Cove Rangers: Morgyn Neill promises players are ‘hurting’ at their current plight

One win in 13 for Aberdeen side fighting to preserve their Championship status.

By Jamie Durent

March 27 2023, 11:45 am

Cove Rangers defender Morgyn Neill. Image: SNS

Morgyn Neill has offered an apology to the Cove Rangers board and fans and promises the players are hurting at the current plight.

The 3-0 defeat to Ayr United on Friday night was Cove’s fifth defeat on the bounce and they have won just once in 13 games.

The Aberdeen side are in the thick of the Championship relegation battle, dropping down from eighth with results over the weekend, with rivals Arbroath and Hamilton Accies both having games in hand.

Cove rangers have six games left

There is little time left for hard-luck stories at the Balmoral Stadium. Cove have six games left to extend their second-tier stay beyond one season and have both Arbroath and Accies to face on the road.

Neill is under no illusions about the severity of the situation and promises the Cove players feel it keenly.

“We keep saying that something has got to change,” he said. “We’ve got six games to go and we don’t want to be relying on other teams.

“We don’t care if Arbroath or Hamilton get beat when we get beat. We need one result to change a bit of luck for us.

“We’re all hurting. We apologise to the fans and the board. It was always goings to be tough and nobody has chucked it.

Cove Rangers defender Morgyn Neill. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

“But the goals we conceded on Friday were criminal. The whole team holds their hands up. We can’t go into our shells.

“We take responsibility – not the manager – because it’s us that has to do the job on the park.”

Worst defensive record

Neill accepts Cove’s defensive record has not been good enough and at the other end of the park, they are struggling to score goals.

They have the worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 65 goals from 30 games, and they rank eighth in terms of goals scored.

The manner of the goals Cove are conceding continues to frustrate, however. Neill felt he was fouled in the build-up to the opening goal on Friday night but held his hands up for a mistake prior to Dipo Akinyemi scoring the second.

“You’ve got to have a platform,” he added. “It’s trying to get things right all over the park.

“I’m not going to blame the strikers for not scoring goals because we’re shipping goals at the other end.

“That’s the difference – other teams are ruthless in either box. It’s not about blaming anybody because collectively, we’ve got to do it together.”