Born on this day is former Sunderland defender Jack Baldwin, who is now playing in Scotland with Ross County.
Baldwin was one of the few players in 2018 that we actually paid money for, making him stand out amongst journeymen and free transfers. Were there big expectations for Baldwin? Probably not. Some Sunderland fans who watched Hartlepool might’ve seen Baldwin play there, in one of his appearances for the club as a promising teenager. The chances are, no one would’ve watched him play for Peterborough in League One. Who would want to watch League One football?
He was part of the new calibre of signings we would have to make to get out of the third tier and joined some of the other completely unknown quantities signed with League One experience. He was relatively young, had captained Peterborough and cost us money. It appeared to be a good signing.
In fact, Baldwin started very brightly, impressing with his range of passing and great timing of his tackles. A minority of fans even gave him the nickname ‘Jackenbauer’, carrying on a minor tradition at the club of giving very average players either an amazing song or nickname (see also Adnan Januzaj). As Sunderland fought for promotion under Jack Ross, Baldwin became a key figure in the heart of defence.
However, as the season went on Baldwin’s weaknesses became more and more transparent. He was part of a shocking defensive unit that conceded five to Coventry, and he never looked the same player. Clearly suffering from a confidence issue, the former Posh captain revealed on Netflix that he was in a bad mental state: “if I went in and demanded to play and, God forbid, made another mistake then I wouldn't be able to live with myself”. He said that he struggled with the constant intrusions of the Netflix cameras and, to be honest, probably struggled with the pressure of being a Sunderland player tasked with getting the club back up to the Championship.
After being dropped following that Coventry performance, Baldwin never really regained his place and missed out on the play-off final. His poor end to the season ended up costing him. In 2019 he joined League Two side Salford City on loan. The defender was injured in his second appearance for the club, and therefore only played 13 league matches in total. After a move to a traditionally bigger club, his career actually ended up on a downward trajectory. Peterborough went up, he couldn’t get a place in a stagnant Sunderland side and he was sent packing to League Two.
Since being released by Sunderland, Baldwin signed for Bristol Rovers and played a large part in their campaign. However, the Gas were relegated under Joey Barton and in League Two, Baldwin had his contract terminated. The same day, he was announced as a Ross County player. His move to Sunderland ended badly, but he now seems to be playing regularly in Scotland, away from the limelight.
