 Cosgrove warming up forNorth Ferriby United in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sam Benjamin Cosgrove[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-12-02)2 December 1996 (age 28)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Beverley, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Auckland FC | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Everton | |||
| 2013–2015 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Wigan Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Barrow (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Chorley (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2016 | →Nantwich Town (loan) | ||
| 2017 | →North Ferriby United (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Carlisle United | 8 | (1) |
| 2018–2021 | Aberdeen | 79 | (31) |
| 2021–2023 | Birmingham City | 14 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | →Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2022 | →AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | →Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 33 | (8) |
| 2023–2025 | Barnsley | 51 | (4) |
| 2025 | →Stockport County (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2025– | Auckland FC | 3 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:35, 1 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Sam Benjamin Cosgrove (born 2 December 1996) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forA-League clubAuckland FC.
Cosgrove began his career withWigan Athletic, and had loan spells innon-league football withBarrow,Chorley,Nantwich Town andNorth Ferriby United before making hisFootball League debut withCarlisle United. A successful three seasons withAberdeen in theScottish Premiership preceded a return to English football withBirmingham City in 2021. After loans atShrewsbury Town,AFC Wimbledon andPlymouth Argyle, he signed forBarnsley in 2023. He had a loan spell atStockport County, and upon the end of his contract at Barnsley, Cosgrove moved to New Zealand, signing forAuckland FC.
Cosgrove was born in 1996 inBeverley, in theEast Riding of Yorkshire.[3] His family moved toCheshire while he was still a baby, and he attendedKnutsford High School. He grew up as aManchester City fan.[4] Cosgrove began his youth football career as an under-10 withEverton, but was released at 16. He signed scholarship forms withWigan Athletic in 2013,[5] and took hisA levels during that time rather than the standard sports-relatedBTEC course.[6]
Cosgrove's first matchday involvement with the senior team came while he was still a second-year scholar, as part of his development process, when managerMalky Mackay named him as asubstitute for theFA Cup third round visit toBolton Wanderers on 3 January 2015. He remained part of the squad for four league matches during January, each time as an unused substitute.[7][8] Having scored 44 goals from 40 matches over two years with Wigan's Under-18 team,[9] he was one of six scholars to be offered their first professional contracts.[3]
In the 2015–16 season, Cosgrove gained experience from three spellson loan innon-league football. He made his senior debut forNational League clubBarrow on 18 August 2015, as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw withGuiseley.[10] Starting in place of the injuredAndy Cook, he "produced a solid display" in the next game, a defeat toCheltenham Town,[5] but after Cook's return he played only a few minutes' football and was recalled by Wigan.[7][11] He joinedChorley on 25 November until the following 2 January,[9] and played only 20 minutes in theNational League North.[7] but after his winning goal in aLancashire Challenge Trophy match, Chorley managerMatt Jansen said that Cosgrove had "pace to burn, he's big and strong and if he believes in himself he could do very well."[12] His third loan was atNantwich Town of theNorthern Premier League Premier Division.[13] A debut goal was disallowed foroffside,[14] but he did score Nantwich's 100th goal of the season a few weeks later.[15]
Cosgrove signed a one-year contract with Wigan in June 2016,[16][17] and made his debut as a late substitute in theEFL Cup againstOldham Athletic in August. He spent the second half of the on loan atNorth Ferriby United,[18] made 14 National League appearances (3 starts) without scoring,[7] and was released by Wigan when his contract expired.[17]
After a trial in pre-season, Cosgrove signed forLeague Two clubCarlisle United on 1 August 2017 on a short–term deal until January.[19] AgainstFleetwood Town in the first round of the EFL Cup on 8 August, he came on as a 90th-minute substitute and helped the team win 2–1after extra time.[20] Four days later, he made hisFootball League debut, again as a substitute, in a 2–1 win againstCambridge United.[21] Cosgrove found his first-team opportunities limited: he was a regular on the bench but rarely left it.[7] He made an unexpected first start on New Year's Day in a loss toMansfield Town, he wasman of the match in a goalless draw withChampionship clubSheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup,[22] his contract was extended to the end of the season, and on 13 January he scored his first goal to secure a 1–0 win againstCrewe Alexandra.[23] He played twice more before the club accepted a bid for his services.[24]
