Stubbs axe is real Buddie blow but Cody will fight on
Cody Cooke is living 540 miles from home and the gaffer who signed him has been given the boot.
He has barely kicked a ball yet for struggling St Mirren and must now prove himself all over again to new boss Oran Kearney after Alan Stubbs left the Buddies.
Despite that, striker Cooke insists swapping English football’s sixth tier with Truro City and lecturing at college for Scottish football’s top flight was a no-brainer.
Cooke, who was snapped up from Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy by Stubbs in the summer, said: “The jump I’ve made is a massive one but that’s something I relish.
“Hopefully coming here will turn out to be a great decision in the end, which I have no doubt it will be.
“When we play Celtic next Friday, I’ll have loads of friends and family watching. My old college, where I worked for the last couple of years, have been in touch.
“They’ll be watching the Celtic game in a pub in Cornwall or in Exeter.
“I was a sports lecturer after doing a degree in teacher training. I taught some of the scholars at Exeter FC so I’m sure they’ll tune in and say: ‘ He was teaching us last year.’
“This is a great chance for me and one I don’t want to let pass me by.
“The Celtic game will be a great night to be involved in.
“I’m hoping my parents might be here, there could be f lights getting booked from Exeter to Glasgow.
“The flight is only an hour, compared to the drive when I brought all my stuff up. It was 10 hours so I won’t be doing that again.
“This has been a whirlwind for me. I was expecting a change in my career during the summer and it’s an exciting time.
“I’ve had a bit of a setback with an injury but I’m getting fit now and want to hit the ground running.
“I haven’t had a chance to speak to Alan and, of course, it has been a bit unsettling. But I’ve signed here for two years and my focus is to impress whoever comes in.
“Everyone will be on a level playing field and it’s about fighting for places. I have to make sure I impress then see where it takes me.”
Stubbs’ critics cited his recruitment of untried English players like Cooke as one of the reasons why he failed so miserably as gaffer.
He was axed after just four Premiership games, his last being a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Hearts.
Cooke understands the scepticism but is confident that he and the rest of Stubbs’ signings can prove the doubters wrong.
He said: “I met Alan at the V9 and after getting a couple of offers from League One and Two clubs in England I had to decide what to do.
“I felt the move here was best for me. The Scottish Premiership was the biggest opportunity and it’s one I’m thankful to the club and Alan for giving to me.
“Obviously boys like Josh Heaton have come in from non-league too and people are always going to have their opinions on that.
“All you can do is prove people wrong and that’s what I’m here to do.
“I haven’t had enough game time yet but hopefully with the new manager coming in it will be another chance to impress.”
Despite the Buddies’ poor run of results, Cooke is convinced that new gaffer Kearney will find a squad of players who are desperate for success.
He said: “He will get a hungry group. Everyone is disappointed with the start we’ve made but we want to succeed in this league.
“This is where we all believe the club should be.
“The manager will get a group willing to do everything they can to win games and get as many points on board as we can.”