Auckland FC striker Sam Cosgrove has battled expectation and a new climate in his first season in the A-League, but arrives on the eve of the finals as one of the competition’s biggest weapons.
Leading the hotly-contested golden boot race into the final round of the regular season with eleven goals, Cosgrove spearheaded Auckland’s dogged pursuit of a second-consecutive Premier plate. The side’s ill-timed form slump has seen that opportunity pass; attention now turns to making amends for the Championship they were favoured to win last season, but didn’t.
Cosgrove has proven off-season as they looked to take the extra step; Steve Corica and Terry McFlynn convincing him to swap his journeyman existence through the UK for a new adventure.
‘I think every player will say that having the backing of a manager and sporting director as guys bringing you into a club weighs pretty heavily on your shoulders,’ Cosgrove told Box2Box
‘The conversations I had prior to coming here gave me the confidence to come here and feel like I was going to be the guy to try and push this club forward, and we’ve made a right go of it this year. It’s going to be tight going into the final few games.
‘To be honest it was a difficult start, getting to grips with the physical demands the manager puts on his players. But once the relationships started clicking within the team, the guys knew what I wanted, and I knew what they wanted from me. It blossomed into a good partnership.’
Not yet 30 and contracted for next season, Cosgrove admitted that the A-League has quickly gone from something he knew little about to a competition he’s driven to conquer. His record of just under a goal every two games is comparable to the best spell of his career, 47 goals in four years at Aberdeen. Another year’s acclimatisation may also serve him well.
‘It’s been enjoyable, and a top draw season for me so far. If we don’t quite get over the line this year, I’ll be more than motivated to go and do it again next year,’ he said.
‘From a lifestyle point of view things are very good, my partner and I absolutely love living in New Zealand. The weather’s great, scenery, the people. It’s just match days where I have an issue; [the heat] has been really tough, to be honest.
‘Playing in 30 degree heat, 80% humidity, it’s very oppressive and something I’m not used to. I’d like to think I’m slowly getting used to it as the season’s gone on, but it was a rude awakening, for sure.’