AFC Bournemouth defender Steve Cook was delighted to make his 200th career appearance for the Cherries against Hull City on Saturday.
A Brighton & Hove Albion youth team graduate, Cook initially joined the Cherries on a one month emergency loan deal and immediately impressed on his debut against Preston in October 2011.
He went on to complete a two month loan spell at Dean Court making nine appearances before being recalled to Brighton to feature in their 3-0 Championship win over Southampton.
But the very next day he completed a permanent move back to the Cherries for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £150,000 with Cook agreeing personal terms on a three and a half year contract.
Since that point he has worked under three managers including Lee Bradbury, Paul Groves and Eddie Howe.
Under Howe, Cook has been a mainstay in the squad as the team rose through the Football League pyramid, winning promotion from League One in 2013 and the Championship in 2015.
Now in their second season in the Premier League, both AFC Bournemouth and Steve Cook are aiming to establish themselves in the top flight of English football for many years to come.
Cook told the Daily Echo…
‘It’s gone in the blink of an eye. I love it here and I love playing for the club. I’m not one of the fans’ favourites and maybe every year there are calls for me not to be in the team.
‘But I’m still here. The gaffer’s got faith in me and it’s up to me to improve and keep myself in this team.
‘I’m still only 25 so, hopefully, my best days are ahead of me and I want to go on to make 400 or 500 appearances, so that is my next target.
‘I’ve made a lot of appearances in a short amount of time. I can’t remember how many games I’ve missed but it’s not too many. It’s pleasing and I’m hoping to build on that and, hopefully, stay here for a very long time.’
Your Say…
LewSwimmin wrote…
‘Of all our players who could play for England I would say that Steve Cook is the most likely to get a call up and the most deserving. – Join the conversation here.
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