Carlisle United Born in
Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Cook started his career with the
Carlisle United youth system where he was awarded a scholarship and signed a full-time professional contract, scoring 22 goals in his first season at
Brunton Park, and 37 goals in his second season for the club's youth and second-string during the 2008–09 season. Having signed pro terms Cook was loaned out to
Conference North side
Workington on an initial one-month loan, but remained there for the rest of the campaign. Cook also rejoined Workington the following season on a one-month loan.
Barrow 2009–10 In October 2009 Cook joined
Conference National side
Barrow on an initial one-month loan. He made a scoring debut for the Bluebirds when he netted in the 2–0 win over
Ebbsfleet United on 17 October 2009, he scored another goal on 7 November 2009 in the 2–1 first-round
FA Cup victory over
Eastleigh. He made 3 appearances during his initial loan spell, scoring twice, Cook returned for a second spell almost immediately but broke his foot against
AFC Wimbledon, resulting in him taking no more part in the season, he headed back to Carlisle United to recover.
2010–11 Cook returned to Barrow at the start of the 2010–11 season on a one-month loan before making a permanent move in January 2010 signing a two-and-a-half-year deal on a free transfer. Cook was used mainly as a substitute for the majority of the season. Cook scored just one goal all season, an equaliser from just outside the box in the 3–2 defeat against
Crawley Town.
2011–12 Cook scored his first three goals and also his first hat-trick in a 4–0 win against the previously unbeaten
Fleetwood Town. After receiving a red card in a 1–0 win against
Lincoln, Cook returned for the bluebirds after serving a three match suspension and scored his second hat-trick in the 3–1 home win against
Hayes & Yeading United on 15 October 2011. On 7 January Cook scored a brace in the 3–0 home thrashing of
Darlington. Two more goals were to follow on 21 January 2012 in the 2–3 win at
Tamworth. On 18 February 2012, Cook scored another 2 goals in the 3–0 victory against
Kettering. On 28 April 2012, Cook scored his final goal for Barrow in the 3–1 victory against
Newport finishing the 2011–12 season with 17 goals in 39 appearances making him the club's top scorer.
Grimsby Town Cook signed a two-year contract with the option of a further year with Conference National side
Grimsby Town on 6 June 2012, having agreed a compensation deal with Barrow for an undisclosed fee. Cook played 120 minutes at
Wembley in the
FA Trophy final against
Wrexham; he scored to put The Mariners ahead before eventually falling short in a penalty shootout. Cook finished the season with 16 goals in all competitions. On 9 May 2014, Cook was released by The Mariners, both his seasons with the club ended in Play-off semi-final defeats.
Return to Barrow On 30 June 2014, Cook returned to former club Barrow, penning a two-year deal.
Tranmere Rovers On 1 July 2016, Cook signed for
Tranmere on a two-year deal. Cook was Tranmere's top scorer in both his seasons at
Prenton Park, helping Tranmere to a record points total of 95 in 2016-17 and then promotion into the
Football League in 2017–18. Cook won the National League Golden Boot as the top scorer in the league for 2017–18. His final goal in a Tranmere shirt was the first goal in Tranmere's 2–1 victory over
Boreham Wood in the
2018 National League play-off final.
Walsall On 22 May 2018, it was announced that Cook would be signing for
Walsall on a two-year contract, linking up with former Wrexham manager,
Dean Keates. Cook scored on his EFL debut, a rebound from a penalty in a 2–1 home victory against
Plymouth Argyle.
Mansfield Town Cook joined
Mansfield Town on 21 June 2019 for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract. Despite scoring 7 goals in his first 10 games for Mansfield, he was loaned out to former club
Tranmere Rovers on 31 January 2020. At the end of the
2020–21 season, Cook was released by Mansfield.
Bradford City On 27 January 2021, Cook signed for
Bradford City on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season. After an impressive loan spell that saw him score 8 goals in 16 starts, Cook joined Bradford on a permanent basis on 12 June 2021, signing a two-year deal. Five goals in four matches in September 2022, taking his account for the season up to 11 in all competitions, saw Cook win the
EFL League Two Player of the Month Award. Cook was nominated for the
2022–23 League Two Player of the Season award after helping Bradford City into the play-off places. He missed out on this award to
Northampton Town's
Sam Hoskins, but was named in the division's team of the season. Following defeat in the play-off semi-final, he signed a new three-year contract in May 2023. On 23 September, Cook scored a hat-trick against
Newport County in a 4–1 win, Bradford City's first away win of the season. On 1 January 2025, Cook sustained an injury to his
anterior cruciate ligament, ruling him out for the remainder of the
2024–25 season. He had scored 15 goals in his 29 appearances during the season. On September 2 2025, Cook was named on the bench in an
EFL Trophy game against
Grimsby Town, his first squad appearance since his ACL injury. Cook entered the pitch with his side losing 1–0 and subsequently scored two goals in 20 minutes to win the match On 24th September 2025, Cook scored against his boyhood team in a 4–1 defeat to
Newcastle United at
St James' Park in the third round of the
EFL Cup.
Return to Grimsby On 12 January 2026, it was announced that Cook had returned to Grimsby Town on loan until the end of the season; 14 years after he first signed for the Mariners. == International career ==