December 27, 2025 • 10 mins
English striker Sam Cosgrove was announced to have been signed by Auckland FC in August.
He was brought on with the hope he could boost head coach Steve Corica’s attacking options.
Cosgrove joined Jason Pine to chat about the decision to move to New Zealand, and the differences to playing football in England and NZ including the summer heat and trans-Tasman travel.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Auckland FC were scheduled to be playing a top of
the table A League men's clash tonight against Sydney FC. Unfortunately,
the Leichhart Oval pitch has failed an inspection, so the
game's been postponed. A new date for it is yet
to be confirmed. What that means is that Auckland's next
match is now against the Newcastle Jets at Mount Smart
(00:35):
on New Year's Day. Leading the line for Auckland FC
this season has been their new import English striker Sam Cosgrove.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Oh what a hander from Cosgrove. We have spoken about him.
That is out of absolutely nothing. Who goes to the
edge of the fox. It's a wonderful delivery and the
danger of Sam Cosgrove just pops up once again. He's
virtually unmarked on.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
A six yard fox.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Andrew Redmain stopped him a couple of times for all
I had of that is after a great delivery, Same
Hardscrive gets he sported the season an upland late too.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Same Cosgrove joins us on Weekend Sport. Thanks for your time,
Same two away wins in your last two games. So
how happy do you think the coaching staff were with
with your performances over the last couple of hes.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
I'm not too sure about my individual performances. Obviously, a
goal and assists and an assist is kind of what
I'm here to do. But you know, I think that
as a collective, that's kind of what we're more more
concerned about, you know, the emphasis and how we're starting games,
how we're continuing games, and how we're finishing games. And
I think over the course of one hundred and eighty
(01:46):
minutes plus, I think the manager will be happy. And
as as players, we've been we've been pleased with the
way the way we've been going and the performances we're
putting in. So yeah, definitely that the mood is The
mood is good in camp right now.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It was over forty degrees during the day there in
Sydney last Friday, I think still or so it'd kickoff
in your game against Western Sydney. How are you personally
dealing with the physical demands of playing football in the summer,
having been used to playing it in the winter for
so many.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Seasons, It's been tough, mate. I won't lie. It's definitely
something that's that's new for me.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I mean obviously back home, I've only really ever played
consistently in England and Scotland and you get maybe three
or four weeks a year that get over twenty degrees.
So yeah, walking around Sydney on our kind of pre
match walking forty two degree blasting heat was interesting. And
then it didn't really feel like it cooled down too much.
(02:45):
It was almost as if the dry heat stopped and
the humidity ramped up. So yeah, I'll be honest, it
was tough and it's something that I'm going to have
to get used to very quickly coming into the summer
in the Southern Hemisphere. But listen, it's it's part and
partals coming here. I knew this was going to be
the case when I came over, so I'm adapting well,
but it's going to take it will take probably a
(03:07):
wee better time to get used to.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, I guess the other thing that that will be
a little bit different for you as the travel. Of
course you travel in the UK, but it would be
mainly bess travel, wouldn't it. How have you found the
train's tasman are travel?
Speaker 5 (03:20):
So far.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I've enjoyed it too, honest mate. The you know, the
back and forth through the airport, it's it's good. And
it's similar to the bus travel back home. I mean
the flight across is about three hours then you get
give or take an hour or two either side, so
you know, I was regularly doing four or five six
hour plus bus journeys back home in England, so it's
(03:42):
not too dissimilar. But listen, as there was no excuse
for the boys last year, so we absolutely won't be
an excuse for us this year. We we can't feel
sorry for ourselves at all with the travel or anything
like that. And as you said, kind of, so far
we've we've performed well away from home, so if we
could pick up another another three points, it will have
been an impressive and impressive throughout three away from home
(04:05):
during this period before Auckland.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You played most recently for Stockport County Online from Barnsley.
How did the move to Auckland come about?
