[4] He joined League Two club Darlington on loan on 18 August 2009,[5] before making his debut later that day in a 1–0 defeat at home to Crewe Alexandra, in which he was substituted for Jeff Smith in the 58th minute.

[7] Cook made his Sunderland debut on 26 December 2010 after being introduced as an 82nd-minute substitute for Steed Malbranque in a 2–0 defeat away to Manchester United.

[23] Cook signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Championship club Charlton Athletic on 9 July 2012.

[30] Cook made his first appearance of 2013–14 after being named in the starting lineup against Oxford United in the League Cup first round, which finished as a 4–0 victory.

[33] On 7 July 2014, Cook returned to League One club Walsall and signed a two-year contract, having previously been on loan with them for two months in 2011.

[34] He made his first appearance since his return in a 1–1 draw with Bristol City on 4 October after being introduced as a 34th-minute substitute for the injured Tom Bradshaw.

[39] Cook came off the bench as a 72nd-minute substitute for Tom Bradshaw to score his fifth goal of the season in stoppage time against Crawley Town in a 5–0 victory on 14 April.

[40] Cook also played in every Football League Trophy match,[41] which saw Walsall reach the final of the competition, only to be defeated 2–0 by Bristol City at Wembley Stadium on 22 March.

[41] Cook was named in the starting lineup against Oldham Athletic on the opening day of 2015–16, but was replaced in the 66th minute by Milan Lalkovič in a 1–1 draw.

[57] Cook made his return to the starting eleven on 1 January 2022 in 0–0 draw against Oldham Athletic, in which he had a goal ruled out for offside.

[61] At the start of the 2023–24 season, Cook began training with Hartlepool during pre-season and appeared as a trialist in their friendly against Blyth Spartans.

[62] Cook made his return to football when he signed for National League North side Blyth Spartans in January 2024.

Upon signing, Blyth boss Jon Shaw said "He's a talented footballer who has played at a very good standard and he's ready to go after a tough year, I'm delighted that he's here.