Jay Turner Cooke (L) in is Newcastle United playing days.placeholder image
Jay Turner Cooke (L) in is Newcastle United playing days. | Getty Images.
A former Sunderland and Newcastle United midfielder is earning plaudits after impressing in the National League following a summer move to FC Halifax Town
Former Sunderland and Newcastle United midfielder Jay Turner-Cooke says he is “loving” life at FC Halifax Town after making an impressive start to his spell with the National League side.
The 21-year-old joined Halifax in August and has quickly become one of their standout performers, producing a series of strong displays in central midfield and earning praise for his energy, technical ability and consistency. Turner-Cooke made an instant impact by scoring on his debut against Forest Green Rovers and has since become a regular starter under manager Chris Millington.
"I'm loving it," he told The Courier. "Obviously, I came with no real pre-season and got thrown straight into it in the Forest Green game (his first start), and I couldn't have asked for a better start, scoring on my debut. And I've not really looked back, I'm playing most games, most minutes and loving every minute. I can't thank the gaffer enough for putting his trust in me, and I'm repaying him with my performances on the pitch."
Turner-Cooke, who has followed in the footsteps of former Halifax midfielders Kian Spence, Jack Earing and Kane Thompson-Sommers, says he believes there is still much more to come from his game. "I think I can carry on getting better, I still don't think I'm hitting the levels that I can yet, which is hopefully a positive for people watching," he said. “Hopefully, the more the games keep coming, the better I do."
The midfielder grew up supporting Sunderland, where he developed through the club’s academy before turning down a professional contract in early 2021. His decision came shortly after his father, John Cooke – Sunderland’s long-serving player liaison officer and kitman – departed the club following more than 20 years of service.
Turner-Cooke later joined Newcastle United on his 17th birthday, a move that drew attention due to the rivalry between the two North East clubs. During his four-and-a-half years on Tyneside, he trained regularly with the first team under Eddie Howe, travelled on pre-season tours and featured in friendlies, including the Magpies’ winter break fixture against Al-Hilal in 2022.
"Most days I was with them, playing with some of the best players in the league, some would say in the world, the likes of Bruno (Guimarães)," he said. "You learn every day from these players, what they do every day, how they carry themselves. That's benefited me to get to the level I am now, and hopefully I can use the little experiences I've got to help the others around me."
Turner-Cooke also gained senior experience with loan spells at Tranmere Rovers and St Johnstone, before leaving Newcastle in the summer and joining Halifax in search of regular football. "The first time I travelled with the first team for a Premier League game was Man City away, when I was 17 or 18," he recalled.
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"I was in a few squads, so I was close from being 18-years-old, but I never took that next step, maybe through the loans, not really grasping them and showing them what I could really have done. But I don't look back at that in any negative way, I always look to the future and always take every learning curve as a positive and try to show what I can do."
Now, at Halifax, Turner-Cooke says he feels settled and motivated to continue improving after years of learning in elite environments. "I've had some sniffs of it but maybe not hit the levels everyone expected me to," he said. But hopefully now, coming here has allowed me to play consistently, and I think I am starting to show everyone what I'm about."
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