Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley was extremely pleased with his team’s performance against Montrose.
Goals from Rumarn Burrell, Scott Williamson and Mitch Megginson gave the Aberdeen side a 3-0 victory at Links Park.
Hartley said: “I thought that was a really strong performance.
“We could have scored more goals.
“I’m really pleased with our attacking play. I thought we were a real threat throughout the game and with numerous chances could have been more.
“We kept a clean sheet and it’s our first league win of the season so we’ll keep building momentum now.
“We were a real threat.
“Some of our play was excellent. We cut them open a couple of times with our movement and combination.
“We’ve got a real threat up front. In this league you need good strikers and we’ve got some good strikers here.
“The players deserved that as they’ve worked really hard.
“We’re not quite there yet.
“We’ve still got a lot to do but it’s a nice base we’ve set ourselves.
“It’s a tough league this and it’s going to be a tough slog. You’ve got to be on it every week but this was a big win away from home.”
Cove always looked the sharper of the two sides and they took their chances. Their strike force, Burrell and Williamson, gave the Gable Endies’ defence a torrid time throughout the game.
Rumarn Burrell opened the scoring after 14 minutes when he chased a ball into the box before chipping it over keeper Cammy Gill and forcing it home.
Williamson added a second on 38 minutes when he latched onto a pass from Jacob Jones and fired a right-foot shot past Gill from the edge of the box.
Any hopes the home side had of making a comeback were effectively extinguished in bizarre fashion seven minutes into the second period.
Back of the net 😆#CRFC pic.twitter.com/YQbiUEXN5D
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) August 19, 2023
Montrose substitute Graham Webster won the ball but immediately went down injured and the ever-alert Megginson seized the opportunity to fire a right-footed shot into the net for Cove’s third.
Megginson, making his first league stat of the season following injury, said: “It was a good one to come back into.
“I thought the boys were excellent today.
“It’s a tough place to come. Montrose are always a difficult team to play against but I think we controlled the game.
“The first 10 minutes were a battle but we won that.
“They’ve got two good strikers as well but we managed to keep them quiet.
“I felt good today but it’s all about the team, making sure we take the three points.
“It is a good win and a good confidence boost.”
Cove, meawhile, confirmed the departure of defender Jason Naismith ahead of the game at Montrose.
A club statement read: “We can confirm that Jason Naismith has been released from his contract and has left Cove Rangers with immediate effect.
“The experienced defender joined us in January and featured in a dozen Championship matches in the second half of last season.
“We would like to thank Jason for his efforts and wish him all success in his future career.”
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