Montrose have promotion dreams as they try to get out of League One.
Now, as the Angus side gears up for the new term, they’ve learned their fate with the fixtures release.
Montrose will host Kelty Hearts on August 5th for the opening day of the season and wrap it up on May 4th with the visit of Queen of the South.
And here Courier Sport picks out 3 key fixture dates that could be pivotal in their season.
Montrose face relegated duo in successive weeks
Montrose v Cove Rangers (August 19th)Â
It’s not quite a local derby but it’s the closest thing Montrose will get to that in League One next season.
Just 37 miles separate the Links Park side from Cove and both clubs are likely to be pushing for top four spots.
Cove are transitioning into full-time football and hoping to bounce straight back into the Championship.
And Montrose have flirted with promotion for several years – with last season the first in five years that they haven’t finished in a play-off spot.
The sides have met seven times in recent years with Cove 3-2 up on victories.
Hamilton v Montrose (August 26th)
Hamilton have completely revamped their squad in the summer as they try to recover from the shock of relegation.
But as their new-look side tries to gel together, it’s not such a bad thing for Montrose’s first visit to Hamilton to come early on.
Montrose face Hamilton for first time in over two decades
It’s 22 years since these sides last met in the league.
And, ironically, that day Hamilton clinched the old Division 3 title on a helicopter Saturday with a 4-1 win at Links Park.
Much has changed for both sides since then and Stewart Petrie’s men will fancy their chances of causing a mini-upset this year.
LEAGUE FIXTURES RELEASED
We begin and end our new season with home fixtures against Kelty and Queens respectively with some intriguing runs of fixtures in between. Let the fun begin… pic.twitter.com/nIN1qnMv8U
— Montrose FC (@MontroseFC) June 30, 2023
Falkirk v Montrose (September 30th)
It would be remiss of us to ignore any match with Falkirk.
Every year Falkirk start the season as one of the favourites for promotion to the Championship but every year they fall at the final hurdle.
Could this be their year? They’ll certainly be up there and Montrose will be several games into their season before they travel to Falkirk.
Montrose have a good record away to Bairns, having won two of their last four visits – including a 3-0 win in April 2022.
