By Jason McKeown

So where were we? It took a grand total of 11 minutes for Andy Cook to pick up where he left off by scoring a Bradford City goal. And then a further 19 minutes for him to grab yet another Bantams’ winner to add to his considerable collection.

The City talisman’s first appearance on the lush green Valley Parade pitch in 247 days – a first piece of action anywhere, in fact, since going down injured at Barrow on New Year’s Day – and it was like he’d never been away. Two truly special goals, as months of injury heartache began to fade.

And for all the memorable performances that Cook has delivered since joining the club in 2021, this night of netting goals number 86 and 87 in City colours deserves to rank amongst the best. They were two stunning headers, prompting scenes of delirium. Even though Valley Parade was less than a fifth full, the noise and surge of emotion that greeted Cook’s brace almost blew the roof off.

Just incredible. You could not have written the script for his return any better than this. The final stages of Cook’s recovery from long-term injury had been firmly kept under wraps. We supporters simply had no idea he was this close to a return. Suddenly there he was, back in the squad. And if it wasn’t joyous enough merely to witness Cook enter the pitch, he only goes and bloody scores twice right away.

Re-mark-a-ble.

If the stars really were aligning to make this all about Cook, credit to the teammates for setting up such a scenario for him to come on and be the hero. Rather unexpectedly, Cook was asked to use his broad shoulders to lift his team out of a hole they’d fallen into. The team was 1-0 down to the nation’s current underdog darlings, Grimsby, and needing Cook to rescue them. The guy who spent several seasons carrying this club duly obliged. Cook got to assume the main character role straight away again. And in a season that has already had so many special moments, we might well have experienced the best of the lot.

It warms the soul how Cook reacted to his first goal by racing to the dugout and hugging first team physio Joe Gannon. It makes the hairs stand on the back of the neck to witness the way every person on City’s bench stood up to applaud Cook’s winner. The respect. The love. The communal happiness. Cook been to hell and now he’s back, doing something that in his darkest moments he must have feared he’d never achieve again. It meant so much to everyone.

This is absolutely Cook’s night. The poor guy had to sit out the second half of Bradford City’s promotion campaign. Watch on from the stands, as the team prospered in his absence. He’s probably felt a bit unsettled this summer, as new forwards come in and have made their mark. In total he missed 34 games through injury – 21 of which City won – and lived with the very real fear that the club has moved on without him.

But straight away, Cook has changed that narrative. His two goals here put him level with Dean Windass in the all-time Bradford City scoring charts. It is the fastest of reminders of just how much he still has to offer this football club. And this is just the first night back. Imagine what he will be like when he’s actually fully fit again?

And really, there is no need for a match report of this game. Nothing matters in comparison. No words I can write could come anywhere near to matching the magical footage of Cook’s double. If you didn’t see the game, dig out the highlights on YouTube. If you’ve watched those highlights already, watch them again. It will be an awfully long time before you tire of them.

But if you’re sticking around, let’s quickly talk about the wider game Cook was a part of. A curious one for sure. Everything about it suggested City should and would win comfortably. But it didn’t go smoothly – even with the considerable advantage of playing with an extra man for more than an hour.

Because whilst City do what they always do under Graham Alexander and took this tie seriously – the Bantams boss made six changes, but such is the strength of the squad that no outfield player selected would have looked out of place starting a league fixture – Grimsby appeared to treat it as an inconvenience. Only three members of the Mariners XI started the memorable League Cup victory over Manchester United six days ago. It was seven changes from their League Two home defeat to Bristol Rovers on Saturday. This was a reserve team.

The Grimsby rotation included giving two 18-year-olds – Fortune Onoh and Henry Oscar Brown – their debuts and it’s fair to say they didn’t go to plan. Less than two minutes had been played when Onoh produced a crude tackle on Ciaran Kelly that resulted in a yellow card but could have been red. Brown wasn’t so lucky, getting sent off after 26 minutes for an off-the-floor challenge on Brad Halliday. It was maybe harsh, but it was also unnecessary. The sort of tackle you just can’t make anymore.

So it was all set up for a more senior City side to win and win well. Only, it didn’t pan out that way. Grimsby to their credit did not roll over. Another 18-year-old – Sebastian Auton – lined up in goal and made several important saves. He was almost having a personal battle with Stephen Humphrys, denying him on four occasions either side of the break. Auton’s best save came when he got down brilliantly to claw away a Humphrys one-on-one low shot after the City forward had been played through by a rampaging Bobby Pointon. Humphrys will probably feel he should have scored.

City dominated possession – especially after Grimsby’s red card – and didn’t play badly. Several high presses successfully led to promising attacks. They registered 10 first half shots on goal to Town’s two. But the Bantams weren’t quite hitting the heights they are capable of either.

The starting front three was the same as Saturday and was similarly mixed. George Lapslie shows some nice touches, but was typically too passive – as though he couldn’t quite work out how to access his higher gears. Pointon was a bag of tricks and just got better and better as the game progressed. Humphrys was a threat but is starting to look slightly weighed down by his lack of goals since signing in the summer. Understandably, he probably did not quite feel the same love for Cook’s heroics as the rest of us.

In midfield Alex Pattison was brought back in and made captain for the night, bringing his characteristic energy. But Jensen Metcalfe failed to reach the levels he’s shown he is capable of. He was taken off at half time, perhaps slightly lucky that his own crude sliding tackle midway through the first half only attracted a yellow.

By the time Metcalfe plus Joe Wright were withdrawn, City were unexpectedly behind. In first half stoppage time Tyreik Wright had played a slow back pass that wasn’t terrible but invited Justin Amaluzor to chase. Joe Hilton – finally making his City debut – was slow to react to the threat, and only succeeded in tripping up Amaluzor for a penalty. Danny Rose converted from the spot – his first goal of the season on his first start. He always seems to score at Valley Parade.   

Early in the second half, Evan Khouri could and perhaps should have made it 2-0, screwing his shot wide from a great position. But from there it was one-way traffic. By the time the evening ended, City’s shot count had climbed to 25 (to Grimsby’s four), with 10 corners won (to Grimsby’s zero). But a lot of City’s efforts were wayward and troubled only the empty seats in the Kop.

Despite the erratic shooting, City kept going and the substitutes definitely helped. Josh Neufville had come on for Joe Wright at the interval and played in front of Halliday, who tucked in as right-sided centre half. Max Power – on for Metcalfe – brought energy and later Will Swan was his typical pressing menace. But of course, there was only one sub we went home talking about.

Neufville set up Cook’s first goal with a beautiful deep cross that was perfect for the City number 9 to power past Auton. 1-1. The onslaught continued. And so deep in stoppage time the ball was worked to Pattison, who from the middle of pitch delivered a peach of a ball that Cook met wonderfully to head home.

Cue the outpouring of emotion. A deluge of goodwill sent from the stands onto the pitch. A night that will live a very long time in the memory.

And a marker put down straight away. Andy Cook walks back into a matchday squad that seems completely transformed since that awful moment on New Year’s Day. He turns out for a club in a higher division than when he last performed for it – one that remains unbeaten this season as they stand amongst the pacesetters. But for how high Bradford City are soaring, tonight empathically proved that there’s still a place for one of their greatest-ever number 9s.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2025/26, BCAFC, Football League Trophy, Grimsby Town