Ash Baker
{{short description|Welsh footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{ Infobox football biography
| name = Ash Baker
| fullname = Ashley Thomas Baker{{cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/siteassets/efl-documents/202021/efl-squad-numbering-11.09.2020.pdf |title=Notification of shirt numbers: Newport County |publisher=English Football League |page=45 |access-date=23 September 2020}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|10|30|df=y}}{{cite web |url=https://www.11v11.com/players/ash-baker-256034/ |title=Ash Baker|website=11v11.com |publisher=AFS Enterprises |access-date=16 July 2018}}
| birth_place = Bridgend, Wales
| height = {{convert|1.78|m|order=flip}}
| position = Right back
| currentclub = The New Saints
| clubnumber = 24
| youthyears1 = –2017
| youthclubs1 = Cardiff City
| youthyears2 = 2017–2018
| youthclubs2 = Sheffield Wednesday
| years1 = 2018–2020
| clubs1 = Sheffield Wednesday
| caps1 = 12
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2020–2021
| clubs2 = Newport County
| caps2 = 8
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2021–
| clubs3 = The New Saints
| caps3 = 36
| goals3 = 7
| nationalyears1 =
| nationalteam1 = Wales U19
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2018
| nationalteam2 = Wales U21
| nationalcaps2 = 3
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| club-update = 22 April 2024
| nationalteam-update = 18:08, 12 October 2018 (UTC)
}}
Ashley Thomas Baker (born 30 October 1996) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a defender for Cymru Premier club The New Saints.
Club career
=Sheffield Wednesday=
Born in Bridgend, Baker began his career as a youth player with Cardiff City at under-14 level.{{cite web |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/cardiff-citys-20-best-players-9295093 |title=Cardiff City's 20 best players under 20: The hottest young talent the Bluebirds fans should keep an eye out for |publisher=WalesOnline |author=Terry Phillips |date=20 May 2015 |access-date=7 August 2018}} He was released by the club in January 2017,{{cite web |url=https://www.swfc.co.uk/news/2017/january/defender-joins-owls-under-23-squad/ |title=Defender joins Owls Under-23 squad |publisher=Sheffield Wednesday F.C. |date=22 January 2017 |access-date=7 August 2018}} signing his first professional contract for Sheffield Wednesday in the same month.{{cite web |url=https://www.swfc.co.uk/news/2017/january/defender-joins-owls-under-23-squad/ |title=Defender joins Owls Under-23 squad |work=www.swfc.co.uk |date=6 May 2018}}
In May 2018, he made his first team debut for the club, starting at right-back as Wednesday beat Norwich City in the final Football League Championship match of the season.
=Newport County=
On 13 January 2020, Baker signed for League Two club Newport County on a one-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.{{Cite news |title=County Sign Welsh Defender Ashley Baker on Permanent Transfer from Sheffield Wednesday|url=https://www.newport-county.co.uk/news/2020/january/ash-baker-perm-signing/|publisher=Newport County Official Site |date=13 January 2020 |access-date=13 January 2020}} He made his debut for Newport on 18 January 2020, starting in a 2–0 league win against Swindon Town.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51073102 |title=Newport County 2–0 Swindon Town |publisher=BBC Sport |date=18 January 2020 |access-date=18 January 2020}} He scored his first goal for Newport in the 2–1 FA Cup first-round win against Leyton Orient on 7 November 2020.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54840051 Baker first goal for Newport] On 4 June 2021 it was announced that he would leave Newport County at the end of the 2020-21 season, following the expiry of his contract.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newport-county.co.uk/news/2021/june/newport-county-afc-retained-list-confirmed/|title=Newport County AFC retained list confirmed|website=www.newport-county.co.uk}}
=The New Saints=
In July 2021 he joined Cymru Premier club The New Saints.{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Jordan |title=New Saints snap up Ash Baker after Newport County exit |date=18 July 2021 |url=https://clwbpeldroed.org/2021/07/18/new-saints-ash-baker-newport-county/ |publisher=Y Clwb Pel-Droed |access-date=18 July 2021}}
International career
Having earned one cap for Wales at under-19 level,{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/sheffield-wednesday-ash-baker-on-his-wales-under-21-call-up-and-the-owls-start-to-the-season-1-9336076 |title=Ash Baker on his Wales Under-21 call-up and the Owls' start to the season |newspaper=The Star |last=Howson |first=Dom |date=5 September 2018 |access-date=11 September 2018}} Baker made his debut for the under-21 side on 7 September 2018, in a 2–1 victory over Liechtenstein.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/sheffield-wednesday-ash-baker-wins-his-first-wales-under-21-cap-in-euro-qualifier-1-9340062 |title=Ash Baker wins his first Wales Under-21 cap in Euro qualifier |newspaper=The Star |last=Howson |first=Dom |date=7 September 2018 |access-date=11 September 2018}}
Career statistics
{{updated|6 February 2021}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="5" align="center"| Sheffield Wednesday | ||||||||||
| 2017–18{{soccerbase season|106662|2017|accessdate=19 June 2020}}
|1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018–19{{soccerbase season|106662|2018|accessdate=19 June 2020}}
|Championship |11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2019–20{{soccerbase season|106662|2019|accessdate=19 June 2020}}
|Championship |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| rowspan="3" align="center"|Newport County
|4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020–21{{soccerbase season|106662|2020|accessdate=19 June 2020}}
|4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!20||0||1||0||1||0||3||0||25||0 |
Honours
=The New Saints=
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{soccerbase|106662}}
{{The New Saints F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Ash}}
Category:Footballers from Bridgend
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Cardiff City F.C. players
Category:Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Category:Newport County A.F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Wales men's youth international footballers
Category:Wales men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Welsh men's footballers
Category:The New Saints F.C. players