Cosgrove strikes late to spare the Dons’ blushes
aberdeen 2
Ferguson (32), Cosgrove (77)
st mirren 2
Nazon (20), McAllister (61) Aberdeen stretched their unbeaten run against St Mirren in the top flight to 16, thanks to Sam Cosgrove’s 15th goal in 14 matches.
But they put their fans through the wringer in the process with the prolific striker conceding a penalty and Mikey Devlin giving away the ball at Saints’ second in what was a topsy-turvy encounter.
Worst of all, though, was the knee injury – feared to be a cruciate – suffered by Tommie Hoban, the Dons’ defender on loan from Watford.
Given he was only half a dozen games back after a spell out recuperating from shoulder surgery and missed all last season with a cruciate problem, the concern is that he will have kicked his last ball for the club.
“It is a knee injury of some sort. We will get him scanned on Monday and I am hoping it is not as bad as it appears,” said Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes with an optimism his expression didn’t share.
“If there is any justice for him then hopefully that is the case because he has already had his share of injury problems.”
It all started brightly enough for Hoban and Aberdeen with the 25-year-old teeing up Greg Stewart, a goal only denied by a fine block from Mihal Popescu.
Just as it started to appear the raids of Max Lowe & Co. would soon see the home side ahead, they fell behind.
And, implausibly, it was Cosgrove the man responsible for almost a third of Aberdeen’s league goals this season who was to blame.
The striker was back in his home box on defensive duties and fouled Saints skipper Paul McGinn.
Referee Craig Thomson spotted it and pointed straight to the penalty spot. New signing Duckens Nazon stepped up and converted via the inside of the post.
It was a lead which was to be short lived with the Dons forcing themselves level with a well-worked goal.
Gary Mackay-Steven swung in a corner from the left into the near post, where Andrew Considine was waiting to nod across the face of the goal.
It was a move which caught out the visitors’ defence but Considine’s team-mate Ferguson knew exactly what was happening, for he ghosted in at the back to nod the ball down and into the net.
The 19-year-old has been a standout this year and there was positive news with McInnes confirming the news his father Derek had leaked on national radio that he has agreed a two-year extension to take his deal up to 2024.
“Like any father, you can understand Derek’s pleasure at Lewis agreeing a new contract.
“We will announce that during the week but it is no more than he deserves. It is recognition of his performances and the improvements that he has made in his game. He is such a key player for me.”
Niall McGinn should have added a second but blasted over from Stewart’s neat assist and there was worse to follow with Hoban stretchered off in clear distress after appearing to catch his studs in the grass.
In his absence, the second half was a repeat of the first with Saints again going ahead, via an absolute beauty from Kyle McAllister who jinked inside and curled a shot around Joe Lewis.
And once more it drew a positive response from Aberdeen with Cosgrove, giving Dons fans a sight they are more accustomed to, when placing a left shot low into the net after nice work down the left by skipper Graeme Shinnie.
That was it for the scoring but there was plenty more thrills and spills with Saints forced to play the final four minutes with ten men after McAllister suffered a strain but they kept going on for their first point of the year.
Have Saints turned the corner then? Kearney wasn’t having it: “I don’t want to say that because when you do that you tend to turn it straight into a big custard pie.”