Leighton McIntosh is not taking his Cove Rangers place for granted ahead of their first season in the Championship.
McIntosh is on his longest spell at a single club since he left his first side Dundee in 2014 but he knows that is no guarantee of keeping a starting spot.
The forward joined Cove in 2020 after their promotion to League One and while he has not always been a regular in the side, he has contributed key goals.
His late header in the draw against Queen’s Park last season went a long way to helping Cove seal promotion with the League One title.
McIntosh has started the League Cup games against Albion Rovers and Kelty Hearts, setting up Fraser Fyvie’s goal against the latter, but knows he still has work to do.
“You can’t get comfortable. I have enjoyed my time at Cove and it’s a brilliant setup,” said McIntosh. “Obviously I’m here with a different manager now who didn’t sign me, so it’s important I show him why I should keep playing in Cove’s team.
“He’s not said too much to me in-depth. Everyone in the team is fighting for places just now and showing the manager what they can do.
“I’m confident I can always bring something to this team, whether that’s out wide or through the middle.
“I think I offer a different threat with my pace and it’s about staying consistent to force my way into the manager’s team.”
Looking to ‘build momentum’
Cove finish their League Cup campaign with a trip to fellow Championship side Caley Thistle tomorrow.
The Aberdeen outfit are already eliminated from the competition while Inverness have a 100% record and have all but qualified for the knockout stage.
“Every game is important and we would like to build momentum going into the league,” said McIntosh. “It’ll be a good test and we’ve had a tough group to be fair.
“We need a big response from that game on Tuesday night.
“The League Cup is good. It gets you into competitive games early. Sometimes you can treat pre-season games differently.
“You can work on things and get errors out of the way – you would rather do it early rather than in the league in a more important situation.”