Mitch Megginson is determined to prove Cove Rangers belong in the Championship.
The League One champions made an instant impact on day one of the season by defeating Raith Rovers 2-0 at Balmoral Stadium to move top of the table.
Cove captain Megginson netted both goals on a historic day for the Aberdeen side as they played in the second tier of Scottish football for the first time – having won promotion from the Highland League to the SPFL only three years ago.
He said: “It sets the tone and shows teams we aren’t going to roll over.
“We are here to make our name.
“We haven’t played Championship football before but we aren’t going to be an easy three points for other teams.
“We don’t want to make it easy for teams to get any points from us, especially at home.
“We want to make this place a fortress.
“That has been the case the last few seasons and that is our aim again.
“We want to be horrible to play against.”
‘A perfect start’
A crowd of 1,138 was present at Balmoral Stadium to witness the League One championship flag being unfurled prior to kick-off on a special day for those connected with Cove Rangers.
For Megginson, whose father Mike is a club legend at Cove, it was extra pleasing to mark the day with a couple of goals and a win.
He said: “It is the perfect start. We wanted to get off on the front foot and we managed to do that.
“It was a tough game as Raith are a good side with quality players.
“We had to dig in at times and the heat didn’t help.
“We were very professional and it was a great start to the Championship.
“It is a proud moment given the journey we have been on, going into League 2 and then League 1 and now the Championship.
“Everyone knows I have ties at this club going back a long time.
“It is an honour to be captain.”
Challenges still to come
But, with the likes of Dundee, Caley Thistle and Partick Thistle in the division, Megginson accepts there will be plenty of difficult matches to come this season.
He said: “We aren’t going to have the ball as much as we have been used to.
“We are going to have to be dogged, get close to teams and put in tackles.
“We showed we can do that but we can also play football when we need to.
“We don’t take anything for granted.
“It is one out of 36 games but it is a great start.
“The focus is already on next week.
3 points ✅
2 goals ⚽
Clean sheet 🧤😍 A memorable debut in the cinch Championship!#CRFC pic.twitter.com/zvnxgNbTva
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) July 30, 2022
“We have to take each game at a time. We are a positive bunch and an ambitious club.
“Our main aim this season is to stay in the league.”
Megginson, who netted 24 times last season, is already up to three goals for the season after following up his Premier Sports Cup strike against Caley Thistle with a double to down Raith.
He added: “My job is to score goals. I have done that for the last six years at Cove.
“And I want to do that for however long until I retire.
“That is my job. I want to do that for the team and I have players around me to set up those chances and make my life easier.”