Cosgrove: Gaffer right to drop me from side

Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove insists manager Derek McInnes was right to take him out of the firing line.

The attacker’s barren run in front of goal coincided with a five-game scoring drought for the team, a return which prompted Dons boss McInnes to pitch in Curtis Main in Cosgrove’s place in the starting XI.

Main’s goal ended the drought and with eight goals scored in the past three matches Cosgrove, while disappointed, understands why the call was made.

He said: “It was pretty selfexplanatory. As a lone centre forward, which is what I have been this season, a lot of the burden was on me to score goals. So when you go five or six games without one, something needs to change.

“The manager has stuck by me, he has shown a lot of faith in me and at the end of the day I wasn’t repaying that. I wasn’t scoring and the team wasn’t scoring.

“Fingers had been pointed elsewhere throughout the season and it was probably time for the finger to be pointed at me for not scoring. Curtis deserved his chance and fair play to him, he’s come in and he’s taken it.”

Cosgrove responded to being dropped by coming off the bench to score the penalty in extra-time to make it 3-3 against Kilmarnock in Wednesday’s Scottish Cup fifth round replay and with the Dons going on to win 4-3 he hopes he has done enough to earn a recall.

Main has started the last three games but Cosgrove does not believe he has to replace his team-mate in the side. He believes the two of them can play together.

Cosgrove, whose side face Ross County at Pittodrie today, said: “I don’t see why Curtis and I can’t be a partnership.

“I thought we worked well together the other night, we complimented each other well.

“It wasn’t just the case of having two big lumps of striker up front, it was a big striker and a smaller striker which worked well.

“We haven’t had too many opportunities to play together so it’s something that has potential. I haven’t sat on the sidelines for 12 months and it’s not nice, because you want to be involved. I’d like to think scoring will help me.”

Ninth-placed County snatched a lastgasp equaliser against St Johnstone last week and co-boss Steven Ferguson hopes that result will end the doom and gloom around the Global Energy Stadium.

He said: “With the position we’ve been in recently, we tend to focus on the negatives at times.

“But we see enough positives within our group to know we have that fighting spirit and we’ll use that the best we can.”

● Hibs host Livingston seeking the victory that would take them above their visitors and into fifth spot in the Premiership table.

That the Lions are in such a lofty position at an advanced stage in the campaign, just three seasons since languishing in League One, speaks volumes for their rapid development.

Former Celtic and Hibs defender Efe Ambrose has signed an 18-month contract with the Lions and could make his debut. The Nigeria international has been back in his homeland keeping his fitness up since leaving Derby last summer.

● Third-placed Motherwell are away to Lanarkshire neighbours Hamilton, who are one point ahead of bottom side Hearts.