Colin Baker

Colin Walter Baker (18 December 1934 – 11 April 2021) was a Welsh professional footballer. A wing half, he spent his entire professional career playing for his home town club Cardiff City, making over 300 appearances during a 13-year spell with the Bluebirds. He also won 7 caps for the Wales national team during his career and was part of the squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

Club career Born in Tremorfa, Cardiff, Baker had to play rugby at school, but preferred football, and soon joined Cardiff Nomads. Baker joined Cardiff City from Cardiff Nomads as an amateur in 1951. He became a part-time professional between 1952 and 1953 whilst completing his National Service in the Royal Air Force. He became a full-time professional in 1953.

He made his debut in a 2–2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the 1953–54 season and went on to take over from his namesake Billy Baker on a permanent basis and his partnership with Alan Harrington during the 1959–60 season helped the Bluebirds win promotion back to the First Division. Very rarely suffering from injuries, in 1965 he became the first Cardiff player ever to be substituted, which had recently been introduced, when he was taken off due to injury during a match against Bury for David Summerhayes.

International career

Baker gained one cap for the Wales under-23 side during a match against England. Despite being uncapped at senior level, Baker was selected as part of the Wales squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. Sullivan had suffered a knee injury during Wales' opening group match against Hungary and failed a late fitness test for the following match. He did not feature again during the tournament but went on to win a total of 7 caps, making his final appearance on 8 November 1961 against Scotland.

Career statistics

Honours Cardiff City Welsh Cup: 1955–56, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1964–65; runners-up 1959–60 Football League Second Division runners-up: 1959–60