On 31 January 2018, Cosgrove signed a two-and-a-half-year contract withScottish Premiership clubAberdeen for an undisclosed fee, variously reported as £25,000,[25] £30,000,[26] or £40,000. The player had signed apre-contract agreement with Aberdeen to join at the end of the season, but the Carlisle club "reluctantly" decided it would be better not to wait.[24] Eight minutes into his debut, a 2–0 defeat againstCeltic on 25 February, he wassent off for a "reckless challenge" on opposing captainScott Brown.[27] After playing just 11 minutes in theScottish Cup over the next few weeks, he made his first Aberdeen start on 27 April, set up a goal forAnthony O'Connor in a 2–0 win againstHearts,[28] and helped them beat Celtic in the last match of the season to finish as runners-up.[29]
Aberdeen legendWillie Miller wrote that Cosgrove was well placed to fill the striker vacancy caused byAdam Rooney's departure, and might have the mentality to seize the opportunity, but his impression was that managerDerek McInnes felt he "still [had] a lot of developing to do".[30] McInnes spoke of the importance to the team of his "size, his strength, his willingness to occupy defenders" after Cosgrove scored an "emphatic header" againstWest Bromwich Albion in pre-season.[31] In theEuropa League qualifier againstBurnley, he won apenalty, converted byGary Mackay-Steven to open the scoring in a 1–1 draw;[32] although they lost the second leg after extra time, he took confidence from performing well against top-class defenders.[33][34] Alternating between starter and substitute,[7] he finally scored for the club on his 17th appearance, with two goals in a 4–1 win againstSt Mirren on 6 October.[35]
Cosgrove started theScottish League Cup Final, which Aberdeen lost 1–0 to Celtic on 2 December.[36] In the next match, in which Aberdeen beatRangers atIbrox, he was sent off for a second bookable offence which pundits felt was not a foul.[37] After serving a one-match ban, he scored andassisted in a 3–2 win againstLivingston; a booking forsimulation was rescinded.[38] Six more goals in December earned him theScottish Premiership Player of the Month award.[33][39] He signed a contract extension to 2022,[25] scored three more goals in January and five in February, but then his scoring form dipped. He reached his target of 20 on 6 April, but it was the last day of the season before the 21st arrived.[33][40] His 17 Premiership goals placed him second only to Rangers'Alfredo Morelos (18) astop scorer.[41]
Strike partnerStevie May saw the team's improved creativity as a factor in Cosgrove's greater effectiveness,[42] while McInnes highlighted how a focus on "movement, anticipation and speed of thought"[43] helped him react more like a smaller striker than a pure target man.[25] He became increasingly "capable of impacting games from a deeper position" using his pace.[34] Six goals in fourEuropa League qualifiers, including ahat-trick againstChikhura Sachkhere, proved McInnes' point that Aberdeen had been right to persevere with Cosgrove despite media criticism.[44] He continued with two goals in a 3–2 league win against Hearts,[41] an extra-time winner in theLeague Cup,[45] and 11 goals from his next 18 matches,[46] in the last of which he was controversially sent off for a forceful tackle.[47] He set himself a 30-goal target, last achieved for Aberdeen byJoe Harper in 1978–79,[48] but a seven-match goal drought and a back injury left him on 23 and the team in fourth place when the season was curtailed because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[46][49]
Despite reports of interest from clubs in England and further afield during the past season, Aberdeen confirmed that there had been no offers.[25][50] In July 2020, the club accepted a bid in excess of £2 million from French clubGuingamp for Cosgrove, who rejected the move. He then damaged a knee and was out for three months,[51] during which time he was one of eight Aberdeen players who were heavily fined by the club and received a suspended three-match ban from theScottish Football Association after breaching COVID protocols by visiting a bar as a group.[52] He returned to action on 25 October, set up a goal forRyan Hedges in a 3–3 draw with Celtic,[53] and scored two weeks later,[51] but his lack of match fitness was telling. He was not starting regularly, and fellow strikerCurtis Main was out of form; by the end of January, they had three goals apiece.[54] Financial Fair Play restrictions reportedly put Cosgrove out ofSheffield Wednesday's reach,[55] but a £2 million bid fromBirmingham City was accepted.[26]
