Jim McIntyre has praised Gerry McDonagh’s willingness to improve and get his career going at Cove Rangers.
McDonagh has scored six goals in his last seven games, including four against Dunipace in the Scottish Cup, after a difficult start to his Cove career.
A former striker himself, McIntyre has seen the work McDonagh puts in and the two have regular conversations about the finer points of his game.
The ex-Nottingham Forest youngster is just behind Connor Scully and Mitch Megginson in the Cove goalscoring charts and has previously revealed the fitness push behind his return to the team.
He got his just rewards against Dunipace and the Cove boss hopes he continues to develop.
“He doesn’t change – he doesn’t get too high or low,” said McIntyre. “It was nice to see him get the goals (against Dunipace) and hopefully that can spur him on in the league.
Getting McDonagh in position for success
“We speak on a regular basis about his positioning, what I’m looking for and when the ball goes forward, what positions he needs to be taking up.
“It’s important as a striker that you always get between the width of the goal. You can be involved in link-up play, but your job is to get between the goals when the ball comes in.
“We’ve also had a lot of chats about what is a good position when receiving the ball and when jumping for it in the air. Don’t make the game easy for the defenders.
“Gerry is young and has not had a lot of experience behind him.”
He came to Cove with fewer than 80 senior games to his name, at the age of 24, with a return of nine goals.
Since he broke into the first-team in October he has already eclipsed the most goals he has scored for one club – five during his time at Wrexham – and is showing signs of developing a good understanding with Cove skipper Mitch Megginson.
“He’s very conscientious and listens when people are talking to him,” added McIntyre. “He wants to get his career up and running, so when you’re talking to him he’s trying to take it all in.
“He gets frustrated at times with himself, when he expects to do a bit better, but that’s part of the learning process.
“We just keep encouraging him to do the right things.”
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