Biography
Centre and left half Albert Cooke joined Hull City at the end of February 1930, having made his reputation at local rivals Scunthorpe & Lindsey United. Cooke had to wait patiently in City’s Reserves for nine months as the club was relegated to Division Three North and began to rebuild under manager Bill McCracken. Albert was given five starts in November 1930, replacing absent centre half Arthur Childs, and while Childs returned to the first XI for the next three months Cooke again took his place in March 1931, keeping the shirt for the rest of the season.
At the start of the 1931/32 season Cooke competed for the centre half berth with Lincolnshire man Charlie Wrack, and while Cooke was preferred for the opening two months of the season by new manager Hayden Green, both men were discarded in November 1931 when former England international half back Jack Hill signed for the Tigers. Cooke’s time was restricted to four sporadic appearances at right half during the second half of the season and he was transfer listed in the 1932 close season.
Albert Cooke was born at Royston near Barnsley into a coal mining family, his father had moved from Lancashire to work in the local colliery. Albert was a notable footballer in his youth playing for his local club in Royston and had trials at both Notts County and Rochdale – for the latter he started a Division Three North match for Rochdale in May 1929. Rochdale chose not to acquire Cooke’s services at the end of that trial and in June 1929 he signed a professional contract for Midland League side Scunthorpe & Lindsey United. He performed well for The Iron during the 1929/30 season, attracting the attention of the Tigers.
Cooke joined Halifax Town in July 1932 and was used as a reserve half back for the majority of the 1932/33 season. He made his Halifax debut in August 1932 against Accrington Stanley but its wasn’t until April 1933, when he was handed the left half shirt, that he started a run in the first team that lasted three seasons – during that time he rose to become the Shaymen’s vice captain. He scored his first senior goal in a December 1933 FA Cup tie against Hartlepools United and added six further goals in the next two seasons, taking his tally to seven goals in 151 starts for Halifax Town.
In the 1936 close season Cooke retired from professional football to pursue a business interest in Barnsley. That interest was presumably short-lived as by 1939 he was living back in Royston in the street where he was born and working in a local coal mine. He remained in the area for the rest of his life and died in July 1988.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 11 April 1908, Royston
Hull City First Game: 1 November 1930, Accrington Stanley A (Division Three North), 22 years, 204 days old
Hull City Final Game: 9 April 1932, Crewe Alexandra A (Division Three North), 23 years, 364 days old
Clubs
Royston, Rochdale (1929), Scunthorpe & Lindsey United (1929-1930), Hull City (1930-1932), Halifax Town (1932-1936)
Hull City Record
Career: 35 apps, 0 goals
Albert Cooke| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930/31 | 19 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1931/32 | 16 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |