“Starstruck” – Andy Cook makes honest admission about playing under Mark Hughes at Bradford City | OneFootball

Mark Hughes was a surprise appointment for Bradford City last season, with the Welshman previously only ever managing at Premier League level.

Therefore, dropping to the fourth tier of English football was not expected by many, but the Bantams do have an appeal that the majority of their League Two counterparts do not.

Not many players in the squad would have played for managers of Hughes’ profile and striker Andy Cook gave a fascinating insight into the squad’s reaction to the appointment when he spoke to The Athletic.

He said: “The first we knew was when one of the lads came in and said, ‘Mark Hughes has just pulled up in the car park’. I just laughed, thinking, ‘Surely not?’.

“Everyone was stunned, almost jumping back in surprise.

“We were all like, ‘This is Mark Hughes!’.

“I’ll admit to feeling starstruck.”

The 32-year-old has already equalled his most prolific goalscoring season in the EFL, notching 13 times already, and he explained how Hughes’ influence is rubbing off on him in a positive way.

Cook continued: “If someone had told me in the off-season that I’d be on this many goals by mid-November, I would have probably laughed at them.

“To play for the gaffer is class.

“I’m a striker and he was a striker – a top, top striker.

“I vaguely remember him as a player.

“But I watched all the Premier League Years (highlights packages of previous seasons on Sky Sports) growing up and there’s always goals of his popping up on my Twitter feed.

“Just the other day, there was the one he scored in training at Manchester City. A volley in the top corner.

“Top-class finish.

“You can’t fail to learn from someone like that.”

Cook is a key focal point to the attack as the Bantams target automatic promotion this season, and it will be interesting to see how they bounce back from defeat to Northampton Town last time out in the coming weeks.

The Verdict

Quiz: What shirt number are these 25 current Bradford City players?

1 of 25

Harry Lewis

1 13 29 31

The Bantams’ recruitment record has been very up and down in the last few seasons, since suffering relegation from League One in 2018/19, but with clear communication and an identity being instilled within the squad by Hughes, this campaign looks like their best shot of returning to the third tier since relegation.

Hughes has implemented a slightly more possession-based approach, very different to his predecessor Derek Adams, arguably making the Bantams one of the more aesthetically pleasing sides to watch in League Two.

However, that does not necessarily suit Cook as a strapping target man, but with the likes of Harry Chapman, Abo Eisa and Scott Banks buzzing around him, Bradford will be confident of staying put in the top three mix heading into the business end of the season.