Thomas William Baker (17 August 1905 – 30 March 1975), sometimes known as Billy Baker, was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

in the Football League for Brentford,

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

and

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

Career

, Baker began his career in his native North East with Northern League clubs Usworth Colliery, Crook Town, Shotton Colliery Welfare and Chilton Colliery Recreation. He later earned a move to

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

with

, for whom he made 65 appearances before departing in 1932. Baker signed for

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...

club Brentford in 1932 on a free transfer. Originally signed by manager Harry Curtis as cover for Dave Smith, Baker quickly became Curtis' first-choice goalkeeper and held the position until January 1934, when Jack Clough took over. He made 43 appearances during the Bees' 1932–33 Third Division South title-winning season. Baker left Brentford at the end of the 1933–34 season and made 65 appearances in his two years at Griffin Park. Baker remained in the Third Division South to sign for

and made 13 league appearances during the 1934–35 season. His final league club was

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

club

and he ended his career with

North Eastern League The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England. The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although so ...

club Horden Colliery Welfare.

Personal life

During his amateur football career, Baker worked as a miner.

Career statistics

Honours

Brentford *

Football League Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...

: 1932–33

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Tommy 1905 births 1975 deaths Footballers from Seaham English men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Usworth Colliery A.F.C. players Crook Town A.F.C. players Shotton Colliery Welfare F.C. players Chilton Colliery Recreation F.C. players Southport F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Darlington Town F.C. players Northern Football League players English Football League players English miners