The New Saints’ Ash Baker has had a career to date which has not been plain sailing and he has had to overcome many hurdles that many young players face.
From being released by Cardiff City to finding minutes hard to come by at both Sheffield Wednesday and Newport County, a difficult time off the pitch then followed in the early stages of time at TNS.
Now, after a number of ups and downs, the right-back has set his sights on a positive campaign in his second season at Park Hall.
Bridgend-born Baker started out at Cardiff City, where he impressed so much that he was involved in first-team training.
But, a managerial change in the Welsh capital led to Baker’s time with Bluebirds cut short, as he was released in January 2017.
Having spent a number of years at the club, leaving City was difficult, the defender explained.
“It was huge in my career. I had been at Cardiff for years and was in and around the first team when Paul Trollope was in charge.
“Then, he unfortunately went, Neil Warnock came in and my time was up, but I took it positively. It’s not what you want to be told but it’s something you have to deal with in football.”
The disappointment of being released by the Bluebirds was short-lived, however, as Baker was picked up by Sheffield Wednesday in the same month, signing his first professional contract.
The right-back went on to make 12 league appearances for the Owls during a time in his career that he looks back on fondly, with his Championship debut against Norwich City a clear highlight.
“I will always be grateful to Wednesday. They played a huge part in my career and my development.
“Being at Sheffield is still the best part of my career. To play for such a big club was an honour and I loved every minute I spent there.
“I was just grateful to be able to train with the first team and with some of the quality players we had there.
“The day before the last game of the 17/18 season, we were doing small-sided games, going into shape ahead of the weekend and I remember seeing my name in the starting 11.
“That is still up there with one of my favourite days of my career. The way the day went with us beating Norwich and having my family there to watch as well made it a special day for us all.”
In a bid for more first-team action, Baker joined League Two outfit Newport County in January 2020 for an undisclosed fee.
However, the right-back found minutes hard to come by at Rodney Parade, making just eight league appearances for the Exiles.
Despite an element of frustration, Baker expressed that he still valued his time at the club.
“My time at Newport didn’t go as I thought it would,” he conveyed. “It happens in football, I don’t want to talk about it too much, I thought I had more to give there, but my opportunities were limited for some reason.
“Look, you take positives out of that as well. I met some great people there at the club and still speak to some lads there.”
Having left County at the end of the 2020/21 season, Baker made the switch to the Cymru Premier with The New Saints.
However, what followed was a difficult time for the right-back off the field.
“I didn’t meet up with the squad until last season’s European games and got some minutes in some big games.
But, I sadly lost my dad after the Victoria away game, which was so hard to take and deal with personally for me and my family. That really did knock the stuffing out of me.
“I tried to play games and do well for my dad, that was my mentality, but it was still tough to do after being so close with my dad.”
Baker’s first season at Park Hall had a clear highlight, as he netted a crucial goal in the dramatic 3-3 draw against Penybont, which sealed the title for the Saints.
After a tough period for the defender, he expressed that the goal meant a great deal to him.
“Scoring that goal against Penybont in that come back was such a good feeling for me as I did it for dad. Nothing else was going through my head.
“If I were to look back at my first season, it wasn’t a bad first year here at TNS with two pieces of silverware, but I would have liked to get more games under my belt.
“It’s hard to be dipped in and out of the team when you’re trying to find some consistency in your game.
“You’re never enjoying football unless you’re playing games and playing in big games too.”
The New Saints get their Champions League campaign underway tonight, with the first leg of a clash with Linfield.
Despite missing the game at Park Hall due to injury, Baker insists that the Saints head into the fixture with confidence.
“I’m gutted I’ll be missing the Linfield game. The physio and I sat down and decided to get something sorted in my ankle, which needed doing at some point, so I had surgery to get that sorted in our time off over the summer.
“I’m on the road to recovery now and won’t be too far off being back in with the lads. We’re all confident we can get something from this tie.”
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