Source: Radio New Zealand
Sam Cosgrove of Auckland (centre) celebrates with Logan Rogerson (left) after scoring a goal during the A-League. DAN HIMBRECHTS/ PHOTOSPORT
Auckland FC knew what they were getting when they signed towering forward Sam Cosgrove but the coach believes it has taken A-League officials a while to figure the Englishman out.
At 1.94 metres Cosgrove is Auckland’s tallest outfield player and one of the tallest in the competition.
Cosgrove is Auckland’s leading goal-scorer, including a diving header for the winner in their last game.
He also has twice as many yellow cards as any of his team mates.
Coach Steve Corica believed Cosgrove had a tough start to the season when it came to the officiating but by round eight Corica thought more calls were going Cosgrove’s way.
Referees were “starting to work it out now” that Cosgrove was getting some added attention from opposition defenders, Corica said, and the coach was pleased with how last week’s 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners was officiated.
“They think he’s a very big guy, that there’s no fouls on big guys which is wrong. They’re ganging up on him, they’ve got two bodies around him, they’re creating fouls and now he’s starting to get the fouls that we deserve.
“You’ve just got to play what you see if it’s a foul it’s a foul it doesn’t matter of he’s six foot five of five foot five.”
Auckland FC coach Steve Corica shakes hands with Sam Cosgrove. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Cosgrove was ticking all the boxes for Corica.
“He’s getting fitter, he’s working hard and he’s scoring goals.
“He probably should be on more goals than what he is. I think Redders [Mariners goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne] made some fantastic saves against him on the weekend.
“He causes havoc for other teams you can see that.”
On Friday night Cosgrove and the rest of Auckland’s attack will be up against Western Sydney Wanderers defender Anthony Pantazopoulos who is also attracting the attention of officials this season with four yellow cards in eight games played – the same as Cosgrove.
Pantazopoulos is just ahead of fellow defender Aidan Simmons who has three yellows.
The seventh-placed Wanderers have one of the worst discipline records this season, with 21 yellow cards, second only to the Brisbane Roar who have had players enter the referee’s notebook 26 times over the first part of the season.
Corica thought the Wanderers, with a two win, three draw and three loss record, would have picked up more points than they had at this stage of the season.
In October, Auckland inflicted one of the Wanderers’ losses with a 1-0 win at Mt Smart Stadium.
“In attack they’ve got Kosta [Barbarouses] and [Brandon] Borello up front, their midfield is very good, very mobile, I think they play very good football so it’s going to be another tough game.
“It’s a different situation going to their ground and we do want to win that game and pick up three points and we’re going to have to work very hard to do that.”
December in NSW
By the end of the month Auckland will have had three return flights from Sydney in three weeks.
Auckland have three games on the road – Central Coast Mariners last Friday, Wanderers this Friday and and Sydney FC on 27 December – but opted to return to home every time rather than spend the week in Sydney between matches.
“It is too long to stay,” Corica said. “There is a trip in January and we play Macarthur on the 5th and Brisbane after that [on the 9th] so we will stay in Sydney a couple of days and then go to Brisbane so we will be there a week for that trip.”
Cost was a factor in the club not staying too long too often in Australia.
Auckland did travel two days before an away game which meant they would be flying on Christmas Day ahead of the game against Sydney.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
