Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley has shared his disappointment following his side’s relegation from the Championship after only one season.
The Balmoral Stadium side came into the final evening of the season with a chance to escape relegation entirely, but a 2-1 defeat to 10-man Greenock Morton and Hamilton Accies’ draw with Arbroath meant Hartley’s men finished at the foot of the table on 31 points.
After the defeat, Hartley was deflated and acknowledged his side have not been good enough at Championship level over the entire campaign.
Hartley said: “It was a disappointing evening for us, the conditions weren’t ideal from start to finish – it was difficult to see and difficult to play in.
“Overall it’s a frustrating night, but it’s been frustrating season for the club. They’ve worked so hard to get to the Championship over the last couple of years.
“Big disappointment tonight and disappointing for myself. I take responsibility for the results, there’s no doubt about it.
“Morton wasn’t the game that sealed our fate, it was the 36 games.”
Having won two titles and two promotions over a three-year period since coming into the SPFL pyramid, Cove have not been used to disappointments.
Hartley believes things need to change at the club and has shared how he plans to go about his rebuild for life in League One.
He said: “It’s (relegation) a big setback for us having worked really hard to get here. You don’t want to give it up without a fight.
“But over the season, we’ve not been at it. We’ve lacked a lot of things – both boxes have not been good enough. We’ve not had the quality.
“We need to get the age of the team down, we’ve been too old and too slow. The attitude and leadership has got to be better.
“That’s been the big concern for me since I’ve come back in.
“I’ve tried to keep things quiet, but overall, I haven’t been happy with how performances have been.
“We need a new team (for next season) and we’ll do our best to try build a more energetic team.”
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