David Charles Pook (born 16 January 1955) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He was manager of Western League club Torrington until June 2007. Pook was born in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

and began his career as an apprentice with

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

. He moved to

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

during his apprenticeship and made his league debut while still an apprentice, as a substitute in the 1–1 draw at home to

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

on the final day of the 1971–72 season which by that time had already seen Torquay relegated to the Fourth Division. Pook played a number of times for Torquay before turning professional in January 1973, but left at the end of the season to join

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

. However, he left Argyle after just three months due to a serious injury. After six months out of the game, Pook moved to France to play for

Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...

where he spent two years before returning to England. Pook subsequently played and coached at non-league level in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, including spells with

St Blazey St Blazey () is a small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Blaise is the civil parishes in England, civil parish in which St Blazey is situated; the name St Blaise is also used by the town council. The village of Biscovey and the se ...

, Launceston,

Ottery St Mary Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery", is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, Devon, River Otter, about east of Exeter on the B3174. At the 2001 census, the parish, w ...

and Buckfastleigh Rangers. He later became youth coach at Torquay United and was subsequently in the same role at Plymouth Argyle. In March 2007, Pook was named as Robbie Herrera's replacement as manager of Torrington. He successfully guided Torrington to safety from relegation, but resigned in June 2007. Pook is currently the chairman of Plymouth youth football side Elm United FC, where he oversees club operations and assists in coaching duties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pook, David 1955 births Footballers from Plymouth, Devon English men's footballers Torquay United F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Living people Men's association football midfielders Ottery St Mary A.F.C. players English Football League players