Sean Risk Sport

Cove Rangers kicked off their KDM Evolution Trophy campaign with a 1-1 draw with Spartans at Balmoral Stadium.

The KDM Evolution Trophy or the challenge cup returned with a new structure. The tournament is now played in a league phase which consists of sides from League 1, League 2 and Premiership B teams. The top 22 sides in the league phase advance into the round of 32 where the clubs from the Championship enter the competition.

Preview

Cove came into this game off the back of 2 defeats to begin their League 1 campaign, they suffered defeat on opening day with a 2-0 home loss to fellow promotion hopefuls Queen of the South thanks to goals from Kurtis Guthrie and Kai Kennedy.

An early goal from Dale Carrick was enough to give Stenhousemuir all 3 points over Cove at Ochilview Park last Saturday which leaves Paul Hartleys men 9th in League 1 after 2 games with no goals scored, however it is still early days and they will still fancy themselves to be in the playoffs come May.

Spartans spoiled the welcome party for Lowland League champions East Kilbride with a 3-1 victory on the opening day of League 2 at the K Park Stadium. Cameron Russell gave Spartans an early lead before Keir Foster equalised for East Kilbride, but a brace from Mark Stowe was enough to give the Edinburgh side all 3 points.

An own goal from Jamie Dishington and a goal from Kai Kirkpatrick was enough for 10 man Dumbarton to get all 3 points at Ainslie Park. The Sons are the only side with a perfect record in League 2 but sit 6th in the table due to a -5 points deduction due to being in administration last season.

Despite defeat, Spartans are only a point behind league leaders Annan Athletic so it is shaping up to be a very competitive League 2 season and they will want to be right up there after narrowly missing out on the playoffs last campaign.

Little to split the sides

A draw was probably a fair outcome. Both sides had their fair share of chances which could have swung the game in either direction.

Cove took the lead 10 minutes into the second half with a great finish from Arron Darge who was set up by Blair Yule which left Blair Carswell no chance.

Controversy surrounded referee Sean Murdoch with 15 minutes to go as Ryan Harrington looked to be brought down in the box however he was shown a yellow card for simulation which left the Cove players furious.

Spartans would get their equaliser with 8 minutes remaining through Mark Stowe who was there to fire home a low ball played across the goal which would prove decisive and earn the League 2 side a great point on the road.

Spartans “got the balance right”

Spartans boss Douglas Samuel feels his side had the perfect balance between rotation and competitiveness, stating “tonight was about getting minutes into people and remain competitive”.

Samuel recalled when the two sides met on the opening day of the League Cup where his side narrowly lost 1-0, acknowledging that Balmoral is a tough place to travel to and highlighted how pleased he was to get a point against opposition from a higher league.

After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season, Spartans are looking to be back in the promotion picture. Samuel wants to compete for promotion “whether that is by winning the league or the playoffs.”

Hartley takes positives from draw

Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley was pleased with a lot of what he saw from his side despite the result. Hartley emphasised the size of the Cove squad which is without key players such as Fraser Fyvie and Declan Glass, and admitted he was ‘disappointed’ with the goal they conceded, but felt otherwise it was a good performance.

Arron Darge scored Cove’s first goal in 2 games, Hartley highlighted that Darge is a big player in his side and praised his versatility. He also praised his run from the midfield which is something the Cove boss has been encouraging his players to do more often.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Cove welcome Montrose to Balmoral as they look to get a win on the board in League 1. Hartley acknowledged that Montrose are a good side but feels once key players return from injury, his side will be fine and will be up there come the end of the season.

New format brings extra demand

In the wake of Inverness Caley Thistle’s 2-0 win over Peterhead , Caley Jags boss Scott Kellacher branded the amount of fixtures the new challenge cup format brings as ‘ridiculous’, which seems to be a common opinion throughout the competing clubs.

Spartans boss Samuel described it as ‘difficult’ due to its timing as a good start in the league is pivotal and now there are these cup games midweek in between, but also acknowledged the bigger picture and stated “there is a responsibility to try and develop the game, there’s no doubt this competition is designed to give B teams development games so there is pro’s and cons to it.”

Paul Hartley believes most managers have a similar opinion to Kellacher, stating “we just haven’t got the squad to cope with it” and commented on how he liked the old format as it was either “you’re in or you’re out”.