Ross County V Cove Rangers at Victoria Park : Match Preview

29 July 2016 17:34
Ross County V Cove Rangers - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Jim McIntyre not reading too much into Ross County's early cup exit

Jim McIntyre admits holders Ross County were caught cold by the new Betfred Cup format, but insists his side were not the only ones to suffer.

The Staggies won their first ever major trophy last term, but their defence ended with a whimper when they lost 3-2 to Alloa on Tuesday night, ending their chances of making the last 16.

McIntyre's men have won just one of their three Group A games so far, but the Dingwall boss blames their slow start to their lack of preparation time.

And he reckons a number of other top-flight sides have found the new early start to the competition difficult to handle.

He said: "The Dundee and Kilmarnock results highlight that at this stage of the season these results are possible.

"That is simply because a lot of teams are not up to speed just yet. That is what can happen."

Now, though, McIntyre is looking for his team to regain some confidence ahead of their Ladbrokes Premiership opener with Dundee on August 6.

They take on Highland League part-timers Cove Rangers on Saturday at the Global Energy Stadium.

"We've got another game against Cove on Saturday and we want to go put on a good performance and get a positive result," said McIntyre.

"If we do that we can then look forward to the Dundee game."

Cove Rangers head to Dingwall with midfielder Blair Yule in their squad after a move to Doncaster Rovers broke down.

Darryn Kelly is a doubt after being injured in the Highland League Champions 3-0 win over Montrose on Wednesday evening.

Manager John Sheran said: "This was always going to be a tough game and whilst we defeated Montrose, this game is much harder. Montrose are in the league closest to us whereas County are in the top flight.

"However, we showed against Montrose that we are a good side when we get the ball down and pass it and we will look to do that again."


Source: PAR