Confident Cosgrove aiming to hit 30-goal mark at Aberdeen

A BULLISH Sam Cosgrove has set his sights on 30 goals for Aberdeen this season as he bids to continue a stunning scoring rate dating back to last winter. The 22-year-old got his Dons career off to a sluggish start, failing to score in his first 16 games after joining from Carlisle United in January last year. Even after breaking his duck with a double against St Mirren last October, there was no real indication of what was to come. However, his strike in the 3-2 victory over Livingston on December 11 sparked a hot streak that saw him net 19 goals between then and the conclusion to last season. Sunday’s drilled effort in the 1-1 draw with St Johnstone took this term’s tally to 17 in just 21 appearances. It is with the confidence of such a prolific spell that the former Wigan Athletic trainee has been tempted to make bold predictions for the remainder of the campaign. ‘I didn’t set myself any targets before the season,’ he explained. ‘But, at the moment, I’m on 17, so I think 30 goals is the target I want to aim for by the end of the season. ‘The first of my run was against Livingston last year. I look back at the stats of my last 12 months and they’re good, so hopefully I can keep adding to that. ‘I can’t remember much of the goal on Sunday. It happened in a bit of a blur, but it was definitely one of my best this season.’ With each goal scored comes the likelihood of further speculation over Cosgrove’s future at Pittodrie. Lazio, Stoke City, Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Brentford and Middlesbrough have all been linked with interest in the towering marksman. ‘I just ignore it,’ he added. ‘I just work hard every day, keep on doing what I’m doing and just try to do my best for the team.’