DEFENDER Jack Cook has been named Woking FC’s News & Mail player of the season for 2019-20.

The right-back was announced as winner of the prestigious trophy at the Cards’ end-of-term awards dinner last Saturday evening.

Because of coronavirus, the event was held via online meeting platform Zoom. It was attended by club officials, players, supporters and guests.

Cook moved to Kingfield in 2018, having played for Worthing and Hampton & Richmond Borough. He made 38 starts for boss Alan Dowson’s promoted Woking team during 2019-20.

News & Mail head of sport Richard Briggs, who made the virtual presentation to the 26-year-old, said: “The race for this season’s trophy was very close.

“We narrowed it down to two exceptional candidates, Moussa Diarra and Jack Cook, and they were almost impossible to separate.

“One of the aspects that the News & Mail trophy likes to recognise is the impact of young players over the season, so on that basis the winner for 2019-20 is Jack Cook.

“Although he was a regular in the side during 2018-19, this season he played exclusively at right-back. That was effectively a new position for him, despite some appearances there late last term, and it was at a higher level of football.

“He told the News & Mail previously that he had to learn the position from scratch – including how to take a throw-in. So with that in mind, the News & Mail sports team rate his performances terrific, and this award is so well deserved.”

Goalkeeper Craig Ross scooped a hat-trick of trophies at the awards dinner. The 30-year-old – a regular for Barnet in the Football League during 2017-18 – was named winner of the manager’s, players’ and Cards Trust player-of-the-season accolades.

Dowson told awards dinner attendees that the club are set for bigger things next season than the impressive 10th place they secured in the table this year.

The manager said: “We had bad news in midweek [plans for the stadium redevelopment were rejected by Woking Borough Council] but we’ll get better, we’ll get stronger.”

For more on this story, see the 2 July edition of the News & Mail