Cork, Jack

[Santa]

Jack Cork

Written by Jimboola69 and last updated October 2010

The Son of former Wimbledon and Sheffield United player Alan, Jack Cork has been with Chelsea since the age of 9 and in that time has progressed to being a regular in the reserves with experience of playing all across the back-four and midfield. He has skippered the youth and reserves and been used on the 2007 US tour playing against Club America as part of the first team. To date however he has yet to turn out for the first team in a competitive game.

Cork’s first team experience has all come on loan with two periods at League One side Bournemouth in the 2006/07 season and a very successful period at Championship strugglers Sc**thorpe in 2007/08.

While at Sc**thorpe Cork played 35 games, scoring 2 goals, and although he could not save the club from relegation, Cork scooped four awards at the end of season Player of the Year Awards for the club including Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

Internationally Cork has established himself as an England U-19’s regular with Scott Sinclair and Ryan Bertrand, and will be England captain during the U-19’s European Championships in July 2008, mirroring the status of first team captain John Terry at full International level.

October 2010 Update by Loz

Cork then went on a series of loan deals as he failed to impress the powers that be at Chelsea sufficiently for them to promote him to the first team squad. In August 2008 he joined Southampton for who he played 23 times, then he joined Watford in January 2009 and made 19 appearances for them.

In August 2009 he signed a new three year contract with Chelsea and was then promptly loaned out to Coventry where he made 21 appearances over a four month period. He returned to the Bridge in December 2009 but was loaned out again in February 2010, this time to Burnley which would allow him to test himself in the Premiership. He made 11 appearances for Burnley and scored against Tottenham as Burnley won 4-2.

On his return to the Bridge Cork made it clear that he might need to leave Chelsea in order to secure regular football and in August 2010 Chelsea announced that we would be allowed to leave for about £2 million. A move never materialised and Cork was granted a return to the now Championship side Burnley on a season long loan