Cove Rangers boss Jim McIntyre bemoaned his side’s lack of cutting edge as a 1-0 loss to Morton condemned the Granite City side to their first league defeat since October 2021.
Cove dominated proceedings in the first half at Cappielow and Iain Vigurs came agonisingly close to opening the scoring when he glanced a close-range header against the post.
McIntyre’s side were unable to keep up their levels in the second 45, however, and the hosts began to gain a foothold on the game.
The winning goal came with 13 minutes remaining on the clock, Jai Quitongo latching on to a short clearing header by Shay Logan and thrashing the ball home from the edge of the box.
“I thought we were the better side first half and created some really good opportunities, the second half definitely belonged to Morton,” McIntyre said.
“They stepped it up and put a lot of balls forward quickly into our box, we had to handle their long throws, too. Generally I thought we were doing ok with it, but we make a mistake.
“You have to credit their striker; he’s punished us in very good fashion – it’s a great finish.
“We had these opportunities first half and don’t take them, it has come back to bite us.”
Short-handed Cove get ‘dragged into a battle’ – and lose it
Cove named just five of their quota of nine substitutes at Cappielow, highlighting the lack of depth within the squad.
The part-timers got off to a winning start to life in the Championship by defeating Raith Rovers 2-0 at the Balmoral Stadium on opening weekend, but they struggled to deal with Morton’s power in the second 45.
McIntyre insists he has to bolster his thin squad to help their quest to challenge at the business end of the table, but feels the experience within the ranks means they have no excuses for a disappointing afternoon.
“It’s no secret that we need to add three or four more players,” McIntyre added.
“We do have half a dozen players who have played in the Championship, they certainly know what this level is about and higher.
“We can’t use it as an excuse, we just made a mistake and it got punished today – when Morton made mistakes, we didn’t punish them.
76' | GMFC 1-0 CRFC
Quitongo opens the scoring.#CRFCLive
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) August 6, 2022
“In terms of how we played, in the first half I was very please, the second half I felt we got dragged into too much of a battle – we didn’t pass it as well as we can.”
First league defeat since October
The last time Cove suffered a league defeat was when they were beaten 4-2 against East Fife in one of their three losses on the way to clinching the League One title in emphatic style last term.
There were few setbacks in clinching three promotions in four seasons and, despite the disappointment of losing late on in Greenock, McIntyre is expecting his team to bounce back.
Next up is a trip to Inverness, to face Billy Dodds’ side, who have drawn their opening two league fixtures.
Even after two games, the Championship appears to be the most difficult to call in a number of years, and bouncing back will be vital for Cove.
“We’ve got to lick our wounds, this is a game that at worst, for me, we should have walked away with a point,” said the Cove boss.
“If you get a point away from home then you take that every day of the week, especially when your quality hasn’t been quite there.”
Morton (4-2-3-1) – Schwake 6; Pignatiello 6, Strapp 5 (Hynes 72) 3 , O’Connor 5, Baird 6; Kabia 6 (Lithgow 81), Blues 6; Muirhead 6, Quitongo 7, Gillespie 6; Lyon 5 (King 61) 4
Subs not used – Green, McGrattan, Garrity, Easdale, McGregor
Cove Rangers (4-1-4-1) – Gourlay 5; Logan 6, Towler 5, Scully 5, Ross 5; Meggison 5; Masson 5, McIntosh 5 (Longstaff 66) 3, Vigurs 5 (McDonagh 74) 3, Fyvie 5; Reynolds 5
Subs not used – McKenzie, Neill, Thomas
Referee – Peter Stuart 5
Attendance – 1,506
Man of the Match – Jai Quitongo.
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