17 August 2021

Derek Adams praises Bradford hat-trick hero Andy Cook in win over Stevenage

17 August 2021

Manager Derek Adams hailed hat-trick hero Andy Cook as Bradford maintained their unbeaten League Two start to the season with a richly-deserved 4-1 home win over Stevenage.

It was Stevenage’s first defeat – they had won their previous three matches – two in the league, one in the League Cup.

Cook, who joined Bradford from Mansfield during the summer after a successful loan spell last season, put the Bantams in front in the first minute with a far-post header from Liam Ridehalgh’s cross.

Elliott List equalised after 17 minutes before Cook restored the lead with 30 minutes gone with a left-foot shot from a corner which resulted from Joseph Anang saving Lee Angol’s penalty.

Cook completed the first hat-trick by a Bradford player for almost four years after chasing Finn Cousin-Dawson’s long pass and skipper Niall Canavan added a fourth with a close-range header three minutes from the end.

Adams said: “Andy scored three fantastic goals and (had) another two opportunities as well.

“We were delighted to see him score a hat-trick. He could have scored another with a header in the second half. I don’t know how the keeper saved it.

“He has worked really hard in pre-season. He has scored goals wherever he has been. I brought him off just before the end to receive the crowd’s applause.

“I was delighted with the performance. To score four goals at home and for a player to score a hat-trick was good. We passed the ball well and the crossing from the wide areas was good.”

Stevenage manager Alex Revell bemoaned his side’s slow beginning to the game.

He said: “We had the worst possible start, but we got back in it and then everything that could go wrong went wrong.

“We knew they would come quickly out of the blocks and they scored an early goal, but then we got back into the game, we scored and we should have had a penalty.

“We then had a really good chance, but didn’t take it and after that we conceded two really poor goals.

“In the second half I thought we should have had another penalty and then conceded another soft goal at the end.

“We also had the misfortune to lose our captain Scott Cuthbert with an injury just before half-time.”

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