Mark Reynolds is convinced Cove Rangers’ luck will turn as they bid to haul themselves to safety in the Championship.
The League One champions are in a three-way fight with Hamilton Accies and Arbroath to avoid finishing in the bottom two of the second tier.
Cove missed the chance to pull clear of their rivals as they were edged out 1-0 at league leaders Queen’s Park a week ago in what was another frustrating evening for Paul Hartley’s side.
Reynolds said: “It has been the most frustrating thing for us as we have been on the receiving end of some bad breaks.
“Look at the last game against Queen’s Park last week.
“We were in the game and it could have been 4-4 given the chances both teams created yet we lost 1-0 due to an own-goal.
“Queen’s Park are top of the league and going for promotion while we’re at the other end yet there was nothing between us.
“It would be easier to deal with if we were struggling and being outfought in games but that’s not the case. We’re competing well.”
đź“ş Our cinch Championship encounter with @DundeeFC next month has been selected by BBC Scotland as one of their live matches, and will now go ahead on Friday, April 28th with a 7.45pm kick-off.
Ticket information will be published in due course.
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) March 17, 2023
Part-time clubs competing well against full-time teams
Cove and Arbroath are the two part-time clubs competing against eight full-time teams in the Championship.
However, Reynolds believes it is wrong to assume part-time clubs have it tougher.
He said: “Last season Arbroath were 30 minutes away from promotion so I don’t think the part-time versus full-time argument is a big deal.
“We’re not running out of gas in games and there’s no issues in terms of fatigue at all.
“I’ve been a full-time professional and now I’m part-time and I can tell you as far as this club is concerned there is very little difference in terms of actual training and contact time.
“That’s down to the work of the gaffer and (assistant) Gordon Young at the club.
“They put in the hard work to ensure we make the most of our time together at training and have the information we need so we’re prepared for games.”
‘You’re punished for mistakes at this level’
The biggest difference between the second and third tier, however, is quality and Reynolds acknowledges the step up is a significant one.
He said: “I don’t think there is anyone in the league who feels there is a difference between full-time and part-time teams.
“But where there is a difference is in quality.
“At this level you can be punished for giving away a half chance and if you create chances of your own you have to take them.
“I mean no disrespect to League One or League Two but you could maybe get away with giving the opposition two or three chances.
“At this level you are punished every time.”
Confidence high in Cove camp ahead of trip to Raith
Reynolds believes the fact his side has been competitive against their rivals in the division stands them in good stead for the run-in and he insists confidence is high ahead of today’s trip to seventh-placed Raith Rovers.
The defender said: “We feel the same about Raith as we do every game. We’re confident as we know we have good players.
“We’ve had some injury problems this season. Fraser Fyvie is a big miss and we’ve had spells where Blair Yule, Mitch Megginson and Connor Scully have missed games too.
“We’ve have some bad breaks in that respect and it’s harder when you can’t put a settled team out.
“But we still feel we can get results. It’ll be a tough game but every game is for every team in this league.”
Meanwhile, Cove’s Championship encounter against Dundee next month has been selected by BBC Scotland as one of their live matches. It will now take place on Friday, April 28 with a 7.45pm kick-off.
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