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Players Index Page Last Updated
19 September 2022
 
 

Joe Baker

Hibernian FC, Arsenal FC

 8 appearances, 3 goals

P 8 W 3 D 3 L 2 F 14: A 12
*(actual F 13: A 12)
56% successful
1959-66

captain: none
minutes played: 665

Timeline
  Joseph Henry Baker (*Actual for and against are the goals scored
while the player was on the field.)
Birth 17 July 1940 in Smithdown Road Infirmary, Smithdown Road, Toxteth, Liverpool, Lancashire [registered in Liverpool South, September 1940], First six weeks in Woolton village, then Wishaw, Lanark.
Attended Park Street Primary School and St Joseph's High School, Wishaw
Family notes Born to English father, George and Scottish mother, Elizabeth, his older brother Gerry was born in New York in 1938, before they came to Liverpool, and onto Lanarkshire when he was six weeks old.
Death 6 October 2003 at Wishaw General Hospital, North Lanarkshire, suffered a heart-attack during a celebrity golf match at Lanark Golf Club, aged 62 years 81 days, former referee David Syme tried to resuscitate him. [not registered in England].

Source

 Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Biographies The Fabulous Baker Boys: The Greatest Strikers Scotland Never Had - Tom Maxwell (Birlinn Ltd, 19 September 2013)

Club Career
Club(s) Played schoolboy in Wishaw, playing for Motherwell Boys' Guild. After leaving school, Baker turned out with Coltness United FC and Armadale Thistle FC, and represented both Lanarkshire and the East Scotland Junior Association, from there he was signed by Hibernian FC, and he signed his first professional contract in June 1956, he played in 117 league matches, scoring 102 times. Following his international appearances, he was getting noticed. In early 1960, Everton FC submitted a rejected £45,000 bid for his services. In November 1960, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC were understood to be leading favourites to sign him. Real Madrid CF had a similar £70,000 bid rejected. His outstanding goalscoring record was soon noted by Italian club, Torino, where he was signed for £73,000 in May 1961 and played with Denis Law, he made nineteen Italian league appearances, scoring seven times. He left after needing life-saving surgery when he crashed his Alfa Romeo Geulietta Sprint. Arsenal manager, Billy Wright, convinced his board of directors to part with £67,500 to bring Baker to Highbury on 16 July 1962. He scored 93 goals in 144 league appearances. In February 1966, Nottingham Forest FC paid £60,000 for his services and he returned 118 league appearances with 41 goals. In June 1969, Sunderland AFC took him to Roker Park for a £30,000 fee, making forty league appearances, scoring twelve goals. He rejoined Hibernian FC in July 1971 for £12,000, making another twenty league appearances, and another twelve goals. he scored nine goals in one cup tie for Hibs. Finally turned out for Raith Rovers FC between June 1972 and October 1974 when he made 49 league appearances and scoring 34 goals. His overall total was 301 league goals in 507 league appearances.
Club honours Scottish FA Cup runners-up 1957-58; Football League runners-up 1966-67
Individual honours None
Distinctions Scored a record 42 goals for Hibernian in 1959-60.
Brother of Gerry Baker (United States, Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC)
Height/Weight 5' 8", 11st. 7lbs [1963].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

England Career
Player number One of four who became 786th players (788) to appear for England.
Position(s) Centre-forward
First match No. 337, 18 November 1959, England 2 Northern Ireland 1, a British Championship match at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London, aged 19 years 124 days.
Last match No. 396, 5 January 1966, England 1 Poland 1, a friendly match at Goodison Park, Walton, Liverpool, aged 25 years 172 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1966 (standby); British Championship 1959-60, 1965-66;
Team honours British Championship shared 1959-60, winners 1965-66;
Individual honours England U23 (six appearances, four goals, 1958-60), Scotland schoolboy (two appearances)
Distinctions The first player to be capped for England whilst playing for a club outside the Football League.

Beyond England
Had a spell as a manager/coach of Fauldhouse United FC in 1980, and had two spells managing Albion Rovers FC in 1981-82 and 1983-84. Since leaving football, has lived in the Wishaw area and employed as a licensee and in the building industry. Also became a club hospitality host at Hibernian FC. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.20.


The Numbers
parties Apps comp. apps starts sub unused/
reserve		 minutes goals ave.min comp. goals captain
7 8 3 8 ▲0
▼1		   665 3 222 min 2 three none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
8 3 3 2 14 12 +2 2 1 1.75 1.5 56.3 +1
All matches were played in a white shirt

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 4 2 2 0 8 6 +2 0 0 2.00 1.50 75.0 +2
Away 4 1 1 2 3 6 -3 3 6 0.75 1.50 37.5 -1

Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
British Championship 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 0 0 1.667 1.00 83.3 +2
Friendly 5 1 2 2 6 9 -3 2 1 1.20 1.80 40.0 -1

Tournament Record

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1959-60 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 0 0 1.50 1.00 75.0 +1
BC 1965-66 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 0 0 2.00 1.00 100.0 +1
BC All 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 0 0 1.667 1.00 83.3 +2

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 0 0 1.667 1.00 83.3 +2
3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 0 0 1.667 1.00 83.3 +2

Match History

 
Age 18 under 23  
two appearances - Poland September 1958, Czechoslovakia October 1958
 
Age 19    
one appearance - France March 1959
  

 Club: Hibernian F.C. - five full appearances (450 min) 1ᵍ manager: Walter Winterbottom - five full appearances (450 min) 1ᵍx
 
apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt
 
1 337 18 November 1959 - England 2 Northern Ireland 1
 Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HW 16
91		 9

one of four who became the 786th player (788) to appear for England.
the only Hibernian player to represent England
the first player outside the country to represent England
the 149th player to score on his England debut (youngest since 1938 in a competitive match)

under 23  
withdrew - Scotland March 1960, one appearance - Netherlands March 1960

2 338 9 April 1960 - Scotland 1 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow		 BC AD   9
3 339 11 May 1960 - England 3 Yugoslavia 3
 Empire Stadium, Wembley		 Fr HD 41 48 9
4 340 15 May 1960 - Spain 3 England 0
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
tour		 AL   9
5 341 22 May 1960 - Hungary 2 England 0
Népstadion, Budapest		 AL   9
 

Age 20 under 23  
unofficial  - Denmark XISeptember 1960;

””
343 19 October 1960 - Luxembourg 0 England 9, Stade Municipal, Stad Lëtzebuerg WCP AW party member
   
Joe Baker was a member of the third of the Winter 1960 get-togethers. At Upton Park on 13-15 March 1961.

under 23  
one appearance - Italy November 1960; withdrew Scotland March 1961

 Club: Arsenal F.C. - three full appearances (215 min) 2ᵍ manager: Alf Ramsey - three full appearances (215 min) 2ᵍx

Age 22    
one appearance - Yugoslavia March 1963;

Age 25
6 394 10 November 1965 - England 2 Northern Ireland 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HW 19 9
7 395 8 December 1965 - Spain 0 England 2
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid		 Fr AW 8
▼(0-1) 35		 9
8 396 5 January 1966 - England 1 Poland 1
Goodison Park, Liverpool		 Fr HD   9
 
Alf Ramsey named his provisional list of forty players on April 7. He then named a provisional squad of 28 on 6 May to attend Lilleshall. Joe Baker was one of the twelve cut, but asked to remain on standby.
  



  

 		  
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