Robbie Cooke

Robbie Cooke
Personal information
Full nameRobert Leslie Cooke[1]
Date of birth16 February 1957
Place of birthRotherham, England
Playing positionForward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1976–1978Mansfield Town15(1)
1978–1980Grantham78(65)
1980–1983Peterborough United115(51)
1983→ Luton Town (loan)
1983–1985Cambridge United65(14)
1985→ Brentford (loan)
1985–1987Brentford124(53)
1987–1988Millwall4(1)
1988–1991Kettering Town95(49)
1991Grantham Town10(5)
1991–1992Northampton Spencer
1992–1993Bourne Town
National team
England C
Teams managed
Warboys Town
1998–2000Kettering Town (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Robert Leslie Cooke is a retired English footballer and manager who played as a forward in the Football League, most notably for Peterborough United and Brentford. He represented England C at international level while playing Non-League football. After retiring from football, Cooke managed Warboys Town and later became a scout.

Club career

Mansfield Town

Cooke began his career in the youth system at Division Three side Mansfield Town,[2] making 9 appearances and scoring one goal in his debut season, in which the Stags won the 1976/77 Division Three title. He made only six appearances in Division Two during the 1977/78 season and departed the club at the end of the campaign, having made just 15 first team appearances for the club.[3]

Grantham

Cooke joined Southern League Division One North side Grantham in the summer of 1978,[3] firing in 43 goals to propel the club to the divisional title.[2] Cooke's performances saw him awarded the Supporters' Player of the Year award. Grantham moved to the Northern Premier League for the 1979/80 season and Cooke was on fire again, scoring 39 goals.[2] He departed the Gingerbreads at the end of the campaign.[2]

Peterborough United

Cooke's goalscoring exploits for Grantham caught the eye of Division Four side Peterborough United, culminating in him moving to the club for a £12000 fee in the summer of 1980.[2] He was an immediate hit at Posh, scoring 29 goals in 56 games during the 1980/81 season, helping the club to the fifth round of the FA Cup and was named in the Division Four PFA Team of the Year.[4] Cooke bettered his goalscoring tally in the 1981/82 season, scoring 31 goals in 55 games.[4] Cooke's prolific form tailed off during the 1982/83 season, managing only 11 goals in 33 appearances before departing mid-season.[4] Cooke scored 71 goals in 144 appearances for the Posh.[4]

Luton Town (loan)

Cooke had a loan spell at Division One side Luton Town during the 1982/83 season.[4]

Cambridge United

Cooke signed for Division Two side Cambridge United during the 1982/83 season for a £12000 fee.[5] He failed to find his prolific goalscoring form for the struggling club, which suffered relegation to Division Three in 1984. Cooke managed 14 goals in 65 appearances[3] and with relegation to Division Four looming, he departed the club midway through the 1984/85 season.

Brentford (loan and permanent transfer)

Cooke joined Division Three side Brentford on loan midway through the 1984/85 season[4] and later signed permanently for a £20000 fee, on the recommendation of former Cambridge manager John Docherty.[6] Cooke quickly found some form, scoring 12 goals in 24 league games and netting what proved to be a consolation in the 3–1 1985 Football League Trophy Final defeat to Wigan Athletic. Cooke finished the 1984/85 season as both Brentford and Cambridge United's top scorer, only the third time in history the feat had been managed.[2] Three years of mid-table mediocrity followed and Cooke departed Brentford in December 1987, having scored 64 goals in 150 games for the Bees.[6]

Millwall

Cooke reunited with John Docherty and joined Division Two high-flyers Millwall on 11 December 1987 for a £30000 fee, scoring one goal in five appearances during the remainder of the 1987/88 season.[7] He was unable to break up the forward pairing of Tony Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham and departed the Lions in September 1988.[7]

Kettering Town

Cooke dropped back into Non-League football to join Conference side Kettering Town in September 1988.[7] He had a prolific spell with the Poppies, scoring 49 goals in 95 appearances across three seasons in which the club consistently challenged for promotion to the Football League.

Non-league nomad

Cooke rounded out his career with spells at Northampton Spencer, Bourne Town and a second stint at Grantham Town.[2]

International career

Cooke's form while at Kettering Town won him England C recognition.[8]

Managerial and coaching career

Cooke had a spell as player-coach at Southern League Midland Division side Grantham Town during the 1991/92 season.[2] After his retirement from football, Cooke became manager at Eastern Counties League Division One side Warboys Town.[2] In December 1998, Cooke returned to Kettering Town to become assistant manager and first team coach.[9]

Scouting career

Cooke was invited to become a part-time scout for Preston North End by former Cambridge United teammate and then-Preston manager David Moyes. Cooke subsequently followed Moyes to Premier League side Everton in 2002[10] and Manchester United in 2013,[11] serving as chief scout at both clubs. After Moyes was sacked by Manchester United in April 2014,[12] Cooke was not retained by incoming manager Louis van Gaal.[13]

Personal life

Cooke's nephew Russell was also a footballer and played for Hucknall Town, Eastwood Town and Ilkeston Town.[14][15] Cooke worked for Thomas Cook and later for Travelex in the 1990s.[10]

Honours

As a player

Mansfield Town

Grantham

Northampton Spencer

As an individual

References

  1. ↑ "Search 1984 to 2006 – Birth, Marriage and Death indexes". Findmypast.com. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Cooke, Robbie (1957 – )". Grantham Matters. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/robbiecooke.html
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Time on Pitch. "Robbie Cooke's Career – UpThePosh! The Peterborough United Database". Uptheposh.com. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "1982/83 Transfers – UpThePosh! The Peterborough United Database". Uptheposh.com. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 40. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-A2Z-AtoD.htm
  8. ↑ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  9. ↑ Metcalf, Rupert (11 December 1998). "Football: Non-League Notebook – Morris's minor miracle – Sport". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "FOOTBALL: Everton job was too good for cooke to turn down". Peterborough Telegraph. 19 December 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  11. ↑ Ian Herbert (27 February 2014). "Comment: David Moyes must be bold to rebuild Manchester United, with club ready to spend £200m in transfer market – News & Comment – Football". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  12. ↑ Simon Stone (22 April 2014). "David Moyes: Manchester United manager sacked by club". BBC Sport (BBC). Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  13. ↑ Edwards, John. "Louis van Gaal armed with £200million to revamp Manchester United". Mail Online. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "New era for non-league football". Hucknall Dispatch. 13 August 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Football : Russell Cooke". Footballdatabase.eu. 18 May 1981. Retrieved 5 August 2014.

External links