Once considered a bright prospect for the future of English football, Cooke's career was seriously affected by a number of injuries.
[3] Cooke was born in Walsall and began his career as a trainee at the FA National School of Excellence in Lilleshall between 1997 and 1999.
He made his first team debut on 2 August 2000, coming on as a second-half substitute for Julian Joachim in Villa's 2–1 defeat at home to Celta Vigo in the UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-final second-leg.
[4] According to Cooke's later recollections, the next Aston Villa manager, Graham Taylor, 'wasn't convinced' initially that the youngster was ready for the first team.
Cooke later claimed that manager Graham Taylor saw him as a wide player, rather than his preferred central midfield position.
In July 2005, Cooke re-signed for Bournemouth, this time on a permanent basis, opting against a move to his hometown club of Walsall.
[9] He made the good start to his Torquay United career scoring on his debut, but the club lost 5–2 away to Notts County on 19 January.
On 3 August 2007, Halesowen Town confirmed that Cooke had joined the club along with two other former League players, in the shape of Terry Fleming and Duane Darby.