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Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley looking for defensive improvement

Cove manager wants to see errors eradicated as club bids to move up the table in League One.

Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley.
Cove boss Paul Hartley. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson.

Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley believes cutting out the defensive mistakes is key to his club putting together a winning run.

Cove are ninth in League One after scoring 10 goals and conceding 10 in their opening seven matches of the campaign.

The goals are starting to flow for his side after scoring four times in the last two matches but Hartley is frustrated his side have only come away with a point from their encounters with Edinburgh City and Kelty Hearts.

He said: “Our attacking play has been excellent with lots of attempts at goal. We’ve scored four goals in the last two games and we should be winning.

“We’re conceding sloppy goals due to bad mistakes and if we can eradicate it we’ll be fine.

“We’re clicking in the last third so it’s about finding the balance.

“You defend as a team and attack as a team so I’m not pointing the finger at any players.

“It’s wee individual things like people not doing their jobs at set plays. If we can that out we will be okay.

“It’s fine margins so if we can sort that out I think, with the attacking play we have which is as good as anybody’s, we can get results.

“I can say that by looking at the efforts we’ve had on goal in the last three games.”

Cove looking to find consistency

Falkirk and Hamilton Accies are the early pacesetters at the top of the division after starting their respective campaigns with six wins and one draw.

With his side 13 points behind the top two Hartley knows picking up three points on a regular basis is vital if Cove hope to reel in the leaders.

He said: “We’ve never been outplayed by anybody which is a good thing. I see good signs but we need to fine tune it and bring it all together.

“Everybody is looking for it in every league. You don’t want to be turning up one week and not know what you are getting. If we can sort that out we can get a run going.”

Hartley’s praise for Stirling counterpart Darren Young

Stirling Albion manager Darren Young. Image: SNS

Cove head for Forthbank on Saturday to face Stirling Albion in a game which will be shown live on BBC Alba at 5.30pm.

Hartley has been impressed by the Binos’ start to the season but is not surprised at the impact opposing manager Darren Young has made at the club.

He said: “Stirling are a good team. Darren was my captain at Alloa when were promoted twice and he’s done well there.

“He’s done really well at the other jobs he has had and he has a good team which is playing well and it’s a good surface there.

“It’s in front of the TV cameras too so we know we are going to have be at our best.

“They had a bad result a couple of weeks ago at Annan and didn’t win last week. This league is so funny.

“It’s all about consistency and only the two teams at the top have had the most consistency in the league so far.”

Blair Yule faces a late fitness test after suffering a knock at Edinburgh last weekend.

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