ANDY Cook is in his best shape since Graham Alexander took over at Valley Parade.

The City boss has been impressed with how his top marksman has returned in pre-season.

And in an ominous warning to League Two defences, he reckons Cook is looking better than ever.

Cook banged the first goal in Tuesday’s friendly against Sunderland with an explosive finish, bringing the ball down on his chest on the edge of the box before thumping home off the post.

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And he nearly capped a powerful line-leading display with an audacious second, trying to catch keeper Simon Moore off his line with a half-volley from 40 yards away.

The big number nine left the action midway through the second half to a standing ovation from the Valley Parade crowd – an accolade that Alexander felt he richly deserved.

“He’s a Geordie so obviously he enjoyed scoring against Sunderland!”

“But I can’t speak highly enough of Cooky.

“I spoke to him probably three months before the end of the season about a few things. He took it all on board and tried to improve and make inroads into that.

“He’s really done well over the summer and has come back in great shape.

“He’s been able to do all the work that everybody else has done and you can see how sharp and fresh he looks.”

Cook once again top-scored for City last season with 19 goals as well as nine assists.

 

 

He is now up to 70 in total for the club – 65 of them in the league – to be in the all-time top 10 at Valley Parade.

But Alexander senses an added hunger about the 33-year-old from the way he has come back.

He added: “We’re only in pre-season and we’ve not started in the league yet but the load we’ve put onto the squad in the last month, I don’t know if Cooky would have got through eight or 10 months ago.

“It’s down to his discipline, his professionalism and his desire to be a top player for this football club. He has been and he wants to continue to be.

Andy Cook gets a handshake from Tyreik Wright for his goalAndy Cook gets a handshake from Tyreik Wright for his goal (Image: Thomas Gadd)

“Anything we can do to help him with that, we will do. We know what a top goal-scorer he is.”

City’s attacking play at Valley Parade impressed the fans and Alexander wants that competition to keep every player on their toes.

“There’s still a bit of strengthening we need to do to have that real competition all over the place.

“But if we want to be successful, and the players want to, then we need that in the squad.

“You’re not going to have 11 players play 46 games. We need to be able change five, six or seven players like we did the other night and the performance, the tempo and the quality stay the same.

“I’ve told the players it’s an open book for me. I go off performance not what’s happened in the past.

“I go off what I see and they’ve taken that on board. They are pushing each other and supporting each other.

“I saw that against Sunderland and last week in Austria when they were really under the pump. They were encouraging each other and dragging each other along.

“That’s how a team works. But there’s still more to go.

“We have to understand that. We’re not where we need to be.”