Cove Rangers F.C.

Cove Rangers F.C.

Full name	Cove Rangers Football Club
Nickname(s)	Aberdeen's 'Second' team, Highland Dynamite
Founded	1922
Ground	Allan Park (Capacity: 2,500 (200 seated))
Chairman	Keith Moorhouse
League	Highland Football League
2009–10	Highland Football League, 2nd

Cove Rangers are a senior Scottish football club currently playing in the Press & Journal Highland Football League. They are based in Cove Bay, a suburb of Aberdeen and play their football at Allan Park.

The current managers are Kevin Tindal and Colin Milne. We're Blue, We're White. We're Highland Dynamite. We're The Cove! We're The Cove!

History

Cove were formed in 1922 and played in the local amateur leagues until 1985, when they became a junior team. However, the club applied and were accepted to the senior Highland Football League in 1986, where they have played ever since. They have racked up a formidable reputation in the lower rounds of the Scottish Cup, reaching the 3rd round three times. In 2001 they won their first Highland League championship – but even more impressively won the quadruple of Highland League, Aberdeenshire Shield, Scottish Qualifying Cup and League Cup.

Cove were drawn against Edinburgh University football club in the 3rd round (proper) of the Scottish Cup. The tie took place at Allan Park on Saturday, November 24, 2007 with Cove winning 1–0 through a 90th minute goal from McKibben.

Finally Cove were drawn against Ross County football club in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. They finally bowed out after losing 4–2.

However that did not deter the south Aberdeen side from claiming their second ever Highland League Championship with a 3–0 home win against Lossiemouth on the 3rd of May 2008.

Cove Rangers were one of the clubs preparing an application for entry into the Scottish Football League following Gretna relinquishing their league status on 3 June 2008. The other clubs were Spartans, Annan Athletic, and Preston Athletic.^[1] Annan Athletic were eventually awarded the place, due to their superior facilities.

The club have started plans for a new stadium in preparation for a possible place in the Scottish Third Division.-See the move to Calder Park.

One of the club's most famous players is the young Scottish midfielder Paul Coutts who joined English League One side Peterborough United during the summer of 2008 for a nominal fee. Coutts won the clubs's young player of the year award for the 2008/09 season ^[2] and has been touted for a call up to the Scottish U-21 squad by his former manager Darren Ferguson.^[3]

Kit

The 2011/12 season kit is the same as the one from the 2010/11 season. Central Taxis Aberdeen and Uhlsport sponsor the kit.

Home Colours

Away Colours

Keeper Colours

Youth

Cove Rangers Youth organisation begins from Cove Boys Club, which has teams from under 8s to under 16s. Cove Rangers can choose to pick players from the boys club, as can Cove Thistle. Cove Rangers Youth development has already began planning as Cove Boys Club are an upcoming juvenile side. Cove Boys Club have been known for letting players go to bigger juvenile sides such as Albion Boys club, Dyce Boys Club and Alc Lewis from where they will go through the ranks to the likes of Montose, Dyce Juniors or Lewis United.

Scottish Cup

Cove Rangers participate in the Scottish Cup and are known as a formidable opponent to get in the early rounds. The round they enter the cup depends on the previous season league position. The furthest Cove have ever got in the Scottish Cup is the 4th Round

List of results since 2000

2000:

• 2nd Round Peterhead F.C. 3-0 Cove Rangers F.C.

2001:

• Did Not Qualify(DNQ)

2002:

• 2nd Round Gretna F.C. 3-0 Cove Rangers F.C.

2003:

• DNQ

2004:

• 1st Round Cove Rangers F.C. 4-1 Dalbeattie Star F.C.
• 2nd Round Cove Rangers F.C. 1-7 Greenock Morton F.C.

2005:

• 2nd Round Gretna F.C. 6-1 Cove Rangers F.C.

2006:

• DNQ

2007:

• 1st Round Brora Rangers F.C. 0-7 Cove Rangers F.C.
• 2nd Round Cove Rangers F.C. 3-0 Keith F.C.
• 3rd Round Cove Rangers F.C. 1-0 Edinburgh University A.F.C.
• 4th Round Cove Rangers F.C. 2-4 Ross County F.C.

2008:

• 2nd Round Cove Rangers F.C. 1-0 Whitehill Welfare F.C.
• 3rd Round Airdrie United F.C. 3-0 Cove Rangers F.C.

2009:

• 2nd Round Cove Rangers F.C. 2-1 Annan Athletic F.C.
• 3rd Round Stenhousemuir F.C. 5-0 Cove Rangers F.C.

2010:

• 2nd Round Nairn County F.C. 0-1 Cove Rangers F.C.
• 3rd Round Cove Rangers F.C. 0-4 Berwick Rangers F.C.

2011:

• 1st Round Glasgow University F.C. 0-4 Cove Rangers F.C.
• 2nd Round Vale of Leithen F.C. 3-2 Cove Rangers F.C.

The move to Calder Park

On Friday 30th of July an article was placed in, the local Aberdeen paper, the Evening Express that Stewart Milne, the chairman of Aberdeen F.C., had bought their home ground Alan Park. From the money that Cove got they could finally build their proposed project at Calder Park. The stadium is supposed to be a 1,000 all-seated stadium. The proposed new stadium would maximise their chances of getting into the SFL after getting rejected on the 3rd June 2008 because they didn't have a good enough stadium. Since then Aberdeen City Council have allowed "Travellers" to stay at the premises until November 2011.

Current squad

As of 8 August 2011. Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player – GK Stuart McKenzie (stand-in captain) - GK Greg Sim – DF Eric Watson – DF Alan Redford – DF Dean Lawrie – DF Kevin Small – DF Stephen Jeffrey – DF Jordan Heads – DF Neil Cruickshank – DF Scott Burke – DF Ritchie Livingstone – DF Stirling Smith – MF Jamie Beagrie

No. Position Player – MF Murray McCulloch – MF Ritchie Singer – MF Jordan Leydon – MF Blair Yule – MF Roddy Black – MF Jamie Buchan – MF Connor Scully - MF Paul Emslie - MF Jordan Leydon – MF Kevin Webster – FW Daniel Park – FW Danny Milne – FW Callum Watson – FW Martin Johnston

* Note: Squad numbers are chosen by the position the player is playing on a match day. e.g. Right-Back 2 or Substitute 15...

References

1. ^ Gretna relinquish league status, BBC Sports. Retrieved on 3 June 2008
2. ^ Coutts wins Player of the Moth, Peterborough United FC. Retrieved on 3 November 2008
3. ^ "Posh boss receives a pep talk from Sir Alex, ''Peterborough Evening Telegraph''. Retrieved on 3 November 2008". Peterboroughtoday.co.uk. http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/Posh-boss-receives-a-pep.4579744.jp. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 

External links

• Cove Rangers F.C. unofficial website
• Cove Rangers promotional video for entry to the SFL