3 hours ago
A TEN-DAY break has given the Nairn County squad the opportunity to take stock and regroup following a first round elimination from the Scottish Cup and they now prepare to return to Highland League action with one of the toughest outings on the calendar. Defending champions Cove Rangers lie in wake at Harlaw Park in Inverurie and with the Toonsers five points behind early pacesetters Buckie Thistle, the hosts will be eager to take all three points from the visit of Ronnie Sharp's men. County will have other ideas and will be looking to continue their good away form so far this season having taken all seven points on the road with victories at Keith and Fort William and a draw at Fraserburgh. NCFC Media will be at Harlaw Park to bring you live coverage of the match with team line-ups available before kick-off, instant updates of the match as it happens, a report on the final whistle and reaction from the County camp later on. Follow the club's official social media channels facebook.com/nairncountyfc and @NairnCounty on Twitter for all of the coverage. In the meantime, a preview of the match is below: Date: Wednesday October 5th 2016 Competition: Scottish Highland Football League Kick-off: 2000 Opponents: Cove Rangers Manager: John Sheran Venue: Harlaw Park, Inverurie Previous meeting: Nairn County 1 Cove Rangers March 16th 2016 Last time out: Fort William 2 Cove Rangers 6; Nairn County 2 Preston Athletic 3 League position: Cove Rangers 3rd Nairn County 16th Form guides: Nairn County LLLWLL Team news: Gregg Main is in contention to start his first match of the season having been fit enough to make the bench last time out and coming through the weekend's open training session unscathed. The midfielder has not played since April because of an ankle injury. However, club captain Wayne Mackintosh is on the sidelines again because of a flare up of the Achilles injury he sustained at Clachnacuddin a month ago. Youngster Jack Maclean is also on the treatment table while Willie Barron is continuing to work his way back to full fitness following a hamstring injury. One to watch: Mitch Megginson. The goals of Daryl Nicol went a long way to firing Cove Rangers towards last season's league title and when the prolific forward left for Australia in the summer, finding someone to pick up that mantle would have been a top priority for manager John Sheran. But the Cove boss appears to have found the perfect man for the job in Megginson, whose father plundered a plethora of goals against Nairn in the colours of Cove back in the early nineties. The former Aberdeen, Dumbarton and Raith Rovers striker has hit the ground running since moving to the defending champions from Alloa Athletic in the summer and if the Aberdeen club are to retain their championship, then Megginson will have a big role to play. Match officials: Referee Thomas Shaw, Assistants David MacLennan and Bart Misiak Weather forecast: Thick cloud 11 degrees 16 mph wind Admission prices: Adults £10 Concessions £5 (two children under the age of 14 are admitted for free if they are accompanied by a paying adult). Graeme Macleod
