Cove Rangers may sit at the foot of League 1 without a win in their opening six games, but the narrow results suggest they have been more competitive than their record shows despite some desperately trying circumstances of late.

Off-field Troubles

Cove’s difficult summer has included court battles with former sponsors and businesses over unpaid sums. Chairman Keith Moorhouse denied any suggestions of insolvency, with an agreement reached to settle one case for £105,000 but the Press and Journal reported in July that another sum of £35,000 was being contested in court. It’s not exactly pocket money figures and it will undoubtedly have contributed to the threadbare nature of the current Cove squad who rolled the clocks back to a previous era in their recent game against Hamilton by naming just two substitutes.

Alloa have had youth players to step into the breach in the expanded KDM evolution cup group stage fixture and have even had the luxury of numbers to allow Reece Mullen and Luke Watkins loans out to Tranent and Broxburn respectively to gain first team experience but Cove have no equivalent youth sides leaving them even more exposed in terms of fatigue and injury.

Form Guide

• League Cup: Wins over Brechin and Spartans and holding Falkirk goalless gave Cove a chance of qualification before Queen’s Park edged them out.
• League: 0 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses. 10th place.
• Challenge Cup: 17th of 30 teams – top 22 advance.

While Cove also made a slow start last season but soon picked up form to finish in the playoff spots, ultimately cursing the single-goal margin win in the Championship play-off final that saved Airdrieonians from relegation.

Alloa themselves struggled against bottom side Dumbarton last season, and Paul Hartley’s side will be aiming to emulate last year’s comfortable 2-0 win at the Indodrill, which ended the Wasps’ unbeaten start to the previous campaign. Alloa are on a run of just two wins in their last seven in all competitions so it feels like a pivotal fixture for both sides.

Key Man: David Eguaibor

New signing David Eguaibor is one to watch. The 21-year-old striker swapped part-time football at Cobh Ramblers in Ireland for full-time life in Aberdeenshire, aiming to follow in the footsteps of former Cove hitman Rumarn Burrell, who earned a move to Burton Albion after a prolific campaign and now plays internationally for Jamaica. He has hit the ground running with four goals in six appearances.

Other Summer signings

• Justin Eguaibor – Centre Back (23, Ireland)
• Robbie Mutch – Goalkeeper (26, Scotland)
• Liam Parker – Centre-Back (21, Scotland)
• MacKenzie Strachan – Midfielder (21, Scotland)
• Layton Bisland – Right-Back (21, Scotland)
• Lewis O’Donnell – Central Midfield (20, Scotland) – on loan from Dundee United (Premiership)
• Jackson Mylchreest – Centre-Forward (18, Scotland) – on loan from St Johnstone B

Last meeting

Alloa kept pace in the playoff race despite Cameron O’Donnell’s freak own goal put the Wasps behind. Queen’s Park loanee Magnus MacKenzie drawing the score level with his second strike in as many games.

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Montrose – the Gable Endies – are League 1’s longest-serving side, but this season has brought one of their toughest starts since returning to the division. The only worse opening after five games came in 2018/19, when they failed to win until the end of September, finally beating Peterhead 4-3.

This year, they broke their duck a fortnight ago – again against the Peterhead – with a 2-1 victory. Aidan Quinn poked home from a corner before Blair Lyons doubled the lead from Graham Webster’s cross. Peterhead hit the bar through Dylan Forrest and pulled one back via Kieran Shanks, a second-half saved Euan Loudon penalty failed to ensure a more comfortable margin but even then Montrose held firm to gain three points.

Although it has to be said they were unlucky to have not picked up that accolade the week previous against Cove, playing over 70 minutes with 10 men after Keir Bertie’s dismissal, only to concede a stoppage-time equaliser in a 3-3 draw. Signs suggest Stewart Petrie’s men may be turning a corner after a difficult opening to the season, but tomorrow presents another stern test.

Familiar Opponents

Montrose face Alloa, who already edged them out in the Premier Sports Cup group stage. That game finished 2-1 to the Wasps, sealed by a wonder strike from Cameron O’Donnell and Kurtis Roberts’ first goal since May 2024.

The first half was evenly matched until Stefan Scougall earned a free-kick, dispatched emphatically by O’Donnell. Kerr Waddell’s unmarked header drew Montrose level after the break, but Roberts quickly restored the lead with a calm finish. Alloa’s defensive organisation and substitutes ensured the points stayed at the Indodrill as the Wasps advanced from the group with a perfect record – the Mo managed just one win against Lowland League side Bonnyrigg Rose.