Speaker 5 (04:16):
The long story or the short story?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Got plenty of time, We've got plenty of I'll keep.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
It fairly short, but no, it was it was something
that came completely out of the blue. Obviously, I found
myself kind of out of contract as a free agent,
but it was relatively early days and I had plenty
of options in England and up and down the country,
but there was nothing that really kind of excited me
(04:43):
at the time. And it was just a call completely
out of the blue from my agent and he mentioned
Auckland and my geography isn't too bad, I said to him,
New Zealand, isn't it? It was, I'll be honest, it's
kind of The more that I looked into the club
and the league and everything that had kind of gone on,
the more it did excite me as a challenge. And
(05:05):
as I said, I'd only ever played a consistently within
England and Scotland, and as if kind of my career
had gone a wee bit stale and I needed kind
of something to bring a little bit more life into
me and my footballing career and this kind of seemed
a perfect opportunity to go and do something different and
experience something new. And so far I've absolutely loved it
(05:28):
and it seems like the correct decision so far.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
So long long mate, continue.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Absolutely And you came into a squad at Auckland where
it was fairly consistent from last year, a couple of departures,
couple of new arrivals, obviously yourself included how easy a
squad was it to fit into when you first arrived.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, it really is, I mean straight away kind of
the manager and the coach has explained in detail what
they wanted from me and the player that they wanted
me to be and where I'd fit into the plans.
And I think that there's one thing that's really evident
coming in as is this is an incredibly humble and
(06:08):
welcoming squad. We work extremely hard. There's no there's no egos,
there's no one who kind of spits the dummy out
when things are going going against them. So in terms
of coming into the squad, everyone was incredibly welcoming. As
I said, it was highlighted from day one what the
manager wanted from me, and you know, I've been working
hard to be that since day one, and it's it's taken.
(06:32):
It's taken a little bit of time to get myself
kind of up to the up to speed physically with
what the manager wants.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
And there's still a lot.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
More work to come from me on that side of things,
but so far so far, so good, so kind of
how that continues.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
There's a striker coming into a new club and you've
you've come into new clubs before in the UK, you've
had a few clubs on your CV. Do you feel
extra pressure to score goals early? I know you know
it's about more than just that, but do you feel
as a striker precia to get off the mark into
consistently score goals?
Speaker 5 (07:06):
Hm, I'd say so yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
I mean there's there's one thing the matter where you
go in the world playing football, there's a universal currency
of goals and points. So for me as a striker,
it's I'm going to be measured on very very simply
my goal return, and the team is going to be
measured on how how many points would pick up. So
you know, these numbers they do matter. But it is
(07:31):
the old cliche. As long as we're kind of putting
in good performances and we're winning games, I'm happy.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Whoever scores.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
You know mentioned the one at the weekend where I've
taken a shot and it's taken a dubious deflection off
mister Randall and he's taken taking credit for the goal.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
But listeners, as long as we can keep picking up
three points. I'm not bothered. I fascor.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I think dubious Dubious has been very kind to Randall
in that situation. Hell on Earth? Has he been credited
with that he gets he's on the ground, he's lying down,
there's he got that goal?
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Yeah, I mean, I'm joking with him.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
We had a we had a joke after the after
the Phoenix game the first RB where I've kind of
nicked one of his goals by obviously completely unintentionally trying
to move the defender out of the way and it
has ricocheted onto my leg.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
So I was laughing and joking. I said, I'll try and.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Get you a an easy assist at some point this
season to make it even.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
And I think I've I've repaid that debt for sure.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Absolutely Well. The manager has plenty of options in a tech,
doesn't he? Both starting an in game behind you, Lachlan Brooks,
you see Randal gives you my my Logan Rogerson, Marley France,
Waliam Gillian. So how have you gone about forging connections
with each of them? Or are they all just interchangeable
parts in the upland FC system.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I think so, I mean you mentioned some of those names,
and one thing that's been evident, and one thing the
manager has really driven home, is that he's not going
to be afraid to make changes. We've got kind of
quality and strength and depth all over the pitch. Now
there's there's very, very talented and impressive boys that aren't
even getting a sniff on the bench at the moment.
(09:13):
So I think one thing for us is just we've
got the shirt the boys that are started now, but
there's absolutely no god given right that we're going to
be starting the next game. So from that point of view,
there's the pressure to perform every single game because we
know we've got hungry guys behind the scenes. But yeah, listen,
everyone has their own strengths, And I mean, I think
(09:33):
at the start of the season, there was.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
The front four was myself, Luckie, who.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Knew Jesse who has been unbelievable this season but didn't
play loads of football last season. And then because Gmomi
who was kind of recovering from a pretty serious knee injury,
that kind of got swept under the carpet a little bit.
So there was definitely connections that needed to be formed.
But I think that as you said, those connections are
kind of forming really well now and we're learning about
(10:02):
each other. I'm learning about the players around me, and
it's definitely coming.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
It's coming together.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
So if we can kind of continue along that path,
I'm sure that there'll be plenty more success through the season.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
From Yeah, I'm sure there will be. Sam, good on
you mate, great to chat to you. A shame you
couldn't get a game tonight that we could enjoy against ADNEYFC.
