Soccer:Accrington have appointed Paul Cook as their new manager after reaching an agreement with Sligo Rovers for his release. Former Stanley midfielder Cook, 44, takes up the reins set down by John Coleman when he ended a 13-year association with the club last month.

“It’s with great sadness that I leave Sligo,” Cook told Accrington’s official website. “But all my thoughts now are on trying to maintain the success that Accrington Stanley have enjoyed since I was here as a player.”

Cook, who also played for Wolves, Tranmere and Burnley, makes the move to the Crown Ground despite Sligo’s insistence over the weekend that he would not be leaving.

Cook joined Sligo in 2007, winning the League Cup and FAI Cup during his tenure, and Rovers chairman Michael Toolan told the club’s official website: “Paul Cook has the distinction of being the most successful manager in the history of Sligo Rovers.

“His achievements will live long in the memory of everybody associated with Rovers and we want to thank him for his outstanding and historic contribution to us.”