I’ve gone the extra miles to reboot my career
PREMIERSHIP COUNTDOWN TO
ROSS COUNTY new boy Regan Charles-Cook insists the long road from London to Dingwall will be worth it if it helps his career motor like his pal Joe Aribo.
The midfielder played with the Rangers star at Charlton and Hearts midfielder Sean Clare at Gillingham – and he sounded out both over a move after his contract expired with the Gills.
Aribo has gone on to become an international with Nigeria since making the Ibrox switch.
And while Charles-Cook is focused on driving the Staggies into the top half of the Premiership, the former Arsenal Academy star admits he does have aspirations to play in the top league in England one day.
The 23-year-old said: “I played with Sean Clare at Gillingham and Joe Aribo at Charlton and I’ve seen what they are doing by FRASER WILSON for their careers. I spoke to these guys and asked them what it was like. They said it was different, it’s physical but it’s a great league to play against the top teams – it’s a top league that will improve you. It’s a different audience as well.
“People are usually scared to come up to Scotland, but what they said was really positive.
“I want to go to the highest level possible and that might mean bouncing back into English football or taking Ross County as far as possible in the top half of the Premiership.
“That’s the main goal just now then I’ll see where that might take me after – hopefully it might be back to England and the Premier League, who knows? “I’m looking forward to playing at big stadiums like Celtic Park and Ibrox and against teams like Aberdeen.” Charles-Cook, who scored six goals in 52 appearances for Gillingham in the past two years, admits he had never set foot in Scotland before sealing his switch to the SPFL’s most northerly club. But the Londoner has taken little time to settle after signing a two-year deal. He said: “The first time I heard there was interest, I researched it and saw it was 10 hours. “I thought this must be the wrong place! Everyone is telling me I’ve chosen the furthest away place I could possibly go to but that doesn’t faze me.
“I think unfamiliarity is good for you, stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something different.”
Lockdown saw football stopped across the board in the UK between March and June but Charles-Cook had no problem working on his touch back at the family home in Bromley. He’s got two brothers who are professionals too.
“Reice is a goalkeeper at Macclesfield and Anthony is a winger at Welling,” he said.
“I was brought up in a football household so even in lockdown we were all training together.
“When I told them about this move they were so supportive and said it was time to push on.
“They think it’s a big move.”