ANDY Cook is savouring his best scoring start to a season - but there is one problem for City’s prolific hitman.
Cook has notched nine goals from 10 games in all competitions after his match-winning double at Tranmere.
But as he trains his sights on second-placed Stevenage this weekend, one aspect of the early season continues to bug him.
Cook is wondering when a referee will award a free-kick in his favour during the regular tussles he has with centre halves while putting his body on the line.
He certainly felt he got a rough deal in some of the challenges at Prenton Park on Tuesday.
“I don’t think I’m going to get one, I really don’t,” he admitted.
“I feel like I’m up there on my own and battling away. But if I do something to them, the ref gives a foul but if they do something against me it’s like, ‘nah, play on’.
“I got my shirt pulled off in the box and, for me, that’s a pen but it’s not been given. I don’t think he was watching.”
His gripes at League Two officials aside, Cook never wants this current scoring streak to end.
Stevenage may be much changed from their last visit to Valley Parade 13 months ago but there could still be a few mental scars from his first half hat-trick that night.
Cook is definitely in the mood for more.
“It’s a great feeling,” he added. “At the minute, I feel like I’m going to score every time I play.
“It’s the best start to the season I’ve had. I keep getting in those positions, the ball keeps falling for me and I keep scoring.
“All you want is balls coming in the box. I just want to be in the right positions to score and obviously I feel like I’m doing that.
“I was buzzing to get the two goals the other night and get the win - that was the main thing.”
Cook scored from the first corner of the game as he slipped away from a posse of white shirts to nod home Richie Smallwood’s set-piece from close range.
“It was mad. We worked on something similar in training and it came off.
“I did expect the keeper to punch my head off in the area I was in but he never, so I just ended up in the net with the ball.”
His second-half winner came from another quality delivery from Matty Foulds, Cook finding space to leap between two defenders to crash it home.
“It was a great ball from Matty after a great build-up.
“The centre half was trying to give me a bit (of stick) saying, ‘Where you going Cook? Where you going?
“But I think he was too busy trying to do that instead of watching me and I got across him and knocked the ball in.
“It was frustrating when they equalised and we don’t want to be conceding goals like that.
“But the lads didn’t lose their heads, we kept our discipline and got the win. Now we’ve got to keep doing what we are.
“It’s a long season, keep carrying on, keep winning and who knows what will happen.”
Cook, meanwhile, is keeping his own personal goal target under wraps.
“I’m not saying but I’ll let you know if I hit it. I’d say I’m well on the way.”
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