Cove players and staff on furlough

Cove Rangers have put all their employees on the government’s Job Retention Scheme through the Covid-19 lockdown.

Chairman Keith Moorhouse, pictured, said it was a difficult decision but was the best solution for the club at this time.

The furlough scheme has been cited as a lifesaver to many lowerleague clubs, with Elgin City and Peterhead already looking to utilise it to help pay their players through the shutdown.

He said: “It’s now time to update you on the steps taken to safeguard the future of the club we all love.

“With the help of digital technology, the board of directors have met on a regular basis to discuss what was required to achieve that. We began last month by closing Balmoral Stadium until further notice.

“I can now announce we have also made the difficult decision to place all of our staff, management and players on the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the next three months.

“We feel this is the best solution which will avoid the need for redundancies and gives us a fighting chance of coming out of the current situation in a stronger position.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank all of the staff affected for unanimously supporting our efforts to protect the club in the long term.

“In closing I would remind you all, please follow the government advice and stay safe. Let’s hope it won’t be too long before we will all be able to enjoy watching Cove Rangers in action again.”