Cove Rangers face the unenviable schedule of four games in seven days as they look to realise their League One promotion ambitions.
Heading into the split in third place hands Cove arguably the most onerous of fixture lists, with manager Paul Hartley hoping his players have enough in the tank to finish the season on a high.
The League One campaign comes to a conclusion on May 4, as the five teams in the top half vie for the title and play-off places.
Defeat to Montrose on Tuesday night and Falkirk losing at Peterhead allowed Partick Thistle, with a 2-0 win at Dumbarton, to leapfrog the pair and take top spot.
Airdrieonians beat East Fife 2-0 to confirm their place in the top half while Montrose’ win was enough to see them knock the Fifers into the bottom half.
Here, we take a look at Cove’s head-to-head records against the teams they will face in their bid for promotion.
Falkirk (A, April 24)
The first game of Cove’s hectic run comes on Saturday against Falkirk, the same side they faced at the Balmoral Stadium seven days ago.
Falkirk have lost three of their last five games in League One, which has seen them slip away from the league summit and dispense with their management team of Lee Miller and David McCracken.
They lost 1-0 to Peterhead on Tuesday night, on the back of a 2-0 loss against Cove last weekend which came courtesy of a Mitch Megginson double.
The two sides met at The Falkirk Stadium in November, with a solitary Callumn Morrison goal earning the home side all three points. They also have a Scottish Cup meeting in the not-too-distant past, with Falkirk – then managed by current Cove boss Paul Hartley – winning 3-1 at Inverurie in 2018.
Partick Thistle (H, April 27)
Ian McCall’s side appear to have found form at the right time, winning four on the bounce and scoring 12 goals without reply.
Former Rangers youngster Zak Rudden has found the net five times in his last three games as Partick look to make an immediate return to the Championship.
Cove have been impressive against the Jags, who were a Premiership side until 2018, this season and are unbeaten from their two meetings.
A scrappy win in a wind-swept game in October marked Cove’s first win over full-time opposition, while they held Partick to a creditable 1-1 draw on their return to League One action in March.
Prior to this season, the two sides had only faced each other once, a Scottish Cup tie in 2012 which resulted in a 2-1 win for Partick.
Montrose (A, April 29)
Montrose scraped into the top half on the final matchday before the split, with a 1-0 win courtesy of a Fraser Fyvie own goal.
Their league form has been solid if unspectacular, with only two defeats since the start of December but they have dropped points against teams in the bottom half.
This season has seen them record two victories over Cove, with the first coming in December at the Balmoral Stadium. Harry Milne had given the hosts the lead before two goals in six minutes from Graham Webster and Russell McLean gave Stewart Petrie’s men the points.
The two clubs will face each other nine days on from their previous meeting and in the middle of tough runs, with Montrose sitting out the first matchday on Saturday before they too play four games in a week.
Airdrieonians (H, May 1)
Four wins in five sees the Diamonds head into the split in good nick and with a more than reasonable chance of challenging for promotion.
They have, however, lost on their two previous visits to the north-east and must go to the Balmoral Stadium on May 1 in Cove’s final game of the season.
Hartley’s side beat Airdrieonians 2-0 at home at the end of March and the two teams drew 1-1 in their first meeting in November.
Airdrieonians sit out matchday three of the split on Thursday April 29 ahead of their visit north but face a potential do-or-die game at home to Falkirk on the final day.
For Cove, the final whistle of this match will start a nervous waiting game, as they sit on the sidelines for matchday five on May 4.