Ashley Thomas Baker (born 30 October 1996) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a defender for The New Saints of the Cymru Premier. He is a Wales Under-21 international.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ashley Thomas Baker[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-10-30) 30 October 1996 (age 25)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bridgend, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | The New Saints | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | Cardiff City | ||
| 2017–2018 | Sheffield Wednesday | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Sheffield Wednesday | 12 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Newport County | 8 | (0) |
| 2021– | The New Saints | 12 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| Wales U19 | 1 | (0) | |
| 2018– | Wales U21 | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:00, 31 March 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:08, 12 October 2018 (UTC) | |||
Born in Bridgend, Baker began his career as a youth player with Cardiff City at under-14 level.[3] He was released by the club in January 2017,[4] signing his first professional contract for Sheffield Wednesday in the same month.[5]
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. [6]
On 13 January 2020, Baker signed for League Two club Newport County on a one-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.[7] He made his debut for Newport on 18 January 2020, starting in a 2–0 league win against Swindon Town.[8] He scored his first goal for Newport in the 2-1 FA Cup First Round win against Leyton Orient on 7 November 2020.[9] 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.[10]
In July 2021 he joined Cymru Premier club The New Saints.[11]
Having earned one cap for Wales at under-19 level,[12] Baker made his debut for the under-21 side on 7 September 2018, in a 2–1 victory over Liechtenstein.[13]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | ||||||||||||
| 2017–18[14] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[15] | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[16] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Newport County | 2019–20[16] | League Two | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020–21[17] | League Two | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
The New Saints F.C. – current squad | |
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