counter on us.
‘Frustrating would be the word’
“We’re all disappointed but at the end of the day, it’s the start of the season. It’s only our third game back so you’re looking for five or six games in pre-season.
“We’ve got another game against Inverness at the weekend and we’ll need to be better against them.”
Fyvie was on the scoresheet on Tuesday night as Cove were beaten 3-2 by League Two champions Kelty Hearts and thus saw their hopes of qualification all but ended.
They were cut open on numerous occasions by Kelty who merited their win on the night.
“Frustrating would be the word,” said Fyvie. “They scored two counter-attacks in the first half and it was our own fault – one for not being set up right, in that there should be at least three sitting back when we’re attacking ready to deal with it. I don’t think the reaction from the front was good enough either.
“Along with that, the ball has got to stick further up the pitch. It became a bit like a basketball match.
“The last 20 minutes of the first half, that was us. We controlled that period, we started pinning them back, dictating the play and having bodies in the right areas of the pitch.
“That was a positive to take but the problem is we didn’t do it for 90 minutes. We’ve only got one game now until we start the season against Raith – I’m sure we’ll work on it on Thursday as there’s parts of the jigsaw that haven’t yet fit together.”