Blair Yule keen for Cove Rangers not to treat Hibernian Betfred Cup tie different to any other game

Blair Yule insists Cove Rangers will treat today’s Betfred Cup opener with Hibernian no different to any other.

Cove welcome the Premiership outfit to the Balmoral Stadium for a lunch-time kick-off, which will be broadcast live on Premier Sports.

It is the first time Cove will have a home game shown live on TV. Their Challenge Cup tie against Connah’s Quay Nomads was screened by Welsh channel S4C last year.

Yule said: “It’s not something anyone has really spoken about. I’m sure there will be some extra excitement because it’s on TV.

“There was in the game in the Challenge Cup that we played down in Wales, so there is some experience there, but I don’t think it’ll really affect anything.

“Hibs are a quality team, up there with the best in Scotland. We know it’s going to be very difficult, but we’re well prepared and we just have to treat it like any other opposition.”

Blair Yule is in frame for selection against Hibernian today.

There will be little expectation of Cove causing an upset against a side with European aspirations in the top flight.

Cove have prepared for full-time opposition with two pre-season friendlies against Championship Dundee, in which they lost 1-0 at home and drew 1-1 away from home.

Yule added: “I’m sure it will have some benefits, the full-time part for sure. We’re still a part-time team, but we have a lot of players who have played at a higher level. The squad is great.

“We showed up alright against Dundee, who are also a very good team. It will maybe give us an insight as to what we can expect today.

“I’m sure there will be some Cove Rangers fans thinking we could get something out of the game. There’s obviously a difference in leagues and some people may think we’d be lucky to get something out of the game.

“We go into every competitive game wanting to do as well as we can. That will be the aim. We’ve got to show serious respect to the opposition as they’re one of the best teams in Scotland.”

The game will be played without supporters, due to the current restrictions around the Covid-19 pandemic, which Yule does not believe will faze the Cove players.

He added: “It will be strange as, for the last couple of years, since we got the new ground, the support has been really good. It’s helped at times when the players have needed a boost.

“But the players have been used to not playing with fans at different periods over their careers. They are used to it and we’ve played friendlies with no fans.

“It’s just something we’ve got to deal with.”