Hartley has one eye on Clyde as Ibrox trip looms
Playing Rangers at Ibrox will be the biggest match in Cove Rangers’ history – but Paul Hartley will sacrifice some of his players to prioritise his side’s league clash with Clyde.
The lower league suspension, allied with television scheduling which has moved the Scottish Cup tie to an unorthodox 6.30pm Sunday evening kick-off, means Cove only have 48 hours between the glamour game and a key league fixture on Tuesday .
Sunday’s occasion may be the biggest, but Tuesday night’s three points could be bigger in the long-term.
Hartley’s side sit just four points off his old club Falkirk at the top of League One, and harbour hopes of moving into the Championship. While everyone wants a piece of the Ibrox action amongst the squad, some tough decisions will have to be made to maintain the club’s promotion campaign.
“It is part and parcel of being a manager,” Hartley admitted. “Some players will be fine with it but I have tried to explain all along that we have not seen a schedule like this before. I have told them they will play one week but might not feature the following week.
“There is no point picking players after going flat out for 90 minutes and I can't get anything out of them on Tuesday night. It is about trying to pick a team that will compete, but will also have one eye on Tuesday, which is the most important thing for us.”
Drawing one of the tournament’s big guns away usually means a cash bonanza – a share of the gate, maybe TV money too – and the big stage glamour. Not this weekend. With no fans, Cove have attempted to make up the shortfall with a virtual ticket initiative among both clubs’ supporters. And there will be a big matchday element missing for the players too.
“It is the biggest game in the club’s history,” Hartley added. “Quite a few of them have never played there before and the disappointment for the players is that there will be no fans there – but they are on television and the platform is there.
“Also financially, what we would have made in any other circumstances if we had fans in would have been a lot of money and we are having to spend a lot with the protocols and testing.”