While Steve Cook has been out for a couple of months having had complications with his groin injury that took him back into hospital, it was a surprise to see him back so soon for the match against Brighton. He of course, probably targeted the game against his former club as the match he wanted to be involved in, and he wanted to captain the side which gave him and the team an extra lift.
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| Steve Cook puts in a captain's performance. |
We may have forgotten what a good leader Steve Cook has become. It is not just his ability to win headers and battle hard, he really wants to be a winner and he feeds that enthusiasm to other players on the pitch. Just getting a few of the regular names back on the field gives Bournemouth their mentality and ambition back. The connection with the crowd is greater with players that have been at the club longer, and they are well aware of when the mood at grounds is not as good after poor performances.
Steve Cook was on a mission to get Bournemouth back to where it likes to be and Chris Mepham will quickly gain in confidence with Cook organising the back line. There will be more pointing and shouting and the communication is important. The excitement of the game might have gotten to Cook a little when he came forward at one point and had a go from distance, but it was a good shot that forced Ryan into a save. It would have been really something had Cook scored.
Playing against a team like Brighton. Bournemouth needed to be good at defending set-pieces and crosses, and it was Cook that tried to get his head to almost every cross. It's that kind of effort that AFCB have been lacking in recent games.
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