Andy Cook left Tranmere after firing them to National League promotion is 2018, moving to League One side Walsall.

Little did he know that 12 months later his previous employers would be switching places with the Saddlers, or that he’d be sent packing by new boss Darrell Clarke.

He’s now in League Two, plying his trade with ambitious Mansfield Town. They narrowly missed out on a top three place last season, then fell at the semi-final stage of the play-offs.

Is Cook the man to finally give Stags owner John Radford the promotion he desires? Our latest spotlight piece attempts to shed some light on the issue.

28-year-old Cook certainly didn’t lack chances last season. He played 50 times for the Saddlers as they battled against relegation, but in the early part of the season they threatened to storm into the promotion race.

That form fell away and they tumbled down the table, but Cook was able to keep in amongst the goals throughout the campaign, bagging 16 in all competitions. He laid on two goals for teammates too.

That assist rate isn’t the most impressive but if you’re a natural finisher your instinct, whenever you get into the box, is to shoot. That was certainly the case here; Cook took an average of 2.83 shots per game, from 3.34 touches in the box.

He’s a single-minded predator, a man who perhaps outside the box is restricted, but inside is dangerous. A side struggling like Walsall will have created limited chances for their figurehead, but what about Mansfield Town?

The likes of CJ Hamilton and Otis Khan should be able to give him far more touches in the 18-yard area than he got last season and, if they do, he’s going to capitalise, the stats prove that.

Last year, Tyler Walker bagged a lot of goals for the Stags and he’s perhaps less single-minded than Cook. In terms of an attacking threat, Mansfield couldn’t have signed a more perfect striker.

The need in League Two to go long on occasion is pressing as well. If you’re away from home and want to get out of your own half quickly, a big boot is often preferable to playing it up front the nice way. Lincoln City proved that at times and in John Akinde they had the right outlet.

Cook can play a similar role, albeit not being quite as burly as Akinde. He wins 42% of his aerial duels, making him a viable alternative to fancy football when the pressure is on.

He’s also going to be partnered with Nicky Maynard and quite how John Dempster works them into a unit is going to be interesting, but there is no doubt that Cook alone will add the value to Khan and Hamilton’s creative influence.