Aberdeen travel to Ibrox without the suspended Sam Cosgrove for their Scottish Cup quarter final replay against Rangers.
Whilst he’s bound to be a miss, the Dons have plenty of options to fill the void. A big physical presence with an eye for goal as reflected by his 14 league goals so far, who will take the place of the 6’2” Englishman at striker?
Stevie May?
It appeared Joe Worrall and Connor Goldson just didn’t fancy coming up against big Cosgrove at Pittodrie. Perhaps, if you’re going like for like as best you can, it’s time for Stevie May to show the Aberdeen fans what he can do.
Stevie May averages a goal every 725 minutes in the league for Aberdeen this season (2). (Photo by Scott Baxter/Getty Images)
He’s struggled for goals since moving to the north east, a fraction of the player we saw at St Johnstone.
May has hit the back of the net just three times this season, only twice in the league. That’s almost half of the five he got in the Premiership last term. Hardly prolific but the most similar match to Cosgrove that Aberdeen possess.
James Wilson?
Another player that’s hardly hit the ground running is the Manchester United loanee. The Dons’ number nine hasn’t scored since the 29th December, the opener in a 2-1 win away at Livingston.
This is just three days after May’s last goal so you can understand Derek McInnes’ selection headache.
James Wilson, in half Stevie May’s game time, has scored just once more in the league than his teammate (3). (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
A pacy player, a different type of centre forward to Cosgrove, perhaps Wilson is what Aberdeen need to get the better of this Rangers team.
Three league goals is more than Stevie May has but it’s still a drastic drop from the 14 registered by the regular starter in this Aberdeen team.
Greg Stewart?
It seems, as goals are the aim of the game, that Derek McInnes can’t ignore Greg Stewart. Often deployed out wide, perhaps this is his chance to show McInnes what he can do when in a central position. A clever footballing brain that hasn’t yet been made the most of.
Greg Stewart hasn’t been used through the middle in his second Aberdeen loan spell so far. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Having nicked Stewart from Kilmarnock (on loan from Birmingham), surely Stewart’s talent being showcased is what convinced the Dons to swoop for him. His only goal for the Dons came earlier on in this competition, away at Stenhousemuir in the fourth round replay.
Greg Stewart seems the obvious choice. He ought to be given a free role up front if Aberdeen are to progress to the semi-finals. He’s able to drop into wee pockets, creating space for himself. And often enough, after getting a shot away, he finds the back of the net.