Steve Cook has picked out his favourite three memories from his time at Nottingham Forest. The centre-back departed yesterday to sign for QPR on a permanent deal.
The 32-year-old spent around 18 months on Trentside. He helped the club win promotion to the Premier League after signing for the club from Bournemouth in January 2022.
Cook proved a very good signing for the Reds. He captained the team on several occasions during his time at the City Ground and he proved very popular with the fans.
Now, after leaving the club, Cook has picked out his fondest memories. The 32-year-old has left in search of regular game time, with Steve Cooper preferring other defensive options.
His first fondest memory was during the penalty shootout as Forest beat Sheffield United in the play-off semi-final.
MORE FOREST STORIES
Cook took Forest’s third penalty and buried it to give the Reds a 3-1 advantage and edge them closer to the Wembley final. The celebration that followed from Cook was Stuart Pearce-esque.
His next one was obviously the Wembley final. Cook played the full 90 minutes that day and was colossal as the Reds reached the Premier League.
Cook’s final memory came last season. The defender made 14 appearances in the top flight for the Reds, including an outing in the 1-0 win over Liverpool.
The defender was on hand to turn a punted free-kick into the box where Taiwo Awoniyi scored the game’s only goal.
Cook has picked out his three top Forest memories
Clearly, there are no hard feelings with this transfer. Cooper was always honest with Cook and the parting has been amicable.
Forest need to ensure they get more players off the books this summer. The squad is extremely bloated and the wage bill is suffering as a result.
Cook heads to QPR with the club’s best wishes. Forest will benefit from not having him on the books any more and hopefully, some new arrivals can take place too.
Cook was a quality professional for the Reds. He led by example and his efforts for the Reds will always be remembered.