Cove v Alloa

[CoveRangers1922]

It's matchday and no thread so here's something knocked up quick.

It'll be a balmy 12 degrees in the granite city, which for December is unseasonably warm; still bring your jackets, gloves, hat would be my advice. Many an Alloa fan will remember the game almost two years ago to the day when it was foggy and bitterly cold. Global warming and all that.

Onto the game itself, we are without Fyvie (again) and that always really worries me especially against a better calibre of side. Kerr is suspended after his dismissal against Annan. Therefore the midfield needs a shuffle and feels light on creativity and goals.

Three options, Sena or Gal, both played very few minutes, will partner McGowan OR Scully will move from LW to CM and Kyle Connell will go wide OR more attacking we go Scully-McGowan-Yule as a 3 man centre mid and play Williamson, Burrell and Mitch up top. Latter could/would drop deep and play tip of midfield diamond without the ball.

Not sure how I feel about this match, would be disappointed to lose our winning streak at home but Alloa will come with some momentum after their well earned point against Accies whereby they could have taken all 3 that day. The Wasps haven't travelled too well so far this season with 5L, 2W, 1D but I expect that to change as the season progresses under Andy Graham.

Feel we'll need a strong performance here to get a point let alone all 3. Will probably will need to rely on Rumarn yet again. Our league goals are Burrell (12), Mitch (4), Fyvie (2), a handful on 1. Not evenly dispersed by any means.

Looking forward to seeing Bobby Wales for the Wasps. He's due a goal and could be today, big talent. Morgyn, who has had a turbulent start to life at Alloa, is many a Cove fans favourite and will undoubtedly be a threat from set pieces. The evergreen Cawley and Scougall ooze class.

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by CoveRangers1922

[Waspie]

Will be interesting to see our line-up today after an encouraging performance last week. While Hamilton had good chances too, we probably shaded it overall and there was a better balance to the team. Stevie Hetherington is back from suspension today and wonder if Devine is now fully fit too. On the flipside, Scougall obviously took a knock towards the end of the Hamilton game. Hopefully he's fit as he had played really well. If all available, think I'd put Stevie back in at CM and perhaps move Scougall a bit further forward in place of Kev, who was maybe slightly off the pace last week. At the back there is a case for leaving Mackay in after a good performance against Accies. Lots of options anyway and hopefully we can continue to improve over the next few weeks. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Waspie

[Watson Nimrod]

We seem to have discovered a way of grinding out results with some flashes of decent football but our ‘social media team’ would have you think we are Barcelona in Pep’s heyday

Afraid to say that’s not really the case so this game is way closer that the odds suggest and like the poster above says we will need Burrell to be absolutely on his A game.

The suspension of Kerr opens up an opportunity for someone to stake a claim. Hopefully not Darge as I’m afraid he needs to be moved out on loan as he isn’t cutting it here and I’m still hopeful that Kyle Connell will be slotted in somewhere although he hasn’t really maintained the promise he showed in the pre-season and even his biggest cheerleader (aka me) is starting to wonder if he will push on and whether he looked good back then as we were playing so many trialists. 

It’s hard for young players to break through at Cove knowing that Hartley will just play it safe everytime when the older boys return from suspension or injury and the 70 minute substitute ‘rule’ is enforced at every game meaning they get 20 mins if they are really lucky. 

Wont be there today sadly and I suspect with the Cup Final tomorrow the crowd will be low. 

[CoveRangers1922]

Sena in for Kerr in the middle of the park. Suman returns between the sticks and it's a first time on the bench for 17 year old keeper Jack Robertson as Balint misses out.

[Alloamad]

Yaaas, get in

[Vegetableman]

OH ! last minute winner ! didnt make the game did we deserve it ? good win away at a form team  nice to see Taggs get the goal 

things are definitely looking up .

[Magic Hat]

An excellent three points and added to last weeks point against Hamilton, a very good 7 days. Two big games coming up for the fight for 4th place. Well done to Big Andy and the team.

Edited December 16, 2023 by Magic Hat

[Half Time Show]

Massive 3 points today. I said in the Hamilton match thread that 1 point over our last 2 games would be a good return, to get 4 is brilliant. 

[Bigbrbairn]

Well done Alloa. Proud of your last two results. Keep it up but not against Falkirk thanks

[Kevchenko]

Delighted for Andy to get his first league win and some place to do it against the division’s form team. 
 

Felt Cove started better and it wasn’t until wee Kev was moved more centrally that we started to get a bit of a foothold in the game. Disappointing to then go and concede in the manner we did - PJ’s decision making needs to be better/quicker, nice finish from Burrell though. 
 