Cosgrove signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Championship clubBirmingham City on 31 January 2021. The fee was officially undisclosed.[26] TheNews and Star reported that Carlisle United would benefit from a sell-on clause, possibly to the extent of 20% of Aberdeen's profit on the deal.[56] He made his debut on 6 February as a very late substitute in a 3–2 defeat away toAFC Bournemouth,[57] but although the team were in need of goals and head coachAitor Karanka stated that if the January signings "don't start [on 13 February] they will do it soon",[58] his three appearances before Karanka was sacked a month later were all from the bench.[7] Incoming head coachLee Bowyer, tasked with achieving Championship survival, selectedScott Hogan andLukas Jutkiewicz as his strike pairing of choice.[59] He saw Cosgrove as a potential like-for-like replacement for Jutkiewicz, but without the latter's physicality and consistency of performance, and it was only when relegation was avoided with two matches still to play that Cosgrove made his first start as one of the many squad players whom Bowyer wanted to assess.[60]
He joined League One clubShrewsbury Town on 11 August 2021 on loan forthe season,[61] and made his debut three days later away toMorecambe, replacingNathanael Ogbeta at half-time with his side 2–0 down. Although his side were, according to theShropshire Star, "much sharper after the break", the score remained unchanged.[62]
Cosgrove was recalled from Shrewsbury and signed for another League One team,AFC Wimbledon, on 31 January 2022 on loan for the rest of the season.[63][64] Not registered in time for the next day's match,[65] he started and played 67 minutes in a 3–2 defeat away toCharlton Athletic on 5 February.[66]
He made three first-team appearances for Birmingham in August 2022,[67] before returning to League One when he joinedPlymouth Argyle on 1 September on loan for the remainder of the season.[68] He made his debut two days later, coming on after 75 minutes of Argyle's visit toDerby County with his side 2–1 down. With his first touch of the ball, he turnedNiall Ennis's cross-shot into the net, and on 90 minutes, he broke at pace and beat the goalkeeper with a low shot to secure a 3–2 win.[69][70]
On 21 December, Cosgrove scored a second-half hat-trick against AFC Wimbledon in theEFL Trophy. Argyle trailed 3–0 at half-time, but Cosgrove's goals against his former club took the tie topenalties, which Plymouth won 4–3 to book their place in the quarter-finals.[71]
Cosgrove ended his spell at Plymouth with aLeague One winners' medal.[72] He scored twelve goals in all competitions for the club.[67]
Cosgrove played twice for Birmingham in the2023–24 EFL Cup and was a regular on the bench in Championship matches,[7] before he was released on 1 September to enable him to join League One clubBarnsley on a two-year contract.[73]
With his Barnsley contract due to expire, Cosgrove joined League One rivalsStockport County on 3 February 2025 on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.[74][75] He was released by Barnsley at the end of the 2024–25 season.[76]
On 19 August 2025,Auckland FC announced Cosgrove as their newest signing.[77] On 1 November 2025, Cosgrove scored his first goal in a 2–1 win overAdelaide United.[78]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2015–16[79] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016–17[80] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Barrow (loan) | 2015–16[7] | National League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Chorley (loan) | 2015–16[7] | National League North | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| North Ferriby United (loan) | 2016–17[7] | National League | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Carlisle United | 2017–18[81] | League Two | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Aberdeen | 2017–18[81] | Scottish Premiership | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2018–19[33] | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 44 | 21 | |
| 2019–20[46] | Scottish Premiership | 25 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6[d] | 6 | 38 | 23 | |
| 2020–21[57] | Scottish Premiership | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| Total | 79 | 31 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 103 | 47 | ||
| Birmingham City | 2020–21[57] | Championship | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[82] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23[67] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24[83] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2021–22[82] | League One | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 2021–22[82] | League One | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | |
| Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 2022–23[67] | League One | 33 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[c] | 4 | 40 | 12 | |
| Barnsley | 2023–24[83] | League One | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 3 | 38 | 6 | |
| 2024–25[84] | League One | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 60 | 7 | ||
| Stockport County (loan) | 2024–25[84] | League One | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 244 | 47 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 23 | 13 | 297 | 70 | ||
Plymouth Argyle
