Cove leapfrogged Formartine United into fifth place in the table with goals from Jamie McAllister and Jamie Watt against Lossiemouth, but after goalkeeper Murray Kinniard was sent off Rangers had to show great tenacity to play for more than an hour with only 10 men.
Man of the match Blair Yule epitomised the Allan Park side’s spirit and determination to get the win which keeps them on the fringes of the chase for the championship.
He had no problem being asked to play in four different positions throughout the 90 minutes and said: “I ended up going all over the place, but I was happy enough to do it as I’m just pleased to be getting a game.”
The only game left on the Highland League card only went ahead after the Lossie ground-staff did well to clear the snow and then treat the pitch to the satisfaction of referee Davie Watt.
Lossiemouth fielded new recruit from Burghead Thistle Andrew Stewart in attack while Cove left leading-scorer Daryl Nicol, who only returned from holiday in Australia on Thursday, on the bench. Former Don Chris Clark came in for the injured Dean Lawrie at left back, and former Keith goalkeeper Kinnaird was in goal in place of Sandy Wood who was unavailable.
Jonny Smith was first to try his luck early for the visitors with a downward header, but home goalkeeper Connor Hall smothered the ball.
The game sprang into life in the 24th minute when Cove were reduced to 10 men.
Lossie’s Scott Dunn beat the Cove offside trap and won the race for the ball with Cove goalkeeper Kinnaird who brought the lanky forward down in trying to hack the ball clear. Referee Watt immediately brandished a red card and as Cove did not have a substitute goalkeeper on the bench, centre half Watson donned the gloves.
Cove were shaken by the loss of their goalkeeper but only a timely tackle by Lossie defender Bryan Bell on Jamie McAllister, just as the former Culter forward was about to shoot, stopped the visitors from opening the scoring.
Referee Watt’s decision to allow the game to go on was proved right as both sets of players were having no problem in keeping their feet.
And Cove eventually made their class tell by taking the lead in the 56th minute.
Nicol fed the ball to Daniel Park whose superb ball into the six-yard box picked out McAllister and his downward header was past Hall before the goalkeeper could move. Lossie struggled to test stand-in goalkeeper Watson, although he was being well protected by the men in front of him, and it took the home side until the 70th minute to register their first corner kick of the game.
Nicol burst through the middle of the home defence in the 81st minute but Hall did brilliantly to save. Cove would not be denied their second goal and wrapped things up with the last kick of the ball when Nicol swung in a cross and Jamie Watt slid the ball home from six yards.
Disappointed Lossie midfielder Ryan Farquhar said: “We didn’t really put any pressure on Eric Watson when he went in goal, and I feel we really could have done more in the final third of the pitch.”