Prolific Cosgrove shows Accies manager Rice what he’s missing
Hamilton Accies boss Brian Rice, inset, admits hard work is the way for his side to climb up the Ladbrokes Premiership after defeat by Aberdeen dropped them to the foot of the table. Sam Cosgrove netted the only goal of the game early in the second half as Aberdeen moved up to third place, but Rice, below, admits that he can only dream of signing a goalscorer like the Dons man.
“We’re Hamilton,” he said. “We know the boundaries within which we work. We know who and where we can recruit. I can’t go and get a Cosgrove. I can’t go and get a Lyndon Dykes.
“We’ve lost some experienced players today and had to replace them with kids – I had a 17-year-old and a 20-year-old at centre-back today.
“The boys give us everything. The belief is there. Maybe the quality is lacking a bit but the belief is there. We’ve played Rangers, Celtic, Livingston away, and now Aberdeen and it’s been close, but football is about winning.
“It’s great getting a pat on the back for playing well, but you want a pat on the back when you’re winning.”
Cosgrove was also on the mind of Dons boss Derek Mcinnes, who faces a battle to keep hold of his star striker, whose goal on Saturday was his 19th of the current campaign and 40th in 15 months.
Clubs have been watching the former Carlisle striker, but with a lengthy contract at Pittodrie it will take a good offer to tempt the Dons to cash in.
Mcinnes explained: “In my time at the club we had a lot of games that were 1-0 with Adam Rooney scoring, and he was a difficult boy to replace.
“Sam has stepped up to do something similar so I’m hoping we don’t lose him. I don’t think it would be in our interest to let him go at this point.
“I’m not naive enough to think teams aren’t looking at him – and money talks. “Sam will move on at some point, but I don’t think this window, and certainly midway through a season isn’t of any benefit to us. “We’ re a club who develop players and eventually they move on, but hopefully we can hang on to our best players as long as possible.”
Aberdeen could and should have won more handsomely against Accies. They passed up a string of chances in the first half, with James Wilson, the fit-again Funso Ojo, Niall Mcginn and Ryan Hedges also squandering opportunities.
They had to wait until eight minutes after the interval to break the deadlock as Mcginn’s cross from the left was stroked home by Cosgrove at the back post.
“It is good to win the game and get all three points,” added Mcinnes. “We had good control of the game in the first half. I have looked back at the chances we had and we had three or four real gilt-edged chances, but their keeper has made some good saves.
“It was three points that was well deserved. It wasn’t easy, I would have liked to have scored more goals, I would have liked us to be a bit more convincing.”
The return from long-term injury of midfielder Ojo especially pleased the Aberdeen manager. Ojo was only given the first half but Mcinnes said: “You can either play football or you cannot, and the boy can play. He clearly has an influence on my side, and we have missed that influence.
“When he came off, I felt we didn’t have the same control.”