Delighted Cove boss Paul Hartley hailed another outstanding team performance after watching his current side ease to victory against his former club Falkirk to stay three points clear of Montrose at the top of League One.
While extending their unbeaten run to eight games, Cove have now won the last five league games, with a combined score of 13-0 illustrating how successful they have been at both ends of the pitch.
The result capped off a fine week for the Aberdeen side following their 3-0 Scottish Cup success against Queen of the South in Dumfries earlier in the week.
Hartley said: “I’m so proud of the players.
“It was a great performance from start to finish.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and we’ve got some really good players, but it’s been a tough week for us.
“Some of the boys didn’t get home until 3am midweek and then had to get up and go to work the next day, so we’ve had to rotate the group and make changes to the personnel and the shape.
“It was another long journey and another tough game today, but everyone who came in was different class and I thought our work-rate and some of our play was outstanding.
“The first goal was superb, the second one was absolute class and the third was a quality finish too.
“It was another clean sheet, and if you keep doing that then you know you won’t lose.”
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 💙#CRFC pic.twitter.com/IVwCc3VpOF
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) December 11, 2021
Saturday’s first-half display was ruthlessly efficient as the visitors produced just two attempts on the Falkirk goal yet managed to find the net with both of them.
Morgyn Neill notched a 20th-minute opener from 35 yards before striker Rory McAllister controlled Mitch Megginson’s pass with his chest and then fired home from close range just six minutes before the break.
It was McAllister’s 13th goal of the season and spelled more bad luck for Falkirk, who appointed new manager Martin Rennie on Friday after sacking Paul Sheerin following the previous week’s 6-0 humiliation at Queen’s Park.
Despite facing a fourth straight defeat, the mid-table Bairns never threatened to spark a second-half fightback and Cove could even afford to miss four chances to increase their lead.
🗣️ 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Paul Hartley reacts to this afternoon's 3-0 victory over Falkirk 👇
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) December 11, 2021
Substitute Leighton McIntosh lobbed a sublime third goal from Megginson’s assist as the contest moved into stoppage time.
Defender Shay Logan was then red-carded by referee Calum Scott, apparently for gesturing inappropriately to home fans.
“I would like to speak to the ref about it because I didn’t see anything,” admitted Hartley. “It’s not something I can comment on.”