We take on Cove Rangers in our final pre-season fixture before we get our Premier Sports Cup group stage campaign gets underway.
It is a 2pm kick-off at Balmoral Stadium on Saturday, July 11 and we would of course love to have your support from the away end.
ADMISSION DETAILS
Tickets for Saturday’s friendly are available online via the Cove Rangers website.
Adult tickets are £10, with concessions £5.
All children 12 and Under MUST be accompanied by a person over the age of 16.
HOW TO GET THERE
Balmoral Stadium is located in Altens in the South of Aberdeen and is easily accessible from the North, South and via the Aberdeen Western Periphery Route (AWPR).
There is a small car park at the stadium. Street parking is also available on the surrounding industrial estate.
TEAM NEWS
Speaking after our victory against Montrose on Saturday, Simo Valakari said:
“Unfortunately Unax, a late tackle in the Forfar game, he twisted his ankle. The good news is, nothing is broken. It will be a couple of weeks for him.
“Louis Lloyd got an MRI scan and it was clear. I hope to have him in some capacity involved in training next week and the same with Morgan Boyes.
“Morgan has been working hard on the training field with our medical team and I think he will take part in some training next week.”
PRESS CALL
Simo Valakari
“It was another win for us (against Montrose on Saturday), another three goals and another clean sheet. The application of the players was there.
“Again, at this stage it is all about the reactions and body language. Our counter press was very good today, we recovered a lot of balls.
“We all need to thank Heppy (Craig Hepburn) our goalkeeper too. He was fantastic. He kept us in the game at times.
“That is why we have three good goalkeepers at the club. They step up in these big moments.
“The competitive action is just around the corner and we need to be ready.
“We are spending a lot of time together. We have been talking about our game a lot and we have been spending a lot of time out on the training field.
“Through those experiences and repetitions the players are building up those connections. It is the only way to get our game at a higher level.
“I know my players, I know how they are. Their commitment and ownership for the team is always there. It gives us a foundation to be succesful.”
Cheick Diabate
“The key to last season was that we had a good defence as well as attack. The clean sheets so far have been pleasing.
“It is still early days this season and we need to tighten up in a few areas. We have a few new players and we need to continue gelling together as a team. We are moving in the right direction.
“I am so excited to get the competitive stuff underway. Even in the off season I just could not wait to get back in with the boys.
“We have to respect everyone but we can’t fear anyone this season. We need to enjoy each game and give it our all. I am really looking forward to testing myself in the Premiership.
“The new boys have settled in really well. It is an easy group to settle into. We have a good group of easy going people.
“When you are a good person it is easy to settle in wherever you go. We have added further quality to the squad.”
THE OPPOSITION
Paul Hartley’s Cove Rangers have had a busy summer so far with a number of new faces joining the Balmoral outfit.
Striker Jordan White joined Cove following five years with Ross County and former East Fife man Destiny Oladipo also joined up.
Aberdeen youngsters Aaron Fraser and Tristan Stephen were also added to the ranks.
KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE ACTION
You can keep tabs on the 90 minutes from Cove via our social media channels, while full match report and reaction will be available on our website.
We hope to stream live to our international Saints TV subscribers too.
