Cove Rangers midfielder Fraser Fyvie feels they are yet to get going after a “sticky” start to the League One season.
Cove have seven points from five league games and scraped through in the SPFL Trust Trophy last weekend, edging past Stenhousemuir on penalties.
They face Montrose at the Balmoral Stadium on Saturday, a team which consistently challenges around the play-offs in League One.
Fyvie, who returned from suspension against Stenny, reckons the issues affecting most teams in the league may not iron themselves out until the end of the year.
He said: “We’ve been very sticky and not really got ourselves going yet. But everyone is the same; because of Covid every team has lost players at certain points already, which has affected their team.
“So many teams have had injuries and Covid cases so haven’t had complete squads. You’ll probably not start to see teams pick up until the end of the year.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces and it’s probable been a little bit difficult for them understanding how we want to play, because we don’t play like your average team.
“We play out from the back and stick to our principles. The manager is determined to stick to that and that’s great, in my opinion. Coming in, it’s not easy having to get used to that style.”
Montrose sit second in the table and Fyvie has been impressed by what he has seen from the Angus side in the last year.
He added: “They’re a good side and last year I thought it was between us and them as the two best footballing teams in the league. They’ve got talented young players that could maybe play higher.”
Away from the playing side of the game, Fyvie is pouring his efforts into improving himself as a coach. He hopes to be on his A licence course by the end of the year and is relishing his role coaching within the academy at Aberdeen.
He added: “I’ve always been really intrigued in the coaching side of the game, particularly since I went down the road and worked with Roberto (Martinez).
“Every manager I have worked under since has shown me different styles and I take little bits from each one. When I’m playing I probably don’t think about it but when I’m coaching, it definitely helps that I have had a lot of managers.
Looking forward to another week with @AFCCT #TrainLikeaPro https://t.co/9VaO2VC6bN
— Fraser Fyvie (@F_FYVIE) July 25, 2021
“It’s definitely the best thing after playing and something I really enjoying. It’s a great opportunity for me going into Aberdeen and it’s a good time to be there.
“It’s your job in the academy to develop; get them a full-time contract and into the first-team.
“I think the chairman and the manger also have to buy into that and you can see that already. Jack MacKenzie, Calvin Ramsay, Dean Campbell – you can see they are not shy about giving these boys a chance.
“I think it helps I know what’s expected and what demands were put on me a a young boy. Maybe it helps the kids have a bit of insight from someone who’s come through that.”