Sam Cosgrove on a par with Old Firm strikers says Aberdeen team-mate

Sam Cosgrove celebrates his third goal in Aberdeen's 5-0 win over Chikhura Sachkhere. Picture: Rob Casey/SNS

The 22-year-old’s hat-trick in Thursday’s 5-0 thrashing of Chikhura Sachkhere took his tally to six Europa League goals this season, making him the competition’s leading marksman in the qualifying rounds having scored in all four ties so far.

That put Cosgrove alongside club legend Drew Jarvie as the only Aberdeen players to score in four consecutive European ties, with the chance to go one better when they face Rijeka in Croatia on Thursday.

Overall Cosgrove, pictured, has scored 25 goals in the last 32 games stretching back to December and Considine hopes that impressive strike rate will silence the sniping his team-mate has been forced to endure.

“There have been massive improvements but he still gets a lot of flak for some reason and a lot of people  forget that he is still a young boy at 22,” said Considine.

“Even after the game in Rovaniemi in the previous round he was  getting stick but you look at the game and you  question if some of these  people even know anything about football.

“Big Sam has been outstanding for us and a hat-trick will really boost his confidence. He could have had three or four against RoPS and he needed those goals against Chikhura.

“He is still learning his trade but against Chikhura he was brilliant and also for more than three-quarters of last season. He bullies defenders and the finish for his third goal, with the outside of his foot, was outstanding.

“His record is comparable to the likes of what Morelos and Griffiths have produced in recent seasons and to have a young lad at Aberdeen doing that is fantastic.”

Aberdeen’s demolition of their Georgian opponents was all the more impressive as it was achieved without the injured trio of Curtis Main, Mikey Devlin and Ash Taylor, while Craig Bryson and James Wilson remained on the bench.

The experienced Bryson is expected to start the Premiership opener at home to Hearts tomorrow but there won’t be many changes to Thursday night’s line-up.