Andy Cook interview: Bradford City striker and League Two golden boot winner on feeling 'love' at Bantams, embracing pressure and hunger for more goals

His 2022-23 League Two Golden Boot, in recognition of his remarkable feats with Bradford City last season - 31 goals in all competitions - is an eye-catching item.

Other accolades last term included being named in the division's team of the season and winning a League Two player-of-the-month gong for September 2022.

He’d have gladly swapped it all for a EFL promotion winners' medal with City - the adornment he really wants. Team and not self.

Cook said: “It (golden boot) is in my garage, on the bar in my 'man cave'.

“I haven’t had a drink out of it, it’s just on the cabinet.”

Personal accomplishments counted for little for the striker as he dejectedly headed off the pitch at Brunton Park, the place where he started his professional career, after City's play-off elimination at Carlisle United in May.

As tough as it was, it represents a driver for the next nine months or so. City shouldn’t need any Churchillian type team-talks before they take the field at Crawley on Saturday week.

Cook said: “Last year was a massive turnover, but we’ve still got the core of the team.

“There are people who felt the disappointment from last season and will want to go one better.

“I know what it’s like to get promoted, but I’ve never been promoted out of this league.

“I’ve been promoted out of the Conference in the play-offs. That (last season) was also the second time I’ve lost in the play-offs.

“I’ve lost in a play-off final and that wasn’t nice last season losing in the semis. I don’t want to feel that again.

“I scored 31 goals - how am I still in this league? How did we not get promoted..."

Cook could, in fairness, have taken the easy route to League One and joined one of the third-tier clubs who were interested in him in the summer following his goal rush. Many might have.

For the north-easterner, who has found a footballing home in this quarter of West Yorkshire, that was never really in the equation.

Being promoted with a club who have quickly grown to mean something to him would mean more. It feels personal and was a key explainer in his decision to sign a new three-year deal earlier this summer.

Cook, who joined City, initially on loan, in January 2021 and has scored 47 goals in 104 league games, continued: "It’s common knowledge that I had interest from above. But for me, I love it here.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute and I want to get this club where it should be with all the lads.

“I feel the love here. I was out of contract and there was no thought in my head that I wanted to be away from this club."

Cook's desire to sample the sweet taste of promotion is shared by everyone connected with the claret and amber. It would mean so much to so many.

It will require a collective effort of will for that to turn into glorious reality, but there will also be intense pressure on the shoulders of the 32-year-old to do his bit to achieve that. Perhaps only manager Mark Hughes will be under the microscope as much as that regard.

Given Hughes's decorated career, the pressure is relative. For Cook, the spotlight is something he enjoys. But not as much as scoring goals.

In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday's 3-3 friendly draw with Middlesbrough, he was quick to tell the media that the third goal credited to Matty Platt was his. Having that hunger in pre-season is surely no bad thing.

The desire of only starting his career in the EFL at 27 and making up for lost time, in some respects, is something that also drives the forward on.

The tough times in terms of getting released by the likes of Grimsby Town also provide handy perspective in regards to notions of pressure.

He added: “I scored 31 goals last year but I’m not finished. I want to score more.

“That’s me from a selfish point of view and I want to get promoted with the lads that are here and get the club where it probably should be.

“I’ve had a lot of tough times in my career, but that comes with football. It’s part and parcel and you’ve got to move on from that.

“I’ve never dwelled on getting released from clubs. I’ve just got on with it."

As for feeling any extra weight of expectation following his achievements last season, it's quite the contrary and something Cook positively embraces.

“It doesn’t bother me. You’re a footballer and you’ve got to enjoy the good moments because bad ones will come along in your career," he opined.

“People will be asking big questions this year and I totally understand that.

“I was top-scorer in the league, so people are going to try and stop me. But if I get stopped, we’ve got others who can score goals.

“It doesn’t really matter as long as we’re winning games. It’s not just about me.

"I think Tyler (Smith) will score goals, you’ve got others who will create and score.

“Matt Derbyshire will contribute and we’ve just signed Patto (Alex Pattison) who got the most goals from midfield last season.”