Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes gambled ahead of the second leg of the Europa League clash against Rijeka. Unfortunately, the move didn’t pay off.
The Dons boss admitted that he ‘wasn’t totally honest’ about the status of Sam Cosgrove’s fitness ahead of the second leg. Sadly for Aberdeen, that move didn’t work, as the Dons lost 2-0 on the night, and 4-0 on aggregate to exit the competition.
“He was fit”
“He was fit. I wasn’t totally honest because we hadn’t ruled him out totally” he said, as reported by the Daily Record.
“I wanted them to not know he would be in until they saw the team sheet.”
Unfortunately for Aberdeen, Cosgrove didn’t have much of an impact on the match. He was fortunate not to be sent-off for a poor challenge in the first-half. He was then substituted early in the second-half with the tie over.
You can understand why McInnes decided to gamble on Cosgrove. He has been in excellent goalscoring form for the Dons this season.
Key man didn’t contribute much
However, he was unable to contribute much in the game.
Next the Dons face a vital Betfred Cup tie as they try to get their season back on track. They face a trip to Dens Park to face Dundee on Sunday.
It will be interesting to see if Cosgrove is involved in that game. McInnes will certainly hope so.