Kieron Baker

Kieron Richard Baker (born 29 October 1949) is an English retired professional footballer who made over 210 appearances as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Bournemouth. He also played in Canada.

Kieron Baker
Personal information
Full name Kieron Richard Baker[1]
Date of birth (1949-10-29) 29 October 1949
Place of birth Ryde, England
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1965–1967 Fulham
Ryde County Old Boys
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1967–1978 Bournemouth 217 (0)
1971 → Montreal Olympique (loan) 18 (0)
1973 → Brentford (loan) 6 (0)
1978–1979 Ipswich Town 0 (0)
→ Norwich City (loan)
1980 Phoenix Fire
1980–1981 Oxford City 38 (0)
1981–1983 Weymouth 75 (0)
1983 Yeovil Town 15
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Early years

A goalkeeper, Baker began his career as an apprentice at First Division club Fulham in 1965.[2] He played for the Cottagers' youth and reserve teams, but failed to be awarded a professional contract. Baker left the club to return to his native Isle of Wight for a short spell with Ryde County Old Boys.[2]

Bournemouth

Baker returned to the mainland to sign for Third Division club Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in July 1967.[1] He had to wait until the 1969–70 season to make his debut and made 17 league appearances in a disastrous season which saw the Cherries relegated to Fourth Division. A return to Third Division football in 1971 (under the name 'Bournemouth') saw Baker make just 13 league appearances over the following three seasons, but he finally broke through into the first team during the 1973–74 season, when he made 33 league appearances. He was a regular in goal until the end of the 1977–78 season and missed just five league games in each of his final two seasons at Dean Court. Baker departed Bournemouth in June 1978, having made 248 appearances in 11 years for the club.[2] He was awarded a testimonial for his service to the club, though the match didn't take place.[3]

Montreal Olympique (loan)

Baker moved to Canada to join North American Soccer League club Montreal Olympique on loan for the 1971 season.[4] He made 18 appearances during a poor season for the club,[4] which finished bottom of the Northern Division.

Brentford (loan)

Out of favour at Bournemouth, Baker joined struggling Third Division club Brentford on a one-month loan in February 1973,[5] which was later extended until the end of the 1972–73 season.[6] He made six appearances for the Bees before being recalled by Bournemouth.[6]

Later professional career

In a surprise move, Baker signed for First Division club Ipswich Town for a £20,000 fee during the 1978 off-season.[2] He failed to make a first team appearance and instead made 18 appearances for the reserves and had a non-playing loan spell at East Anglian rivals Norwich City.[2][7] An injury forced Baker to retire from football at the end of the 1978–79 season,[2] but he returned to football to sign for new American Soccer League club Phoenix Fire in early 1980, linking up with former Bournemouth teammate Harry Redknapp.[8] The club folded due to financial irregularities before the beginning of the 1980 season.[9]

Non-League football

Baker returned to England and linked up again with Harry Redknapp (now assistant to manager Bobby Moore) at Isthmian League First Division club Oxford City in 1980.[10] He made 38 appearances for the club.[10] Baker moved back to the south coast to sign for Alliance Premier League club Weymouth in June 1981.[2] He established himself in the first team and made 110 appearances before departing in 1983.[11] Baker followed Weymouth teammates Trevor Finnegan, Gary Borthwick and Billy Elliott to Alliance Premier League club Yeovil Town in 1983.[12] He made 21 appearances before retiring in November 1983.[13]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Montreal Olympique (loan) 1971[4] North American Soccer League 18 0 — — 18 0
Brentford (loan) 1972–73[14] Third Division 6 0 — — 6 0
Career total 24 0 0 0 0 0 24 0

References
  1. "Kieron Baker". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. "Kieron Baker". Pride of Anglia – Ipswich Town Football Club. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  3. "Bourne Legacy: Kieron Baker". AFCB. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  4. "NASL-Kieron Baker". nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  5. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 15. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  6. Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 267. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  7. "Games played by Kieron Baker in 1978–79". Pride of Anglia – Ipswich Town Football Club. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  8. Redknapp, Harry (2013). Always Managing: My Autobiography. Ebury Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0091917876.
  9. "1980 Phoenix Fire, American Soccer League". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  10. "Players (Alphabetic)". docs.google.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  11. "Player Archive". THE TERRAS. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  12. "Yeovil Town Story Part 39". ciderspace.co.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  13. "Season 1983–84 : First Team Appearances". Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  14. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 392. ISBN 0951526200.
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