John Kosmina was somewhat of an unknown quantity when he arrived from Adelaide City in March 1978 for £20,000. By that point he had represented Australia at international level but had only plied his trade in his native country.
As it happened the striker made only one league appearance during his time at Highbury, as a substitute in a 2-2 draw home with Leeds United on the opening day of the 1978/79 season.
Kosmina featured three times in that season's UEFA Cup campaign, starting once in the 2-1 defeat at Hajduk Split in October. The Australian came off the bench in the return leg but could not prevent the team from losing in the next round at Red Star Belgrade.
After a brief stint in north London, the striker returned to Australia with West Adelaide before heading to Sydney City and Sydney Olympic. Kosmina was prolific in the National Soccer League, finishing as top goalscorer in the 1982 season with Sydney City. He won 60 caps for Australia, scoring 25 goals.
Kosmina is now a coach in the Australian A-League.
John Kosmina