A date for that to be confirmed, a postponement date,
but Aukland the FC top of the table at Christmas time.
Thanks for joining us, Sam.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk z B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Auckland FC were scheduled to be playing a top of
the table A League men's clash tonight against Sydney FC. Unfortunately,
the Leichhart Oval pitch has failed an inspection, so the
game's been postponed. A new date for it is yet
to be confirmed. What that means is that Auckland's next
match is now against the Newcastle Jets at Mount Smart
(00:35):
on New Year's Day. Leading the line for Auckland FC
this season has been their new import English striker Sam Cosgrove.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Oh what a hander from Cosgrove. We have spoken about him.
That is out of absolutely nothing. Who goes to the
edge of the fox. It's a wonderful delivery and the
danger of Sam Cosgrove just pops up once again. He's
virtually unmarked on.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
A six yard fox.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Andrew Redmain stopped him a couple of times for all
I had of that is after a great delivery, Same
Hardscrive gets he sported the season an upland late too.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Same Cosgrove joins us on Weekend Sport. Thanks for your time,
Same two away wins in your last two games. So
how happy do you think the coaching staff were with
with your performances over the last couple of hes.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
I'm not too sure about my individual performances. Obviously, a
goal and assists and an assist is kind of what
I'm here to do. But you know, I think that
as a collective, that's kind of what we're more more
concerned about, you know, the emphasis and how we're starting games,
how we're continuing games, and how we're finishing games. And
I think over the course of one hundred and eighty
(01:46):
minutes plus, I think the manager will be happy. And
as as players, we've been we've been pleased with the
way the way we've been going and the performances we're
putting in. So yeah, definitely that the mood is The
mood is good in camp right now.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It was over forty degrees during the day there in
Sydney last Friday, I think still or so it'd kickoff
in your game against Western Sydney. How are you personally
dealing with the physical demands of playing football in the summer,
having been used to playing it in the winter for
so many.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Seasons, It's been tough, mate. I won't lie. It's definitely
something that's that's new for me.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I mean obviously back home, I've only really ever played
consistently in England and Scotland and you get maybe three
or four weeks a year that get over twenty degrees.
So yeah, walking around Sydney on our kind of pre
match walking forty two degree blasting heat was interesting. And
then it didn't really feel like it cooled down too much.
(02:45):
It was almost as if the dry heat stopped and
the humidity ramped up. So yeah, I'll be honest, it
was tough and it's something that I'm going to have
to get used to very quickly coming into the summer
in the Southern Hemisphere. But listen, it's it's part and
partals coming here. I knew this was going to be
the case when I came over, so I'm adapting well,
but it's going to take it will take probably a
(03:07):
wee better time to get used to.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, I guess the other thing that that will be
a little bit different for you as the travel. Of
course you travel in the UK, but it would be
mainly bess travel, wouldn't it. How have you found the
train's tasman are travel?
Speaker 5 (03:20):
So far.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I've enjoyed it too, honest mate. The you know, the
back and forth through the airport, it's it's good. And
it's similar to the bus travel back home. I mean
the flight across is about three hours then you get
give or take an hour or two either side, so
you know, I was regularly doing four or five six
hour plus bus journeys back home in England, so it's
(03:42):
not too dissimilar. But listen, as there was no excuse
for the boys last year, so we absolutely won't be
an excuse for us this year. We we can't feel
sorry for ourselves at all with the travel or anything
like that. And as you said, kind of, so far
we've we've performed well away from home, so if we
could pick up another another three points, it will have
been an impressive and impressive throughout three away from home
(04:05):
during this period before Auckland.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You played most recently for Stockport County Online from Barnsley.
How did the move to Auckland come about?
Speaker 5 (04:16):
The long story or the short story?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Got plenty of time, We've got plenty of I'll keep.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
It fairly short, but no, it was it was something
that came completely out of the blue. Obviously, I found
myself kind of out of contract as a free agent,
but it was relatively early days and I had plenty
of options in England and up and down the country,
but there was nothing that really kind of excited me
(04:43):
at the time. And it was just a call completely
out of the blue from my agent and he mentioned
Auckland and my geography isn't too bad, I said to him,
New Zealand, isn't it? It was, I'll be honest, it's
kind of The more that I looked into the club
and the league and everything that had kind of gone on,
the more it did excite me as a challenge. And
(05:05):
as I said, I'd only ever played a consistently within
England and Scotland, and as if kind of my career
had gone a wee bit stale and I needed kind
of something to bring a little bit more life into
me and my footballing career and this kind of seemed
a perfect opportunity to go and do something different and
experience something new. And so far I've absolutely loved it
(05:28):
and it seems like the correct decision so far.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
So long long mate, continue.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Absolutely And you came into a squad at Auckland where
it was fairly consistent from last year, a couple of departures,
couple of new arrivals, obviously yourself included how easy a
squad was it to fit into when you first arrived.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, it really is, I mean straight away kind of
the manager and the coach has explained in detail what
they wanted from me and the player that they wanted
me to be and where I'd fit into the plans.
