Second-half - Sean Cooke concentrates on the action (1) - draw at Stafford

Nantwich Town star midfielder Sean Cooke has left the club to join Warrington Rylands, the club has announced.

And defender Joel Stair has also left the Dabbers, rejoining Hanley Town.

Cooke – son of former manager Dave Cooke – has enjoyed three spells at the club and scored 114 goals in 343 appearances, a goal every three games from midfield.

He was top goal-scorer at the club three times, most recently last season, and leaves as the fourth highest scorer in Dabbers history.

He was also a part of the League Team of the Season in 2018/19.

Cooke has been a part of some of the most successful days in the recent history of the club, a three-time Cheshire Senior Cup winner and a part of the only three Dabbers sides ever to make it to the First Round Proper of the FA Cup.

He was also involved in the remarkable run to the FA Trophy semi-finals in 2016.

Stair joined the Dabbers from Hanley in 2016 and has been a mainstay of the defence ever since, making 206 appearances and getting an impressive 23 goals from the back.

Joel Stair v Bamber Bridge
Joel Stair

He won the Dabbers Player of the Season award twice, in 2018 and 2022, and was also in the squads on those FA Cup successes in 2018 and 2020, and a Cheshire Cup winner in 2018 and 2019.

His connection to Hanley Town is deep, his hometown club and a home stadium where one stand bears the name of his father Colin who served the club with distinction before his untimely passing in 2013.

A Nantwich Town spokesman said: “Both Joel and Sean wore the captain’s armband with pride, both lead by example, and everyone at the club can only thank them for their incredible service to the Dabbers and wish them and their families the best for the future.

“The Dabbers are continuing to recruit new players for the squad with announcements on arrivals coming soon.”

(Photos by Jonathan White)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website, to learn more please read our privacy policy.

*

Captcha * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.