Shock Retirement

Montrose were hit by the shock retirement of Craig Wighton, who announced this week he is stepping away from the game at just 28. The former Dundee, Hearts, and Dunfermline forward cited ongoing struggles with knee problems. Wighton, capped six times for Scotland U21s, joined Montrose in the summer after a successful loan spell but said he could no longer cope with the physical demands of the game.

Ones to Watch

While Wighton may not have lived up to the hype on his signature on the pitch, forward Euan Loudon has impressed since arriving from Brechin. He grabbed headlines with a Puskás-worthy scorpion kick against Aberdeen B last week as Montrose ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.

Since the last meeting Montrose have also added quality service from Lewis Gibson. The former Queen of the South winger, on loan from Raith Rovers, has showcased some wicked deliveries into the box against the Wasps. In his League 1 seasons so far, the now 20-year-old has regularly managed double figures in goal contributions although he struggled to match that with Raith in last year’s Championship.

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We’re pleased to welcome Lewis Stewart, 18, on a cooperation loan from Rangers.

Stewart, a promising wide midfielder, made the step up to the Scotland U19’s in the latest international break with starts against Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates after progressing through the Rangers youth ranks.

Everyone at the club extends a warm welcome to Lewis, and we look forward to seeing him continue his development in senior football at Alloa Athletic.

Celtic’s B team returned to the Scottish mainstream in 2021/22 through entry into the Lowland League, giving the club’s brightest talents exposure to competitive men’s football. That process has since expanded, with cooperation loans and testing fixtures against senior opposition in the KDM Evolution Trophy — designed to push young players closer to the standards required at the top level.

The early signs this season have been promising. Celtic opened their campaign with two wins from two: a 3-1 victory over Clyde, where Callum Osmand, Sean McArdle, and Samuel Isiguzo found the net after an early red card for Tommy Robson, followed by a hard-fought 1-0 win against Kelty Hearts sealed by Finlay Hale, with Aidan Rice keeping a clean sheet against League One opposition.

The Hot Prospects

Callum Osmand
Celtic secured the highly rated Welsh striker on a four-year deal in the summer. The 19-year-old joined from Fulham, where he came through the academy from the age of 12. A prolific 2024/25 campaign with the U21s — 18 goals and a Premier League 2 Player of the Season nomination — highlighted his pedigree.

Osmand brings explosive pace and clever movement, with his ability to shift gears unsettling defenders. Against Clyde, he forced the sending-off and later opened the scoring with a sharp run in behind, underlining both his power and poise in front of goal.

Sean McArdle
Eighteen-year-old Scot McArdle signed his first professional deal in 2023 and has quickly risen through the ranks. The left-footed midfielder featured 25 times in last season’s Lowland League, scoring five goals, while also playing in six UEFA Youth League matches.

A product of futsal, McArdle excels in tight spaces and shows composure beyond his years. He has already dipped his toe into senior football, providing an assist for Luis Palma in a friendly against Sligo Rovers before making his competitive debut against Hibernian.

Francis Turley
Since joining in 2022, Belfast-born Turley has emerged as one of Celtic’s most exciting young playmakers. Left-footed, technically sharp, and composed, he has been central to the B team, making 35 appearances and contributing two goals. On the European stage, he has impressed with three goals and an assist in seven UEFA Youth League outings.

Turley’s progress was rewarded with a first-team debut against St Mirren in August 2024. Reflecting on the challenge ahead, he admitted: “The challenge is breaking into the first team, it’s not easy with a winning team that is performing but you have to keep working hard and be patient. Having belief in your own ability is important.”

The First-Team Question

For all the talent emerging at Lennoxtown, Celtic’s challenge remains turning youth promise into senior impact. In recent years, Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly have headed south to the English Championship with Watford and Millwall, while prolific B team forward Daniel Cummings joined West Ham this summer. It is now nearly a decade since Kieran Tierney forced his way from the academy into the first team and became a mainstay.

The question lingers: can Osmand, McArdle, Turley, or others from this generation bridge the gap to the first team squad? Alloa have not had the best of starts in the competition – and the pressure to advance will make this the most competitive tie the young Celtic squad have faced yet. For the Wasps it’s a tricky and dangerous opponent.

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