Cove Rangers have opened talks with defender Michael Doyle about a contract extension.
The 32-year-old full back joined Cove on October 31 on a short-term contract, and with it due to expire this month, Cove manager Paul Hartley is keen to get Doyle tied down on a longer deal.
The Cove boss said: “We’re in talks with Mick to try to extend his deal and hopefully we’ll have some news on that front in the near future.
“He’s a player I know really well and we’re speaking to him about trying to extend it.”
Hartley hopes to freshen up his squad this month, but the Cove manager will need to move players on before he can bring in new faces.
Summer signing Rio Davidson-Phipps was the first departure from the club earlier this week while striker Dayshonne Golding last night joined Elgin City on loan for the rest of the season.
Golding had recently returned to Balmoral Stadium following a successful loan spell with Highland League side Banks o’ Dee.
Hartley said: “We’d like to bring one or two in, but the squad is quite big and we’ll need to move a couple of people out to bring one or two in, but I’m happy with what we’ve got at this moment in time.
“January has always been tough, but if one or two become available we’ll look to try to do some business to strengthen us – but it’s not easy.”
Hartley wants strong start to 2024
Hartley hopes his side can continue to build momentum in the new year after a strong finish to 2023.
Cove are seven points clear in third place with last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Montrose in difficult conditions made it nine wins and a draw in their last 11 league matches.
He said: “It was really tricky on Saturday and fair play to both sets of players and supporters – it was wild conditions, the worst I’ve seen in a long time.
“We didn’t have the ideal start, but we created so many chances and should have won the game so I can’t complain.
“(Top-two) Falkirk and Hamilton have done really well and that’s why they are where they are. We’ve been consistent the last few months and there are mini-leagues developing.
“We just have to look after ourselves and keep pushing as hard as we can.
“We’ve got a big month ahead with league games and the Scottish Cup, and we want to keep our momentum going.”
Kelty will be a tough test
Kelty Hearts are the visitors to Balmoral Stadium today, and having faced two tough games against Michael Tidser’s side this season, Hartley is expecting another strong challenge today.
He said: “Kelty are a good team and I know Tidser well – he was a young kid when I was at Celtic- and he has adapted really well there.
“He has been their captain, so he knows the club well, and we’re expecting another tough game.
“In the two games we’ve had, we’ve come back from 2-0 down to get a 2-2 draw here, and dug deep for a 1-0 win in a tight game down there, so I expect the exact same again this weekend.”
Fraser Fyvie and Luke Strachan are the only absentees for Cove.
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