And I think that there's one thing that's really evident
coming in as is this is an incredibly humble and
(06:08):
welcoming squad. We work extremely hard. There's no there's no egos,
there's no one who kind of spits the dummy out
when things are going going against them. So in terms
of coming into the squad, everyone was incredibly welcoming. As
I said, it was highlighted from day one what the
manager wanted from me, and you know, I've been working
hard to be that since day one, and it's it's taken.
(06:32):
It's taken a little bit of time to get myself
kind of up to the up to speed physically with
what the manager wants.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
And there's still a lot.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
More work to come from me on that side of things,
but so far so far, so good, so kind of
how that continues.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
There's a striker coming into a new club and you've
you've come into new clubs before in the UK, you've
had a few clubs on your CV. Do you feel
extra pressure to score goals early? I know you know
it's about more than just that, but do you feel
as a striker precia to get off the mark into
consistently score goals?
Speaker 5 (07:06):
Hm, I'd say so yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
I mean there's there's one thing the matter where you
go in the world playing football, there's a universal currency
of goals and points. So for me as a striker,
it's I'm going to be measured on very very simply
my goal return, and the team is going to be
measured on how how many points would pick up. So
you know, these numbers they do matter. But it is
(07:31):
the old cliche. As long as we're kind of putting
in good performances and we're winning games, I'm happy.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Whoever scores.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
You know mentioned the one at the weekend where I've
taken a shot and it's taken a dubious deflection off
mister Randall and he's taken taking credit for the goal.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
But listeners, as long as we can keep picking up
three points. I'm not bothered. I fascor.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I think dubious Dubious has been very kind to Randall
in that situation. Hell on Earth? Has he been credited
with that he gets he's on the ground, he's lying down,
there's he got that goal?
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Yeah, I mean, I'm joking with him.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
We had a we had a joke after the after
the Phoenix game the first RB where I've kind of
nicked one of his goals by obviously completely unintentionally trying
to move the defender out of the way and it
has ricocheted onto my leg.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
So I was laughing and joking. I said, I'll try and.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Get you a an easy assist at some point this
season to make it even.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
And I think I've I've repaid that debt for sure.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Absolutely Well. The manager has plenty of options in a tech,
doesn't he? Both starting an in game behind you, Lachlan Brooks,
you see Randal gives you my my Logan Rogerson, Marley France,
Waliam Gillian. So how have you gone about forging connections
with each of them? Or are they all just interchangeable
parts in the upland FC system.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I think so, I mean you mentioned some of those names,
and one thing that's been evident, and one thing the
manager has really driven home, is that he's not going
to be afraid to make changes. We've got kind of
quality and strength and depth all over the pitch. Now
there's there's very, very talented and impressive boys that aren't
even getting a sniff on the bench at the moment.
(09:13):
So I think one thing for us is just we've
got the shirt the boys that are started now, but
there's absolutely no god given right that we're going to
be starting the next game. So from that point of view,
there's the pressure to perform every single game because we
know we've got hungry guys behind the scenes. But yeah, listen,
everyone has their own strengths, And I mean, I think
(09:33):
at the start of the season, there was.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
The front four was myself, Luckie, who.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Knew Jesse who has been unbelievable this season but didn't
play loads of football last season. And then because Gmomi
who was kind of recovering from a pretty serious knee injury,
that kind of got swept under the carpet a little bit.
So there was definitely connections that needed to be formed.
But I think that as you said, those connections are
kind of forming really well now and we're learning about
(10:02):
each other. I'm learning about the players around me, and
it's definitely coming.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
It's coming together.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
So if we can kind of continue along that path,
I'm sure that there'll be plenty more success through the season.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
From Yeah, I'm sure there will be. Sam, good on
you mate, great to chat to you. A shame you
couldn't get a game tonight that we could enjoy against ADNEYFC.
A date for that to be confirmed, a postponement date,
but Aukland the FC top of the table at Christmas time.
Thanks for joining us, Sam.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk z B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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