John Askey hands Hartlepool United striker special moment with first appearance in 567 days

Cook came off the bench for John Askey’s side in the second half of Hartlepool's pre-season friendly with Blyth Spartans and came close to marking the occasion with a goal in the closing stages when creating space in the area before seeing an effort deflect wide of the post.

From the resulting corner Cook glanced a header which narrowly evaded the far post but for the 33-year-old striker it was about more than finding the back of the net – it was a moment he has waited over 18 months for.

“Wow that felt good! Thank you for the messages honestly, I appreciate them all,” the former Sunderland striker wrote via social media after the game.

Cook’s last appearance for Hartlepool came under Graeme Lee on New Year’s Day 2022 when starting against Oldham Athletic.

The striker saw a goal disallowed before being forced off with an injury which would lead to a prolonged period out of the game with several physical and mental hurdles to overcome.

Cook was part of Hartlepool’s pre-season squad under Paul Hartley last summer and would even travel to Portugal as part of the club’s warm weather training camp before continuing his recovery at Maiden Castle throughout the season.

The striker, it was suggested, was nearing a return to a solid base level of fitness under Keith Curle who revealed in January he would have been keen to see Cook in action.

“He got to the stage where he was nearly going to be fit for games. He had a separate muscle injury that needed attention and treatment,” said Curle.

“He’s been in a few training sessions but he’s always been not at 100 per cent.

“I had a conversation with Jordan where he said ‘would there be a possibility’ and I said ‘when I see you play.’

“The lad has got ability and is confident in his ability. He needs to regain that confidence in his body whereby he can play and train how he wants to play and train.”

And that opportunity came at Croft Park as the 33-year-old was given 45 minutes with the first team with Askey now suggesting he will be able to look to make a decision over Cook’s longer term future in the coming weeks with the striker set to earn more game time throughout pre-season.

"It’s great to see Jordan on the pitch again,” said Askey.

"He’s a decent lad, a good character and everybody wants him to do well.

"It’s hard when you’ve been out for so long. At times you could see that [with him].

"But he’s probably had our best chance of the game when he’s come on and he was unlucky not to score. He’ll get better with the more games he has and we’ll just have to see and judge him when he’s at full fitness and he’s had a few games.”