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Cove Rangers 3-4 Inverurie Loco Works: Opportunity knocked but Cove were found wanting

Stuart Duff playing for Cove Rangers against Inverurie Locos.
Stuart Duff playing for Cove Rangers against Inverurie Locos.

Cove squandered the chance to close the gap on leaders Brora after losing a thrilling match at Spain Park in Aberdeen yesterday.

Daryl Nicol scored a hat-trick for Cove, taking his season’s tally to 31, but Locos secured the win with goals from John Maitland, Martin Laing, Michael Selfridge and Joe McCabe, who celebrated his 19th birthday with an 83rd-minute winner.

A disappointed Cove manager John Sheran was less than impressed by the key decision in the game when Inverurie defender Stephen Jeffrey conceded a second-half penalty for a foul on Nicol, but escaped a red card from referee Chris Fordyce.

Daryl Nicol scores Cove's second past keeper Scott Mathieson and defender Marc Young.  Picture by Kami Thomson
Daryl Nicol scores Cove’s second past keeper Scott Mathieson and defender Marc Young. Picture by Kami Thomson

Sheran said: “I was raging, surely it had to be a sending off as it was a goal-scoring opportunity?

“Again, for their third goal it should have been a free kick to us, the referee gave it to them and they scored off it. We were harshly treated.

“I do think our players could have defended certain situations better, and without a doubt the conditions were a great leveller.”

Locos co-manager, Scott Buchan, said: “It was a great victory for us, although the game shouldn’t have gone ahead due to the high winds.

“It wasn’t pretty but it was exciting I suppose, but the win made it a lottery for both teams.”

Cove handed a debut to new signing, right back Grant Campbell, signed from Wick Academy on a two and a half year deal, but in the 13th minute Locos had the lead when Maitland’s low 25-yard free kick deflecting off the defensive wall to leave goalkeeper John McCafferty stranded.

Cove levelled when Locos goalkeeper Scott Mathieson upended Nicol in the box and the league’s leading scorer scored from the penalty spot for his 29th goal of the season.

Cove were in the ascendancy but 10 minutes from the break Mathieson redeemed himself when he turned a net-bound Daniel Park 15-yard drive on to the underside of the crossbar, and it was cleared to safety before Nicol could turn it into the net.

The match swung from end to end and just before the interval Nicol ran on to a Campbell pass and scored in style, but back came Locos and levelled when Martin Laing clipped the ball home from six yards.

Two minutes after the restart Cove went ahead when Nicol was tripped just inside the box by Jeffrey.

The referee pointed to the spot, but Jeffrey escaped a red card before Nicol scored from the penalty.

Sheran was less than impressed and his mood did not improve when Locos almost levelled straight from the kick off when Neil McLean hit the crossbar from the halfway line with McCafferty beaten.

On the hour Locos equalised when McLean’s free kick from his own half picked out the unmarked Selfridge and his six-yard downward header raced past McCafferty.

And with seven minutes left teenager McCabe got on to the end of a long throw from McLean and rifled the ball low past McCafferty for the winner.