Billy Baker (footballer, born 1920)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William George Baker | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | Penrhiwceiber, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 6 February 2005 (aged 84) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1938–1955 | Cardiff City | 292 | (5) |
| 1955–1956 | Ipswich Town | 20 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1948 | Wales | 1 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
William George "Billy" Baker (3 October 1920 – 6 February 2005) was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international. He made over 300 appearances for Cardiff City in a spell disrupted by the outbreak of World War II, winning his only cap for Wales in 1948.[1]
Career
Born in Penrhiwceiber, Baker began his career Troedrhiw before joining Cardiff City in January 1938, after having trials at a number of clubs including Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He made his debut for the club in a 2-0 win over Northampton Town in February 1939 as an outside-right but would make just two more appearances before the outbreak of World War II. Baker had played in 22 wartime fixtures for the club when he was called up to enlist.[2]
He was captured by Japanese troops and spent four years as a Prisoner of war.[1][3] On the return of The Football League in 1946, Baker was converted into a wing half. In 1948 Baker was handed his first and only cap for Wales in a 2–0 defeat to Northern Ireland.[4] He spent nine post-war years at Cardiff before leaving in 1955, having been displaced following the arrival of Colin Baker. He transferred to Ipswich Town, where he ended his playing days. After leaving Ipswich, he returned to Cardiff, where he became an ambulance driver, remaining a well recognised figure to older fans, and continued playing amateur football until 1959 for Ton Pentre in the Welsh Football League.
Honours
- Cardiff City[2]
- Football League Third Division South Winner: 1
- 1946–47
- Welsh Cup Runner-up: 1
- 1950–51
- Football League Second Division Runner-up: 1
- 1951–52
References
- 1 2 "Bluebirds great Baker dies at 84". BBC Sport. 10 February 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- 1 2 Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- ↑ "The post war recovery". cardiffcityfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
- ↑ Hayes, Dean P. (2004). Wales The Complete Who's Who of Footballers Since 1946. Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-3700-9.