Boss Hartley aiming to have absentees back

Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley hopes to have injury absentees Jamie Redman and Connor Scully back involved at training tomorrow.

Redman missed all four of Cove Rangers’ Betfred Cup games while Scully suffered bruised ankle ligaments against Caley Thistle last week.

Despite that and captain Mitch Megginson’s suspension, Cove comfortably dispatched Raith Rovers at the Balmoral Stadium, with goals from Jamie Masson, Chris Antoniazzi and Declan Glass ensuring a 3-0 triumph.

With the start of the league season five days away, having three key players available again – with plans to strengthen further – all looks rosy for Hartley.

He said: “We’ve never had our strongest team on the pitch.

“We’ve not had a strong bench – we’ve had three outfield players on the bench. Megginson never played, Redman never played, Strachan has been out.

“If we can add another couple I think we’ll be stronger.

“Redman has done a bit of running so he’ll probably be back in Tuesday.

“We’re hoping Scully will be back for training on Tuesday too.

“The more players we get back the more competition we have and we will try and add to the group, as we’re still short in certain areas.”

He was pleased Cove got their just rewards against the League 1 side, after positive performances against Peterhead, Dundee and Inverness earned them only a point.

Hartley added: “It was really good.

“Our play deserved that – we could have scored more goals.

“We got a clean sheet and the new lads scored, so I’m really pleased with how the day went.

“Glassy especially, who was brilliant in midweek, showed his quality and took his goal well.

“They’ve settled in really well and that’s down to the dressing room, which is really good.

“The preparation has been good for the four games; I feel we should have more points but our focus is now on the first game of the season.”

Paul Hartley: Delighted with Raith victory