Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
since 1878
BILLY BAXTER
1939-2009
Amidst the end of season scramble for points for (an ultimately futile attempt at) Premier League survival and the excitement of a visit of Manchester United in April, 2002, you could perhaps be forgiven for missing a group of very proud gentlemen that made their way, pre-match, from the player's tunnel across the hallowed turf to the Portman Road centre circle. Those gentleman, fresh from a player's reunion dinner the night before, were the surviving members of Town's Championship winning side of forty-years earlier, and included in their number Bill Baxter. This was the Scotsman's first visit to the ground since a rather ignominious departure in 1971, but more on that in a moment.
Baxter, a tough-tackling defender, had been spotted playing for West Lothian side Broxburn Athletic and arrived in Ipswich in the summer of 1960. Just as the 60-61 season was about to get underway he was called up for National Service, a stint in the armed services that saw him stationed with the Royal Engineers in Aldershot. He was given leave to return to Suffolk in time to make his debut in a 4-1 home win over Norwich City on December 27th - a win that put the Blue's on top of the old Second Division.
Baxter, taking the place of the injured Ken Malcolm, was a revelation and became an instant hit with the fans, and with the agreement of his commanding officer, he was ever present for the remainder of the season. Town clinched the Second Division title with a 4-0 home win against Sunderland on April 22nd, 1961, finishing the season a point ahead of runners-up Sheffield United. Baxter's double-life of square bashing and football had paid its first dividend and won him his first medal.
His father, an engine driver, had insisted that he complete an apprenticeship in Engineering before pursuing a career in football, not realising that both of these talents would be put to such quick use in the Army, where he regularly turned out for an Army team in addition to his day-to-day duties with the Engineers. It should also be noted that while Baxter waited to get himself permanently settled in Suffolk his wife and son were back in Edinburgh!
During the coming years Baxter would establish himself as one of the most solid defenders in the Football League. Despite being only 5' 8" tall he was very strong in the air - seldom losing out on a header - and on the ground his tackling could best be described as uncompromising. He was a hard tackler and in the modern era may well have been on the receiving end of a fair share of yellow and red cards, but in he more lax 60's received just a single caution in his four-hundred-plus Town appearances.
So, Ipswich were in the top flight of English football for the first time in the club's history, but of course there was more success to come for Baxter and his team mates. Town emulated the Tottenham Hotspur side's of 1950 and 1951, to become only the third side to win the Second and First Division titles in back-to-back seasons, and the first side since 1888 to win the League title at the first attempt. Rather ironically, manager Alf Ramsey had been a key player for the North Londoners in those two campaigns.
Town hadn't begun the season well, losing two of their three opening fixtures, but Ramsey stuck to his innovative 4-4-2 system and the results started coming. Up front he employed strikers Ray Crawford and Ted Phillips (61 league goals between them), and on the wings Jimmy Leadbetter and Roy Stephenson. It was the use of latter two in midfield that was the key to Ramsey's triumph. Closest rivals Burnley hit the self destruct button in the run in and Ipswich stole home to take the championship - clinched at Portman Road with a two-nil win against Aston Villa on the final day of the season. Championship medal number two for Baxter.
Then things started to go south. Alf Ramsey took over as England manager and former Newcastle United star Jackie Milburn took the helm at Portman Road. But, other than Bill Baxter, it was an ageing team that the Wor Jack had inherited. Milburn made him club captain but despite being the stand out player that he was Baxter could not check the slide on his own and Town were relegated in 1964.
Town continued to struggle and after just over a year in charge Milburn resigned to be replaced by Bill McGarry. The new manager switched Baxter to centre-half, and while England were enjoying unprecedented success under Alf Ramsey, slowly rebuilt the side around his new number 5. In the 1966-67 season the side came close to a return to the top-flight and were leading the division at Christmas, but the promotion cause was undone by a run of twelve matches without a win. But they came back a stronger side the following season and Baxter collected his third Championship medal in seven years as Ipswich clinched the second division title by one point from QPR.
McGarry stayed until November of the following season but, having decided that the club lacked the resources to match his footballing ambitions, he moved to Wolves, and a certain Bobby Robson arrived a few months later. Although Baxter retained the captaincy, he and Robson did not see eye to eye. Reports of clashes during training came to ahead in early 1971 and Baxter was dropped.
Baxter's friend, the right-back Tommy Carroll, walked out of the club after clashing with Robson too, and on his return to Ipswich both players were left out of a 4-2 home defeat at the hands of Leeds United. Robson claims that the pair of them were laughing in the dressing-room afterwards and were going to order a bottle of champagne to celebrate the defeat. The following Friday, Carroll, seeing that his name was not on the team sheet for that evenings match with Manchester City, ripped it down from the team notice board and thrust it into Robson's face. The pair exchanged blows, with Baxter joining in on Carroll's side while Cyril Lea came to the manager's aid.
And that was that. Baxter was sold to Hull City shortly after the incident and, after serving the club for 10 years and making 459 appearances, would never played for the club again. He spent a year at Boothferry Park, including a brief loan spell at Watford, and a season at Northampton Town, before finishing his playing career at non-league Nuneaton Borough.
The very sad and poorly judged end to his Portman Road career should not diminish Baxter's status as one the very best players and captain ever to represent our Club - for which he rightly inducted earlier this year into the Town Hall of Fame.
Cancer sadly claimed our triple Champions life at a Dunfermline hospital in May, 2009.
William Alexander Baxter RIP.