Horace Baker (footballer)
Horace Anthony Baker (1 September 1910 – 1 March 1974) was an English footballer who played at outside-right for Port Vale, Tranmere Rovers, Shrewsbury Town and Southport. He younger brother, Frank, was also a professional footballer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Horace Anthony Baker[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 September 1910[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Fenton, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1 March 1974 (aged 63)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Creswell, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Outside-right | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Longton Hall | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1932–1934 | Port Vale | 10 | (1) |
| 1934–1936 | Tranmere Rovers | 23 | (10) |
| 1936–1937 | Shrewsbury Town | ||
| 1937–1938 | Southport | 20 | (3) |
| Shrewsbury Town | |||
| Total | 53 | (14) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early and personal life edit
Horace Anthony Baker was the son of a former Fenton Town player and four of his brothers also played football, including the youngest Frank, who went on to play for Stoke City.[2] Baker worked as a bus conductor prior to World War II and was working as a spot-welder when he died of a heart attack during his sleep on 1 March 1974.[2]
Career edit
Baker played for Longton Hall, before joining Port Vale as an amateur in March 1932, signing professional forms two months later.[1] He made seven Second Division appearances in the 1932–33 season, scoring one goal in a 4–0 win over Notts County at the Old Recreation Ground on 20 March.[1] He featured just three times in the 1933–34 season, and was given a free transfer to Tranmere Rovers in May 1934.[1][3] Tranmere finished sixth and third in the Third Division North in 1934–35 and 1935–36; Baker played 23 league games at Prenton Park, scoring ten goals. He later played for Shrewsbury Town, scoring 30 goals in the Birmingham League from outside-right.[2] He went on to sign with Southport, where he scored on his league debut against Accrington Stanley.[2] He lost his first-team place to Albert Stapleton after a 5–0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.[2] He later returned to Shrewsbury Town.[1][3]
Career statistics edit
Source:[4]
| Club | Season | Division | League | Other | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1932–33 | Second Division | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 1933–34 | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers | 1934–35 | Third Division North | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 10 |
| 1935–36 | Third Division North | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| Total | 23 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 12 | ||
| Southport | 1937–38 | Third Division North | 20 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 5 |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-0952915201.
- ^ a b c d e f "Player Details". SFC FPA. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ a b Upton, Gilbert; Wilson, Steve (November 1997). "Players' Data". Tranmere Rovers 1921–1997: A Complete Record. pp. 101–108. ISBN 978-0-9518648-2-1.
- ^ Horace Baker at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)