Scottish League 1: Cove Rangers champions after beating Dumbarton
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Cove Rangers' promotion to the Scottish Championship has been "a magnificent journey", says manager Paul Hartley.
Hartley's side secured a third promotion in four years after Mitch Megginson scored the only goal of Saturday's meeting with Dumbarton.
The result rendered nearest challengers Airdrieonians' 5-0 defeat of Clyde immaterial, with League 1 still having one round of fixtures to play.
"I am just overjoyed with the emotion," Hartley told BBC Scotland.
"The club's been on such a magnificent journey. It's an unbelievable experience I've been on in the three years.
"A lot of the players have come from the Highland League and it's an amazing day and I'm so pleased for my chairman, Keith Moorhouse - I think it's something like 25 years he's been with Cove."
With Cove and Airdrieonians having both won last week, the five-point gap between the top two had remained the same.
Airdrie set about ensuring they preserved their hopes against Clyde, who were playing their final home game at Broadwood Stadium ahead of a move to Hamilton's New Douglas Park next season.
Rhys McCabe netted Airdrie's first-half opener from the penalty spot and Ian Murray's side were 4-0 up by the 71st minute after Callum Smith, Calum Gallagher and Kyle MacDonald struck.
At the Balmoral Stadium, Cove just needed the one goal and got it when captain Megginson fired in from the right side of the box.
Airdrie added a fifth through Jonathan Afolabi but the Diamonds have to settle for the promotion play-offs.
Cove entered the SPFL via the play-offs in 2019, having won the Highland League, and finished top of Scottish League 2 when season 2019-20 was curtailed due to Covid.
They reached the Championship play-offs last term and lost at the semi-final stage but Hartley will be back in the second tier next season, a division he won with Dundee in 2014.
Elsewhere, Alloa Athletic beat Falkirk 2-1, Montrose defeated Queen's Park by the same scoreline and Peterhead were 1-0 victors against East Fife.
At the Falkirk Stadium, Kevin Cawley and Conor Sammon got Alloa's goals before Anton Dowds headed a consolation for the hosts.
Queen's Park took a first-minute lead against Montrose though Connor Smith. The lead held until the 78th minute when Michael Doyle scored an own goal and Sean Dillon struck the hosts' winner three minutes later.
Jack Brown got Peterhead's 11th-minute winner against relegated East Fife, with second bottom Dumbarton heading for the play-offs.
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