Cove Rangers v Forfar Athletic – match preview

Forfar Athletic and Cove Rangers will meet today in a competitive fixture for the first time in their respective histories, although they have ‘locked horns’ on many occasions in pre-season friendly fixtures.

It will also mark the ‘Loons’ first-ever visit to the Balmoral Stadium on the outskirts of the Granite City.

Stuart Malcolm and his depleted squad will travel north still looking for their first victory of the campaign.

It looked to all and sundry as if they were to record their third successive draw in the home tussle with Montrose last Saturday but an injury-time strike from the visitors Liam Callaghan put paid to that notion.

The Athies also received an early injury blow in the derby when Marc McCallum had to leave the field of play with a thigh injury which although is not as bad as first feared will rule him out of the Cove fixture.

Daniel Hoban who made more than one excellent save against Stewart Petrie’s side last Saturday will deputise for Mark with Broughty Athletic still awaiting the start of competitive action in the local junior world kindly allowing their keeper Sean Diamond to fill the sub statute goalkeeper berth on the day.

Apart from the well documented long term injury victims, Daniel Scally is also sidelined while Florent Moti may return against Brora in the Betfred on Tuesday evening.    BJ Coll and Kyle Dalling are both added however to last week’s squad.

Cove under the stewardship of Paul Hartley who were runaway winners of the truncated League Two last season have started the new campaign in a higher echelon in a similar vein with wins already recorded over East Fife, Peterhead and Partick Thistle, those results seeing them sit two points ahead of Falkirk and Dumbarton at the top end of the table.

The visitors will therefore start as underdogs for the first of two successive Saturday visits to the Balmoral Stadium, with their defence in particular no doubt realising they will have to be on the top of their game to keep the potent home strike force of Mitch Meggison and Rory McAllister in check.

Scott Lambie is the man in the middle.