The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Cove dealt Demus blow
Cove Rangers goalkeeper Balint Demus is facing a spell on the sidelines after fracturing a bone in his hand.
Demus came back into the side for the 3-1 win at Annan Athletic two weeks ago and put in an impressive display.
But his performance has come at a cost after picking up an injury, which will keep him out until February.
Cove boss Paul Hartley said: “Balint will be missing for a number of weeks.
“He fractured his hand at Annan but the good news is he doesn’t need an op. He took a kick on his hand and it will keep him out for six to eight weeks.
“We’re fortunate we’ve got two good goalkeepers but the important bit is that Balint lets the injury heal and is back in the squad.”
Cove return to League One duty today looking to get back to winning ways after their 11-match unbeaten run was ended by Alloa Athletic at Balmoral Stadium last weekend.
Hartley was shocked by the poor display of his inform side and expects a reaction when Edinburgh City make the trip north today.
He said: “We were really poor. I didn’t see it coming but sometimes it happens and you have to take it as a kick up the backside.
“You can’t get complacent and we weren’t at our best. We scored a really good goal but apart from that we were poor.
“We should have seen the game out and taken a point. There were 30 seconds left and we didn’t defend well.
“But we have an opportunity to get back to winning ways and we’ve got a good run of games coming up.
“It’s how you respond to a defeat that matters. We’ve been really good for the past couple of months and our last poor performance was against Alloa.”
Cove will be strong favourites against a beleaguered Edinburgh City outfit which has been crippled by financial woes.
Edinburgh failed to pay their players last month leading to several first team members, led by captain Danny Handling, quitting the club.
The crisis has deepened to the point the club announced on Wednesday it had withdrawn its Lowland League Development and SWF Championship teams from their respective leagues.
Hartley has sympathy for City boss Michael McIndoe and his players but knows his club has a job to do come 3pm today.
The Cove manager said: “I feel sorry for the players. It’s a horrible situation for everyone there and a difficult time for the football club as a whole.
“You don’t want to see that financial situation at any club but we’ve got be professional.
“Once the whistle blows you have to be on it. If you’re not then you are beat like we were last week.
“We will be totally professional. We always pay the opposition the utmost respect.
“It’s been hard to do our homework but we know they have players who can hurt you.
“We can’t expect to turn up and win.”