For some professional footballers, retirement from playing leads to them waving farewell to the game forever.

For Colchester United legend Micky Cook, it resulted in him embarking on a brand new chapter in his life which was arguably just as productive.

Cook, who has just retired from his full-time coaching role at Colne Community College following nearly 50 years in the game, had already established himself as a U’s icon having clocked up a club record 695 league and cup appearances for them as a player during more than 15 seasons at Layer Road.

But his long association with the U’s was to continue in the form of coaching, helping to bring success to the club in a different way.

Upon hanging up his boots in 1984, Cook almost left his beloved U’s after landing a job interview at Wolves for their vacant under-21 manager position.

“I went all the way up there and had an interview where I got to the last three but they went for a guy who’d been there for a while,” he said.

“But why would you want to leave a fantastic place like Colchester where the people have been absolutely brilliant to you?”

So Cook stayed put and was initially employed on a community programme funded partly by Colchester United and partly by the Professional Footballers Association.

It had been previously undertaken by Margaret and Tony Willoughby, who had founded the Sporting U’s programme in 1981.

When the duo moved over to Monkwick, there was a gap for the club to take over the reins and have their own community programme, opening a door for Cook to lend his expertise working with youngsters along with the local police force, tackling tough issues such as drug abuse.

“It was a blank canvas with lots of things going on and I thoroughly enjoyed that time,” said Cook.

His involvement in the community programme paved the way for Cook to land a coaching role in Colchester’s youth set-up, where he became director of youth.

The U’s tasked their record appearance holder with bringing through talented young players; it was a highly fruitful time, one that resulted over the next 12 years was a hugely productive conveyor belt of young talent.

Working with the likes of Adrian Webster and Geoff Harrop, Cook helped to nurture a plethora of talented youngsters at Layer Road.

Lomana Tresor LuaLua, Greg Halford and Dean Gerken earned the club millions of pounds in transfer fees while others such as John White and Garry Richards also progressed to senior level from the youth set-up, playing their part in the club’s historic promotion to the Championship in 2006.

Cook is understandably proud of his achievements: “We had fantastic success with the likes of Lomana (LuaLua) and Greg Halford.

“It’s only part of the job if you’re getting them in the manager’s face and into the first team – the complete cycle is whether or not that lad grabs his first-team opportunity, get seen on the bigger stage and then go and play on the bigger stage and make the club loads of money.

“When you think about what we got for Lomana (LuaLua) and what we got for Greg, with one of those boys alone we more than covered those 12 years.

“It’s a big tick in the box in terms of commercial achievement and I’m very proud of that.

“We achieved a hell of a lot on very little finances and I’m sure Mr Heard got all of his money back on the strength of Lomana Tresor and Greg Halford.

“Those players were a direct product of my time as director of youth but I didn’t do it on my own.

“We weren’t doing it for the money – we were doing it because everybody was Colchester based and had a passion for the football club.

During his time in charge of the Layer Road youth set-up, Cook worked with the likes of Steve Wignall, Mick Wadsworth, Steve Whitton and Phil Parkinson, who in winning promotion to the Championship particularly benefited from the rich pool of home-grown young talent at his disposal.

In 1999, Cook had a spell in caretaker charge alongside Steve Whitton, who was appointed manager.

So did he ever want the U’s manager’s job himself?

“I had over 40 years at the club and I applied to be the manager, when I was in my early forties,” he said.

“My interview was held in a car park!

“I’m a firm believer that if it was meant to happen, it would have happened and it didn’t but I was OK with that.”

Cook was made redundant by Colchester in July 2004, bringing his long association with the club to an end.

“That fateful day comes in football to anybody who’s in some sort of leadership capacity,” he said.

But when one door closed, another quickly opened.

Cook received a phone call from Phil Coleman, who along with Jon Taylor said he was thinking about introducing a football development programme for 16-18 year-olds at the Colne Community College, in Brightlingsea.

They wanted the U’s legend to be a part of it.

“I thought my world had ended when I left the club but suddenly Colne came along,” said Cook, who has also helping bring through around 2,000 coaches over the years working for the Football Association.

“It was so tailor-made for me, because it was all of the youth development work that I do, slightly adapted.

“If the boys had been of the quality of those we were used to working with, they wouldn’t have been here anyway but there was always a chance of maybe one or two late developers.

“We had Aidan Austin here, who went to Nottingham Forest but to sell it that we were going to make them into professionals was totally wrong – we never did that.

“We said that if you’ve got the ability and desire, then we’ll create the opportunity for you.

“The headmaster at the time said “we’ll have a go at it but I don’t think it’s sustainable” and here we are, 12 years on.

“I’ve loved working here with Adrian Webster whom I go back a long way with in football and Jon Taylor, who’s a huge driving force.

“They’re lovely people and there’s still that element of gratification that I get from working with the kids and having a bit of success.

“We put a programme together that a lot of kids have been able to tap into which they probably wouldn’t have done, had we not come up with this concept.

“It was such a contrast to go from Col U to here but it’s enabled me to kick back a little bit.

“Col U was – and still is as all pro clubs are – 24/7, Monday to Sunday.

“The 12 years I’ve had at the Colne have been fantastic, from a family point of view.”

Having retired from his role at the Colne last week, Cook is now looking forward to a new chapter in his life.

“I do feel a bit sad, because we all have to get old – that’s what I’m sad about,” he said.

“It’s the playing I miss most – football is a game that gets in your blood.

“But in saying that, I thought when I finished playing it was the end of the world and then all of my coaching kicked in.

“I couldn’t play like I used to but I certainly got the gratification of coaching.”

Now that he might have a little more spare time at his disposal, Cook might afford himself the opportunity to reflect on what has been a rich and hugely successful sporting career.

“I’m very, very proud of it,” he said.

“There’s always horrible bits in any career but I’m a positive person and I like dwelling on all of the good stuff that we enjoyed doing.

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve tried to be loyal and professional but the situations have to have been right for me to have done that.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but I’d still say to any youngster that you couldn’t wish to be in a better profession, however long or short it is.

“I’ve met a lot of really lovely people along the way and had some great times, as well.

“I’m happy with what I’ve achieved and I’d do it all over again, I really would.”