*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Gerry Baker
Appearances: 48+4 Goals: 16
Date / Year of birth: 11th April 1938
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 1970/71
Season of last appearance: 1971/72
Also played for: Larkhall Thistle (Scotland), Chelsea (0), Motherwell (Scotland) (13,4), St.Mirren (Scotland (81,65), Manchester City (39,14), Hibernian (Scotland) (84,43), Ipswich Town (151,66), Coventry City (30+4,6), Brentford (8,2), Nuneaton Borough, Bedworth United and Worcester City
5' 7" tall, much-travelled American international striker who was born in New Rochelle, New York State, USA to an English father and Scottish mother and then moved to Scotland as a child.
Gerry was brought up in Motherwell and played for Craigneuk Boys Club and Lanarkshire Schools before joining non-league side Larkhall Thistle. After only six games there he signed for Chelsea in June 1955 aged 17.
During 1955/56 Gerry scored 14 goals from 16 youth team outings for Chelsea and during the early part of 1956/57 he managed four goals from six reserve team outings before leaving Stamford Bridge in December 1956 and returning to Scotland.
He joined 1st Division Motherwell and went on to score four goals in 13 appearances for them during the 1956/57, 1957/58 and 1958/59 campaigns.
In November 1958 Gerry was transferred to St.Mirren and he became a prolific marksman for the club. He scored in every round of the Scottish Cup during the 1958/59 season, including a goal in the Final at Hampden Park as St.Mirren beat Aberdeen 3-1. The match was watched by over 100,000 people and in total Gerry scored eight goals in the competition. The 1959/60 Scottish Cup campaign saw him make the headlines again as on 30.1.60 Gerry scored a record ten goals in a 15-0 win over Glasgow University. He scored 65 goals in just 81 appearances for St.Mirren before his exploits caught the eye of Manchester City and in November 1960 City paid a fee of around £30,000 for Gerry's services.
He scored 14 goals in 39 first team appearances for City during the 1961/62 and 1962/63 seasons before returning to Scotland once more in November 1961 to join Hibernian. The fee was again in the region of £30,000.
Gerry kept up his excellent scoring record during his time with Hibs and he bagged 43 goals in 84 appearances for the club that spanned the 1961/62-1963/64 seasons.
In December 1963 Gerry returned to England once more when Ipswich paid £25,000 for his services and by then he'd scored over 100 goals in senior Scottish football. Between December 1963 and his departure in November 1967 Gerry scored 66 times in 151 first team appearances for Ipswich in all competitions.
He left Portman Road to join Coventry for £25,000 and although he failed to find his scoring form of old Gerry broke into the USA's national side during his two year stay in the Midlands.
He made his debut on 13.10.68 as the USA lost 4-2 to Canada in a World Cup Qualifier in Toronto and went on to win a total of seven caps, scoring twice. Both goals came as the USA beat Bermuda 6-2 in a World Cup Qualifier in Kansas City on 2.11.68. Gerry's last international was a 1-0 loss to Haiti on 11.5.69 in San Diego. The game was another World Cup Qualifier and the defeat ended the USA's hopes of reaching the 1970 finals in Mexico.
In October 1969 Coventry loaned Gerry to Brentford and his eight appearances for the Bees were his last in League Football. He'd scored 79 goals in the Football League by the time Coventry released him at the end of the 1969/70 campaign.
In the summer of 1970 Gerry was appointed as Margate's player-manager, replacing the legendary Almer Hall. However he wasn't a unanimous choice and the job almost went to future Luton and Tottenham manager David Pleat. Gerry made his Margate debut in the opening match of the 1970/71 campaign, a 3-0 win at Telford in the Southern League on 15.8.70, and impressed with his speed and alertness. Gerry scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win over Worcester at Hartsdown Park on 22.8.70 but a week later he dislocated his shoulder at Nuneaton. After recovering from the shoulder injury he began to show his class and scored six goals in a prolific spell during September 1970. At one stage Gerry found the net in four consecutive matches, including two goals in a 4-0 win over Ashford on 21.9.70. On 20.10.70 he scored with a 20 yard half-volley in a 3-1 win at Ramsgate and the local paper described the strike as "tremendous". However on 24.10.70 Gerry broke two ribs in a home game against Dover and he missed the next five games as a result.
He returned to action in a 4-0 home defeat against Folkestone in the Kent Floodlight Cup on 16.11.70 and then on 21.11.70 Gerry was in the Margate side that lost 2-0 at Dagenham in the FA Cup 1st Round. That was his last appearance until 6.2.71 as his ribs hadn't healed but after featuring as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Cambridge City Gerry played regularly until the end of the season and finished the campaign having scored 11 goals in 41 appearances (four as sub). That tally was enough to make him the club's joint top scorer - Hughie Cochrane and John Baber also scored 11 goals.
In April 1971 Gerry denied rumours that he was to leave the club but he did admit that he'd received offers from South Africa and the USA. He started the 1971/72 season in good form and scored five goals in 11 appearances early on, despite mainly playing in an unfamiliar left wing position. Gerry scored with a superb volley from 15 yards as Margate went down 5-1 at Barnet on 14.9.71 but it turned out to be his last goal for the club. He resigned as Margate's player-manager on 30.9.71 and a few weeks later Ramsgate manager Les Riggs took over.
Gerry immediately joined Nuneaton as a player and scored a hat-trick for them soon afterwards. He stayed there until joining Bedworth during the 1972/73 season.
Gerry later had a spell with Worcester where he scored three times during the 1974/75 campaign and he retired at the end of that season aged 37.
After retiring from football Gerry worked at the Jaguar car factory in Coventry for many years and during the 1979/80 season he was managing the Coventry Colliery football team in his spare time.
In December 2010 Gerry watched Coventry play Queens Park Rangers as a guest of the Coventry City Former Players Association.
He died on 24.8.13 at the age of 75.
Gerry's brother Joe played for England and scored over 150 1st Division goals for Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland. Gerry's wife Ann was a successful sprinter while his daughters Karen and Lorraine both ran for England. Lorraine also represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and finished fifth in the 800 metres final. In 2005 she was running her own sports shop in Coventry.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC | |
|
1970/71 (MFC) |
37 (72) |
4 |
11 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (13TH OF 22) |
1R |
1R |
SF |
QF |
GR |
| Played in FA Cup 1st Round (21.11.70 - lost 2-0 at Dagenham). | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC | |
|
1971/72 (MFC) |
11 (69) |
0 |
5 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (9TH OF 22) |
1R |
1R |
SF |
2R |
GR |