Cove Rangers skipper Mitch Megginson reckons it is unlikely a repeat of Arbroath’s memorable Championship season will happen again soon.
Arbroath and Cove are the only part-time sides in the division and have so far been fighting to stay away from the bottom.
The Red Lichties garnered plaudits last season for their run to the Premiership play-off semi-finals, where they were beaten by nine-man Caley Thistle on penalties.
Cove are eighth in the second tier as the league approaches its mid-way point, in their first campaign at this level.
They have taken points off all of the top-three sides, including impressive wins over Dundee and Queen’s Park, and have held their own against predominantly full-time opposition.
But for any part-time side to mimic what Arbroath did a year ago is going to be a tall order, Megginson thinks.
“To be that high up in the league is pretty special and I can’t see that happening often,” said Megginson.
“The part-time teams can do well in this league – at Dumbarton we were pipped to the play-offs (in 2013-14) by Queen of the South, where Jim (McIntyre) was at the time.
“But to be right up there takes a bit of luck during the season and having that drive and momentum to push on.
“For that to happen more often than not is unlikely.
“Most part-time teams will say they aim for survival and anything above that is a bonus.”
Taking points off the teams around them will certainly help Cove’s plight.
They have one win out of four against Arbroath and Hamilton below them, while against the three teams they want to draw closer to – Raith Rovers, Inverness and Partick Thistle – they have only won once.
“We need to see out victories, which means getting that second or third goal to make sure the game is put to bed,” added Megginson.
“We’ve proven we’re more than competitive and there’s not a big gap between the part-time and full-time teams.
“There’s a bit of a gap between us and the bottom two, but we’ve had opportunities to increase that.
“The frustrating thing is that gap should probably be bigger. We’ve given ourselves a good position and we don’t want to chuck it away.
“For us, the focus is always on ourselves and our own displays. We’re not looking too much below us.
“We need to try close the gap on the teams above us. We’ve got a big game against Dundee to finish this quarter and we’ve got to keep putting important points on the board.”
Cove’s last outing was a 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle 11 days ago, one which ended in dramatic circumstances with goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon’s late headed equaliser.
The fan view as Jamie Sneddon, Partick Thistle’s keeper, heads in an added-time equaliser at Cove Rangers. Cue pitch invasion pic.twitter.com/RlHgqmVqHt
— James Dart (@James_Dart) December 4, 2022
For Megginson, it was another case of Cove proving their worthiness of being at this level, without necessarily getting their rewards.
He said: “The Raith game and the Ayr one up here – they’re the only two we’ve not been competitive in.
“We’ve been there or thereabouts in most games, but the difference in the leagues (from League One) is that you’re probably not going to get away with certain things this year.”