Cody Cooke hat-trick completes Torquay United pre-season in style

Cody Cooke fired in a terrific treble, as Torquay United rounded off their pre-season campaign with a confident 5-1 victory at Weymouth.

Cooke opened the scoring midway through the first period before United were pegged back by a Jake McCarthy equaliser, but the game was all done within six minutes of the restart.

Jordan Young restored the lead and the Gulls were out of sight when Cooke added two more in the space of 90 seconds, just leaving Matt Carson to round off the victory with a late fifth.

After the quickfire triple header at home to Newport, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City, United boss Paul Wotton clearly enjoyed a week of work on the training ground, as his troops controlled the early stages in Dorset.

The first reward arrived on 22 minutes, when Dylan Morgan threaded a delicious pass into the path of Cooke, who calmly steered a competent finish beyond the advancing custodian Ben Clark.

The Gulls continued to dominate the ball and there was a pleasing fluency to their play, although a yellow card for newly confirmed skipper Matt Worthington prompted his immediate removal from the firing line by Wotton.

Despite their apparent control of affairs, United were punished for hesitancy at the back and McCarthy was the main beneficiary, firing the equaliser through a crowded penalty area.

The half-time tea had barely reached Yellow stomachs when Cooke served up an easy finish for Young to put United back in front and Weymouth were then dismantled by a rapid double from United’s number nine.

Half-time substitute Sonny Blu Lo-Everton was the architect for Cooke’s second, fizzing an ideal assist for Cooke to convert from around the penalty spot, and he completed his hat-trick from the very next attack to leave Weymouth staring at a heavy defeat.

Wotton understandably took the opportunity to introduce a number of substitutes but the pattern remained firmly in United’s favour, and there was little surprise when late gloss was added to the victory.

Ed Palmer, one of the many replacements, stormed down the right flank and fizzed a delicious cross along the six-yard line for Carson to convert with ease.

A positive summer campaign completed for Torquay United and now on to the real business of league points, starting with the visit of Enfield on Saturday.

UNITED: 1 James Hamon (13 Matt Wonnacott), 3 Jay Foulston, 4 Jordan Dyer, 5 Sam Dreyer, 6 Munashe Sundire (29 Aidan Edwards, 60), 8. Jordan Young (14 Matt Carson 60), 9 Cody Cooke (15 Jadyn Crosbie 66), 10 Callum Dolan (24 Sonny Blu Lo-Everton HT), 11 Dylan Morgan, 19 Matt Worthington (c) (20 Dan Hayfield 36), 26 Jordan Thomas (16 Ed Palmer 60).

Yellow Card: Worthington 35

 Attendance: 658