Colin Baker (footballer, born 1934)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Colin Walter Baker | ||
| Date of birth | 18 December 1934 | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1953–1966 | Cardiff City | 294 | (18) |
| National team | |||
| 1958–1961 | Wales | 7 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Colin Walter Baker (born 18 December 1934 in Cardiff) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. A wing half, he spent his entire professional career playing for his home town club Cardiff City.
Club career
Baker had to play rugby at school, but preferred soccer, and soon joined Cardiff Nomads.[1] Baker joined Cardiff City from Cardiff Nomads as an amateur in 1951.He became a part-time professional 1952-1954 whilst doing his National Service in the RAF. He became a full-time professional in Feb 1955.[2]
He made his debut in a 2–2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the 1953–54 season and went on to take over from his namesake Billy Baker on a permanent basis. Very rarely suffering from injuries, in 1965 he became the first Cardiff player ever to be substituted, which had recently been introduced, when he was taken off due to injury against Bury for David Summerhayes. He was a first team player for the Bluebirds for more than a decade and is regarded as one of the greatest players in the club's history.
International career
Baker was part of the Wales squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. He made his debut for Wales during the tournament in a 1–1 draw with Mexico in the group stages and went on to win a total of 7 caps,[3] making his final appearance on 8 November 1961 against Scotland.
Honours
- Cardiff City
- Welsh Cup Winner: 4
- 1955–56, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1964–65
- Welsh Cup Runner-up: 1
- 1959–60
- Football League Second Division Runner-up: 1
- 1959–60
References
- Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- Hayes, Dean P. (2004). Wales The Complete Who's Who of Footballers Since 1946. Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-3700-9.
- ↑ Soccer Who's Who compiled by Maurice Golesworthy The Sportsmans Book Club London 1965
- ↑ Cardiff City FC Archivist Richard Shepherd Nov 2014
- ↑ "World cup look back". cardiffcityfc.co.uk. 2006-06-15. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved 2013-10-10.
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