Auckland FC: Sam Cosgrove free to play A-League opener after suspension

Defending A-League champions Auckland FC have been given a boost before Saturday’s season opener against Melbourne City with striker Sam Cosgrove free to play after a two-game suspension. The Englishman, who finished last season as the joint A-League Golden Boot winner, was sent off in Auckland FC’s last match, a 1-0 defeat to Al-Ahli Saudi FC in the Fifa Intercontinental Cup in August. Having been handed a two-game ban, he was expected to miss Saturday’s opener at Go Media Stadium and the second-round clash against the Western Sydney Wanderers the following weekend.