Alloa definitely stepped it up after the break and had much more of the ball and imposed themselves more on the game. Even at a goal down I felt we were only a break of the ball away from getting back in to it. 
 

Great for Coulson to get the equaliser but it’s not one that Suman will want to watch back!

 

Thought Andy was spot on with his changes getting Buchanan on to run at the Cove back line and then the big call to bring on Sammon - wonder if he considered bringing Virtanen on instead to sit on a point as Cove had reacted well to our goal, but adding another central striker was a clear message to the players to go out and try and find a winner - loved the intent he showed. 
 

Great scenes at the end after Taggs’ winner and it builds on last weeks performance - good opportunity to finish the year in a strong position now. 

[Vegetableman]

5 minutes ago, Kevchenko said:

Delighted for Andy to get his first league win

So it is , passed me by that one , sounds like we did to them what hamilton did to us , except maybe more deserving  ? 

[Kevchenko]

2 minutes ago, Vegetableman said:

So it is , passed me by that one , sounds like we did to them what hamilton did to us , except maybe more deserving  ? 

A draw wouldn’t have been an unfair result in all honesty, Cove definitely had the better of the first half and ourselves in the 2nd but Cove really didn’t create very much. We maybe shaded the number and quality of chances but there wasn’t much between the sides. 

[Vegetableman]

1 minute ago, Kevchenko said:

A draw wouldn’t have been an unfair result in all honesty, Cove definitely had the better of the first half and ourselves in the 2nd but Cove really didn’t create very much. We maybe shaded the number and quality of chances but there wasn’t much between the sides. 

Well , it's good to know we are matching the better teams (Bar Maybe Falkirk) and it augurs well for the rest of the season, Montrose up next which will be massive if we can get a  win against them .

[LeodhasXD]

Barring the late drama would've been a game to forget for me. Cove had a good ten minutes. We then had a good ten minutes, which culminated in Burrell's really tidy run and finish for the goal against the run of play. It felt very bogged down in midfield for long periods but credit to the boys second half especially, we used the ball better than Cove did and limited them to very little going forward while winning the midfield battle. I've seen us get nothing plenty of times with more chances created but it's a good move for the equaliser and a consecutive run of miskicks for the last minute tap in for Taggs. It was deserved on the balance of the game.

[LeodhasXD]

 

[bairn88]

3 hours ago, LeodhasXD said:

 

Boys dressed as santa on the pitch at cove a week before Christmas for a 92nd minute winner. That’s beautiful. 

[Waspie]

Great win. There are obviously some questions about how good Cove really are, despite their unbeaten run, but regardless, to go to a team who haven't lost for a good while and to come from behind to win is hugely encouraging. That was a beautiful ball from Kev (and credit to Roberts for stealing possession there) to set up Coulson for the first. Fantastic to then keeping pushing for the win and tremendous scenes at the end. Well done to Andy and the players . 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Waspie

[Watson Nimrod]

23 minutes ago, Waspie said:

Great win. There are obviously some questions about how good Cove really are

You are right and I refer to my earlier post. We can be good at times but it’s almost all reliant on 3/4 players (Yule, Doyle, Scully/Burrell) who can’t be on it every week so something inevitably had to give. Fraser Fyvie is now very injury prone so our creativity is limited. We have so many players who are not good enough for this level and only those mentioned that are capable at playing at a higher level. Falkirk and Hamilton I would say have ready made championship sides and everyone else is much of a muchness, even Annan. 

The measure of our ambition will be how prepared the board are to bring in the calibre of players we haven’t replaced in the next few windows and whether they want to fund that. I suspect they won’t. 

[printer]

2 hours ago, Waspie said:

Great win. There are obviously some questions about how good Cove really are, despite their unbeaten run, but regardless, to go to a team who haven't lost for a good while and to come from behind to win is hugely encouraging. That was a beautiful ball from Kev (and credit to Roberts for stealing possession there) to set up Coulson for the first. Fantastic to then keeping pushing for the win and tremendous scenes at the end. Well done to Andy and the players . 

Who would have thought starting Kev regularly and playing him more centrally would lead to goals? None of us saw that coming.

I love the energy Kurtis brings to the team.

Scott Taggart.

Well done to Andy for the start he's made to management, especially after the Edinburgh game. He's been brave in some of his decisions and has deserved them to come off.

I see Robbo was on the bench yesterday. That's good news. He may not start many games in the short-term, but having his calm football brain and ability to call on when required is a plus.

[Rory]

Can't complain at 3 points away to the form team, but Wales breaking his duck would have topped it all off!