Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has updated supporters on the progress of striker Andy Cook, as reported in The Yorkshire Post.
Cook has been absent since New Year’s Day and is stepping up his recovery.
Cook The Talismanic Figure
Andy Cook has been a pivotal figure at Bradford City since first joining the club on loan from Mansfield Town during the 2020-21 season.
The striker scored an incredible 28 league goals, 31 in all competitions, as the Bantams made the 2022-23 playoffs and followed that up with 17 as they fell short of the top seven the following season.
Last season, Cook had already scored 12 times in League Two before injury struck on New Year’s Day.
Bradford would end up claiming a point in a 2-2 draw at Barrow but lost their key man after just six minutes with an anterior cruciate ligament injury that would end his season.
Cook may not have kicked a ball after January 1st but he still ended the season as the club’s top league goal scorer ahead of Calum Kavanagh on nine and Alex Pattison on seven.
Despite his absence, Alexander led his side to League One as they claimed the third and final automatic promotion spot in dramatic fashion.
Alexander Light On Specifics
Graham Alexander has stopped short of putting exact timeframes on the road to recovery for Cook, but he did explain how pleased he was with the striker’s progress, particularly after he overcame a huge psychological barrier this week.
“His progress has been good. It’s been important for him in the last few days to be out there training with the players.”
“But we can’t jump ahead and we have to manage Cooky’s expectations with that.”
“Once he is back, it needs to be for the full time and not just stop-start.”
Writer’s View
Having lost such a key figure in January, Bradford did exceptionally well to gain automatic promotion and cement a place in League One for the first time since 2019.
Whether Cook, at 34 years of age, will be able to recapture his best form after such an injury and at a higher level could help decide where Bradford City finish this season.
