Cove Rangers

Cove Rangers’ first season in the Scottish Football League proved a successful one as they won the League 2 title at a relative canter. There was significant investment in the squad, while a partnership with Aberdeen saw them take on some promising youngsters on loan and has been exploited once again as Seb Ross has arrived on a permanent basis to play the attacking midfield role that was vacated by Declan Glass, arguably their outstanding player last season. Cove boast a formidable unit throughout their team, with Rory McAllister a long-time leading marksman in Scotland’s lower leagues, though there have been signs of him finally starting to slow down. Mitch Megginson, meanwhile, is capable, though his goal tally last season was flattering simply because of the quality he was given in midfield. Fraser Fyvie will be one of the league’s outstanding central midfielders, while in Jordon Brown and Jamie Masson they have a couple of experienced campaigners. They are certainly an attack-heavy team, with the defence less impressive in a man-for-man basis. Nevertheless, with Ryan Strachan, Scott Ross and Daniel Higgins, they are not without quality at its heart. There is perhaps something of a weakness on the left, where Adam Livingstone is set to be a starter after arriving from Motherwell last season, but this should not prove to be a major handicap. This is a team that is relatively solid throughout but, while there are a couple of standout players, there is not the depth in quality that will allow them to compete with the title chasers, while there is a danger that McAllister may be past his peak.