Charles Henry Baker was an English football player who played in the Football League for Stoke and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Education
He made one appearance at the end of the 1888-1889 season. The following season he appeared fairly regularly making twelve league appearances, scoring twice as Stoke finished at the foot of the Football League table and failed to be re-elected for the following season.
Career
He also played in the Southern League with Southampton. Born in Stafford, he first played for Stafford Rangers before joining Stoke in April 1889. As a consequence, Stoke played 1890-1891 in the Football Alliance, finishing the season as champions.
In August 1891, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers where he played alongside Will Devey and England international forwards Harry Wood and Robert Topham.
In 1891-1892 he was a virtual ever-present, making 24 appearances in the league scoring five goals, as well as four appearances (four goals). The following season, he lost his place to Joe Butcher and returned to Stoke in January 1893.
Although he made four appearances for Stoke at the end of the 1892-1893 season, he made no appearances at all in the first team in the following season, presumably as a result of injury. On 26 April 1893, he was part of a Stoke side who were invited to play a friendly match against Southampton Street Mary"s, played at the County Cricket ground in Northlands Road, Southampton.
The "Saints", who included the 18-year-old Charles Miller (considered to be the father of football in Brazil) in their line-up, were "outplayed fairly and squarely on every point", although the spectators "thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition" and looked forward to witnessing "more matches of a similar character" in future.
Also playing for Stoke were Alf Littlehales, Willie Naughton and Lachie Thomson, all of whom were to move to Southampton within two years. In the summer of 1894, along with fellow Stoke players Lachie Thomson and Alf Littlehales, he was persuaded to move to the south coast, where Southampton were about to embark on their first season in the new Southern League. He was appointed the first team captain and "his surges down the right wing made him a favourite with the Southampton faithful".
According to Holley & Chalk, he was "a neat dribbler, (who) had a firm command over the ball and could centre with precision" In 1895-1896 he was an ever-present as Southampton finished the season in third place.
His Southampton career covered 42 first-team appearances, in which he scored 17 goals. At the end of the season he announced his retirement from football.
The club presented him with a gold watch, before Baker returned to Stafford to take up the trade of shoemaker.