Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley was left to rue defensive errors after his side’s 5-0 Viaplay Cup defeat to Livingston.
At Balmoral Stadium, a trio of headers from Tom Parkes, Ayo Obileye and Bruce Anderson had the Premiership outfit 3-0 up, before substitute Stephen Kelly netted a late brace to make it 5-0.
The defeat is Cove’s first of the season, and leaves Hartley’s side sitting third with six points in Group C ahead of their final group clash at Hamilton Accies on Saturday.
It had been a fairly even first half, before Livingston’s opener in the 44th minute, but Hartley admits Cove’s defensive frailties became more pronounced as the game went on.
He said: “I thought we were OK in the first half, there wasn’t a lot between the two teams, but then a set-piece just before half-time gives them the advantage.
“But even in the second half we came out and had a really good chance, but then we just gave away too many set-plays. There were too many crosses coming into the box which we don’t defend well and they had some good finishes.
“We’ve got to do better defensively as a unit. If you don’t pick up people in the box and give away free headers then you get punished for it.”
Despite the defeat, Hartley looked to the positives, saying: “There’s lots of work still to be done. We’re not the finished article.
“There were pleasing things, even though the scoreline looks really poor. We just didn’t help ourselves with the defending.”
Cove could still progress to the knock-out rounds of the cup, with only two points separating them and upcoming opponents Accies, who top the group with eight points, while Livingston sit in second in the pool with seven.
The eight group winners and three best runners-up progress to the second round, with three second-placed teams having hit the seven-point mark so far.
Hartley said: “Hamilton is going to be a big game. We’ve still got an opportunity to get through the group stages depending on the other results.
“We’ve got to go there and try to win the game and get into the next round of the cup.”
