Cove Rangers 0-1 Aberdeen Pre-season Friendly Balmoral Stadium 27 June 2026
Toyosi Olusanya’s strike after four minutes was enough to separate the sides at Balmoral Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with Aberdeen emerging as 1-0 winners over Cove Rangers in their first public pre-season outing of 2026/27.
Stephen Robinson named a first half XI that blended a mix of largely new faces and young Dons.
Tony Yogane, Alex Briedl, Olusanya, Lewis Mayo, and Dan Happe all started, as did Brad Lyons, who captained the side.
Rodrigo Vitols, Jamie Mercer and Findlay Marshall were all also in from off, as were Dylan Lobban and Stuart Armstrong.
After signing during the week, Mark Souter and Jordan White were in the Cove XI, with a place on the bench for Chris Maguire and his 158 appearances for The Dons.
The Dons were ahead on 4’, Olusanya picking up where he left on the final day of 2025/26 against Dundee by finding the net, on hand to capitalise on Demus’ spillage and bundle home for an early opener.
The Dons continued to look sharp in the opening exchanges, Yogane particularly lively out wide. The Englishman did well to pick out Olusanya with a sumptuous through ball, Toyosi’s second effort of the afternoon denied by Demus.
A flurry of Aberdeen corners soon followed, the hosts able to keep the score to one for the time being.
Another good chance on 27’, Olusanya rising to meet Lobban’s deep cross after the full back was unleashed down the flank by Lyons. Briedl had the ball in the back of the net through a close-range header not long after, the Austrian thwarted by an early offside call.
The dancing feet of Cove trialist (16) looked like it might just set up a rare chance before the break for White who was waiting inside the area, the great work to get forward and skip past The Dons defence undone by the quality of the final ball.
Half-time Cove Rangers 0-1 Aberdeen.
As planned, eleven changes at the break for The Dons, with the side being made up entirely of players who finished last season at Aberdeen. Nicky Devlin took the armband.
Half chances followed for Nisbet and Milanovic, the pair unable to test ex Dons youth ‘stopper Robbie Mutch, who was introduced at the interval as part of five changes for Cove.
Nisbet blazed over with a free-kick from just outside the area on 63’, with both sides struggling to inject any life into the second half of the early pre-season affair.
Cove will have felt like they could have and should have grabbed a leveller with 15’ to go, McAllister’s inviting cross soared perfectly across the Aberdeen six-yard line – but there were no takers.
Up the other end a minute later, a chance for Kenan Bilalovic at the back-post, the winger only able to fire wide with his first time effort.
The hosts continued to grow into the game as the second half reached it’s closing quarter, but they were still unable to test Suman.
Palaversa tried his luck on 87’ from the edge of the box, straight into the grateful arms of Mutch.
A 1-0 win for The Dons and an important exercise, with 45 more minutes in the legs of 22 players before they head for The Netherlands.
STATS
Cove Rangers: 21. Balint Demus, 2. Layton Bisland, 3. Trialist, 5. Mark Souter, 6. Liam Parker, 10. Max Barry, 14. Trialist, 15. Arron Darge, 16. Trialist, 18. Trialist, 26. Jordan White
Substitutes: 1. Robbie Mutch, 4. Trialist, 7. Ryan Harrington, 8. Trialist, 9. Destiny Oladipo, 11. Reuben McAllister, 12. Chris Maguire, 13. Trialist, 17. Tristan Stephen, 19. Cole Donaldson, 20. Aaron Fraser
Aberdeen first half: 41. Rodrigo Vitols, 7. Tony Yogane, 8. Brad Lyons (C), 10. Alexander Briedl, 16. Dylan Lobban, 17. Stuart Armstrong, 20. Toyosi Olusanya, 23. Lewis Mayo, 26. Dan Happe, 40. Findlay Marshall, 42. Jamie Mercer
Aberdeen second half: 13. Nick Suman, 2. Nicky Devlin (C), 3. Mitchel Frame, 11. Nicolas Milanovic, 14. Kenan Bilalovic, 15. Kevin Nisbet, 18. Ante Palaversa, 21. Gavin Molloy, 22. Jack Milne, 29. Kjartan Mar Kjartansson, 32. Afeez Aremu
Substitute: 28. Alexander Jensen
Goal: Olusanya 4’
