Jamie Cooke has made a strong start to the pre-season campaign at Hednesford Town, demonstrating his goal-scoring capabilities in a bid to cement an attacking role under manager Kelvin Davis. The midfielder, who joined the Pitmen from FC Halifax Town during the summer transfer window, has already netted four goals in the club’s pre-season fixtures.

Cooke expressed his enthusiasm about adopting a forward-leaning position this season, noting his previous experience playing as a striker. “I’ve played as a nine before, and I just want to get in amongst the forward line and play as high as I can and threaten the goal,” he said, emphasizing his preference for a more advanced role on the pitch.

Meanwhile, at Chester FC, head coach Phil Parkinson has overseen a defensive solidity that has earned his team the nickname “clean sheet merchants” during pre-season. Chester secured a 3-0 victory against Nantwich Town, marking their fourth consecutive game without conceding a goal this summer.

Parkinson acknowledged the significance of this defensive consistency, attributing it to the team’s overall control of matches rather than a focus on pure defensive tactics. “I was really happy with the control we had, which has been a common theme throughout pre-season, and that’s good to see,” he said. “We’re not archetypally clean sheet merchants but the reason we are keeping clean sheets is the control we’ve got. That’s part of our armour.”

Both Hednesford Town and Chester FC are building momentum ahead of the upcoming season, with Cooke’s offensive contributions and Parkinson’s emphasis on game control forming key aspects of their preparations.