Andrew Macdonald Baker (born 8 October 2002) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for club

Hyde United Hyde United Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Hyde, Greater Manchester, England, formed in 1919. The team's strip is red shirts and black shorts and their home ground is the 4,250 capacity Ewen Fields. Hyde United's record ...

Career

Baker was born in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

but attended

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...

. Whilst at the school, he was called up in November 2019 to the England Independent Schools Under-18 age group matches against Wales Colleges and England Colleges. He started his youth career in the Academy at

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

where he played for ten years from the under-4 to under-14 level, winning the Premier League Championship three times. He subsequently spent two years in the youth team at

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

before signing a two-year scholarship at

EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...

side

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

. In May 2021, it was announced that he would not be offered a professional contract at Oldham and that he would be released at the end of his scholarship. He dropped down to Non-League when he signed for

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

Premier Division side

FC United of Manchester Football Club United of Manchester, more commonly known as FC United, is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home m ...

for the 2021–22 campaign, following a trial during pre-season. As the club only trained part-time, he also worked as an IT Consultant. He was an ever-present in the backline going onto make twenty-seven appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal in a 3–1 win over Witton Albion. On 4 January 2022, he signed for

EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...

side

Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Established in 1997, the current Flee ...

on a deal until the summer of 2023, with the club holding an option for another one-year extension. Upon signing, he was immediately placed into the Development Squad. On 23 August 2022, he made his professional debut at the age of 19, when he started in the 1–0

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

second round defeat at home to

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side Everton. On 3 September he made his League One Debut against Wycombe Wanders in a 1–1 draw. On 16 February 2023, Baker signed for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

club

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

on loan until the end of June. On 4 July 2023, Baker signed for

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

side

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, sister club of Fleetwood Town, on loan until the end of their season in November. On 4 January 2024, Baker joined NPL Premier Division club

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

on a permanent transfer. In July 2024, Baker joined fellow NPL Premier Division side

following a successful trial period, where he went on to play an important role, as the club managed to secure a 9th place finish.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Drew 2002 births Living people English men's footballers Footballers from Chester Men's association football defenders F.C. United of Manchester players Fleetwood Town F.C. players Bohemian F.C. players Waterford F.C. players Macclesfield F.C. players Hyde United F.C. players Northern Premier League players English Football League players League of Ireland players Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland People educated at Manchester Grammar School 21st-century English sportsmen