Gerry Baker

:"For the footballer born 1938, see Gerry Baker (footballer born 1938). For the footballer born 1939, see Gerry Baker (footballer born 1939)."Infobox Football biography
playername = Gerry Baker


fullname = Gerard Austin Baker
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1938|4|11
cityofbirth = New Rochelle, New York
countryofbirth = United States
height = height|ft=5|in=7
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs = Craigneuk Boys Club
years = 1955
1955-1956
1956-1958
1958-1960
1960-1961
1961-1963
1963-1967
1967-1970
1970-1971
1971-1972
1972
clubs = Larkhall Thistle
Coventry City
Motherwell
St. Mirren
Manchester City
Hibernian
Ipswich Town
Coventry City
→ Brentford "(loan)"
Margate
Nuneaton Borough
Bedworth United
caps(goals) = 006 0(?)
000 0(0)
013 0(4)
081 (65)
039 (14)
084 (43)
151 (66)
030 0(6)
008 0(2)
048 (16)
nationalyears = 1968-1969
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 007 0(2)
manageryears = 1970-1971
managerclubs = Margate
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Gerard Austin "Gerry" Baker (born 11 April 1938, New York City) was an American-born British football (soccer) player. From 1955 until 1970, he played sixteen seasons in either the Scottish or English first division. He also earned seven caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S. national team in 1968 and 1969.

Youth

Baker was born to an English father and Scottish mother when his parents were temporarily living in the United States. When he was a year old, his parents moved to Liverpool when his father decided to return to England with the outbreak of World War II. His father died in the war and his mother and siblings moved to Scotland. Baker spent most of his youth in Motherwell. He attended Park Primary and St. Joseph Secondary schools. During these years, he played with Craigneuk Boys Club before joining Lanarkshire Schools. He signed with Larkhall Thistle when he was fourteen and played in six games before moving to Coventry City in June 1955. [ [http://users.quista.net/fraserp/Season87-88/gerry.htm Good information on youth] ]

Professional

Baker spent one and a half seasons with Coventry City without getting a first team appearance. In December 1956, he moved back north to sign with Scottish First Division club Motherwell where he played as outside left. Over the next three years, he played thirteen games, scoring four goals, with the first team. In November 1958, Motherwell transferred Baker to St. Mirren where he finally hit his stride as a forward. On April 25, 1959, he scored the third goal in Mirren’s 3-1 dismantling of Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final. That was his eighth goal of the 1958-1959 Scottish Cup. On January 30, 1960, he scored ten goals in a 15-0 win over Glasgow University. By this time, top English clubs were beginning to notice Baker and in November 1960, Manchester City paid £30,000 for Baker. Baker spent only the remainder of the 1960-1961 season and the beginning of the 1961-1962 season before City sold his contract to Hibernian in November 1961. Over the next two years, Baker scored 43 goals in 84 games for Hibs before moving Ipswich Town in December 1963. Ipswich paid £25,000 for Baker and Baker more than returned this investment by scoring 66 goals in 151 games. Ipswich then transferred Baker to Coventry City in November 1967. Over the next two season, Baker scored only six times in thirty games with Coventry. In October 1969, Coventry loaned Baker to Brentford where he scored two goals in eight games. Coventry released Baker at the end of the season.

Baker then signed as a player-manager with non-league Margate. He was limited by several injuries, first a dislocated shoulder in August 1970, then broken ribs in November. Despite these, Baker played a total of 48 games and scored sixteen goals before leaving the club on September 30, 1971. He then joined Nuneaton Borough before finishing his playing career with Bedworth United.

National team

Baker had dual U.S. and English citizenship, and when it became apparent that he would not be selected for the English national team, he elected to make himself available for the U.S. team. Baker joined the U.S. as it began qualifying matches for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. His first caps came in a 4-2 World Cup qualifying loss to Canada on October 17, 1968. Over the next month, Baker started six games with the U.S. On November 2, 1968, he scored two goals in a 6-2 qualification victory over Bermuda. His last game with the U.S. came in a1-0 loss to Haiti on May 11, 1969. [ [http://www.soccerhall.org/history/MNTAlltime_1960-79.htm Line ups and results of U.S. 1960 matches] ] That loss put the U.S. out of contention for a spot in the finals.

Coaching

In 1970, Baker entered the managerial ranks at Margate when he was hired as the club’s player-manager. He remained in this position until he left the club in September 1971. He later managed the Coventry Collier team in 1979-80.

Post football career

After retiring from playing professionally, Baker worked at the Coventry Jaguar factory.

He was the brother of the late England international Joe Baker. [ [http://users.quista.net/fraserp/Season87-88/bakers.htm Excellent article on Joe Baker] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.margatefchistory.co.uk/gerrybaker.htm Margate profile]
* [http://www.stmirren.info/Players/Gerry%20Baker.htm St. Mirren profile]
* [http://photos.empics.com/g79/p67/393342.htm Photo of Baker at Manchester City]
* [http://users.quista.net/fraserp/Season87-88/gerry.htm Article on Gerry Baker from match programme v. St Mirren 26/12/87]