Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley is keen to add to his squad before next Saturday’s League One opener at home to Falkirk.
The Aberdeen outfit ran out 3-1 winners in their Premier Sports Cup group match against Championship side Caley Thistle – a result which was all the more impressive considering Cove were only able to name two outfield substitutes.
With Scott Ross and Daniel Higgins among those who missed out, Hartley is keen to strengthen the depth available to him in the coming days.
Hartley said: “We have got injuries, so we are looking to bring a couple in.
“It didn’t help us having two outfield players on the bench.
“The players dug deep and worked hard. We are still finding our feet, but we are slowly getting there.
“Hopefully touchwood we are all over the Covid issues. We have been for the last 10 days.
“If we can get a couple of the injuries back, hopefully we can add one or two bodies to the squad between now and next week.”
Hartley handed a home debut to Robbie Leitch, who impressed before being taken off as a precaution at half-time with a groin injury.
The Cove boss was thrilled by the manner of the victory, having opened their Group A campaign with three successive defeats.
He added: “Robbie has not played a lot. He has been out through illness, so we gave him 45 minutes on Saturday and 45 minutes against Inverness.
“He just felt his groin a little bit, but more soreness than anything else. It was just a safety measure.
“He was really good, his combination play with Megginson and Fyvie was really good. Vigurs was outstanding in the middle of the pitch and Draper was a good calming influence on us.
“I thought we were good. We were more like us – some of our play was excellent and the work-rate was good.
“We are slowly getting there. The fitness was better, so it was a good game and good preparation for us.”
Cove took the lead on 35 minutes when Fraser Fyvie’s through ball released Leighton McIntosh, who rifled past Mark Ridgers from just inside the box.
The hosts doubled their advantage just four minutes later, with skipper Mitch Megginson latching on to a superb ball over the top by Leitch to angle an effort past Ridgers.
Both sides had chances after the break, but Cove added a late third when Blair Yule squeezed home after Broque Watson had been denied, with Manny Duku netting a consolation from the spot for Inverness.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.