TT BLOG

Thomas Kelly – @tommyktufc

Tom discusses the new Torquay striker

CAREER SUMMARY

Cody Cooke was born in Truro but found his first taste of football action as a teenager at Cornish non-league side Penryn Athletic. His hometown club soon came calling though and he moved to Truro City in 2011, juggling football with studies for a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education in Sports Development at Plymouth Marjon University. He spent the next 7 years at Truro, during which time the side struggled financially but eventually found a foothold in the National League South, and also reached the FA Cup 1st Round proper in 2017-18. By this time Cooke had joined the V9 Academy, a football academy co-funded by Jamie Vardy that looked to help gain non-league players professional contracts. This did the trick as the striker joined St Mirren in 2018, spending two years in Scotland that was interrupted by a serious knee ligaments injury. He moved back down to the Westcountry in the summer of 2020, spending a year at then National League side Weymouth, before transferring to Bath City in 2021. Cooke became part-time in 2020 and has been employed as a College Lecturer, Personal Trainer and most recently Mortgage Advisor in the Exeter area.

COOKE STATS

Position: Striker

Date of Birth: 2nd March 1993 (31)

Height: 1.80m

Birthplace: Truro, Cornwall

Previous Clubs: Penryn Athletic, Truro City, St Mirren, Weymouth, Bath City

NLS 23/24 Stats: Appearances 44, Goals 18, Yellow/Red Cards 7/0

HIGHLIGHTS

A hat trick for St Mirren

A goal on his debut for Bath City in 2021

A highlights video from 5 years ago dedicated to the striker

MOST LIKELY/LEAST LIKELY

Most Likely to:

Car share with Ben Seymour from/to Exeter
Be called Cookie and be used in puns based around Cooking
Challenge for top goal-scorer at the club this season

Least Likely to:

Move onto an expensive variable mortgage rate
Take time to settle in with his football experience, local connections and former Bath team mates around

OTHER INFORMATION

Made 236 league appearances for Truro City, scoring 47 goals.

Studied a PDCE degree in Sport Devolopment at Plymouth Marjon University.

Bath City Top Goal-scorer 23/24, scoring 20 goals in all competitions.

CONCLUSION

Another welcome addition to our attacking line-up for Paul Wotton to call upon and one who could easily challenge for top goal-scorer for the Gulls. A player with plenty of experience at this level and a player who is well regarded up at Bath City, the Gulls appear to have assembled a forward line more than capable of challenging all defences at this level. He was top goal-scorer at Bath City last season and with a move closer to home, United will hope for Cody to kick on going into the new campaign. With the club paying a fee for his services, the Yellow Army will be hoping to be paid back in goals!

With Ash, Seymour, Crosbie & now Cooke onboard, there should be plenty of competition for places, something which we have been lacking for many a season now as well as plenty of goals for us to savour going into the new season. I would imagine that the Gulls business in the forward department is now complete and should the need arise, Paul Wotton will look at the loan market to bolster the squad if required.

I feel confident that Gulls fan will be treated to plenty of netbusters this season and I like how we are signing established players who have done relatively well at this level and overall the potential is there I feel for us to have a really good season. I’m certainly a lot more confident in Wotton than I was under Johnson. Roll on the new season!