Steve Cook has said told the Bournemouth Echo that he won’t celebrate if he scores for Nottingham Forest on Friday night.
The 30-year-old defender swapped the Vitality Stadium for the City Ground last month, ending a 10-year association with the Cherries.
Tomorrow night’s clash will be the first time that Cook has played against Bournemouth since his departure from the club he calls his own.
Cook has made a strong start at Forest. He has helped the team produce some eye-catching results, particularly in the FA Cup where the Reds have dumped out Arsenal and Leicester.
This week the centre-back was quizzed on how he might react in the eventuality that he notches his first Forest goal.
He told the Bournemouth Echo: “No, I plan not to. I wouldn’t want to tarnish anything at the club.
“Don’t get me wrong. I have thought an awful lot about what could happen on the day, what won’t happen.
“That’s definitely something that I would try really hard not to do.
“Unless it was a 96th-minute winner, then I think the emotions might get the better of me, but I plan not to do anything too disrespectful to the fans.”
Professional: Cook the ultimate leader in the Forest dressing room
Although he doesn’t wear the captain’s armband at the City Ground; it’s fair to say that Cook is a real leader of men in the Forest ranks.
The defender has proved a very useful addition to the squad and he’s been there and done it when it comes to the Championship.
- SUMMER: Spurs want Forest man
Forest will undoubtedly call on him to use his experience in the coming months, with a top-six finish still up for grabs.
As a respectable bloke, it’s perhaps no surprise that Cook won’t celebrate scoring against Bournemouth and Forest fans will be fine with that.
If he helps the Reds secure a massive three points on their travels; the ardent fan base won’t care how he goes about celebrating the win.