Bournemouth stalwart: I want to be Cherries record-breaker

Bournemouth defender Steve Cook had a day to remember on Saturday as he made his 200th appearance for the Cherries in their record-breaking 6-1 win over Mike Phelan’s Hull City.

Cook was at fault when Ryan Mason’s shot ricocheted off him and past teammate Artur Boruc for the Tigers’ equaliser, however he soon made amends when he headed home minutes later to restore Eddie Howe’s side’s lead.

The 25-year-old, who joined the then League One South Coast side from Brighton in 2012, admitted that whilst he may not always be in the good books of the fans, he intends to go on and earn a place in their hearts forever:

“It’s gone in the blink of an eye. I love it here and I love playing for the club. I’m not one of the fans’ favourites and maybe every year there are calls for me not to be in the team,” he told Shoot! after the Cherries’ biggest ever Premier League win.

Photo: Kieran Clarke / Offside

“But I’m still here. The gaffer’s got faith in me and it’s up to me to improve and keep myself in this team.

“I’m still only 25 so, hopefully, my best days are ahead of me and I want to go on to make 400 or 500 appearances, so that is my next target.”

The current holder for the most Bournemouth appearances is club legend Steve Fletcher, with 493, so Cook will have his eyes on making that record his own.

He continued: “I’ve made a lot of appearances in a short amount of time. I can’t remember how many games I’ve missed but it’s not too many. It’s pleasing and I’m hoping to build on that and, hopefully, stay here for a very long time.”

After recording a third home win on the bounce in the Premier League for the first time, Cook and the rest of his teammates will want to keep that form going when they host unbeaten Tottenham, who ran out 5-1 winners in the fixture last season, on Saturday afternoon.