Paul Baker is widely regarded as one of the finest forwards to have represented Pools over they years, scoring some vital goals to help the Club at both ends of the table.

He made an explosive start to his time at The Vic after John Bird persuaded him to join the Club from Carlisle United, scoring 14 times in his first 11 league outings.

However, as Baker reveals here, it could all have been so different.

"If the truth be told I was thinking about packing in playing in the league and going back to non-league after leaving Carlisle but I came here and we eventually went from strength to strength," he told us.

"I ended up having some fantastic times, scoring a decent amount of goals and playing alongside some good players who were good friends who have all kept in touch over the years.

"Obviously the promotion year was a memory and a half. That period was a bit of a difficult time but it ended up being a promotion year which was fantastic. I think for me to be Club Captain and ever-present during that season made it even more special for me.

"Those good memories help to get rid of all the things that happened before that. I remember when I first came here when John Bird signed me the Club was really struggling."

When Bob Moncur took over from Bird in November 1988 it wasn't long before Joe Allon also arrived at The Vic - and that signalled a change in the direction of Baker's career.

He was moved back to centre-half for a time where he played well alongside Wayne Stokes and was eventually named as skipper.

However, if he'd matured under Moncur, Baker was to prosper under Cyril Knowles who took the whole Club by the scruff of the neck on his appointment in November 1989.

"Cyril was a real character and a man's man," Baker tells us.

"I remember when he first came to the Club I spent a bit of time with him in his office because of the fact I was captain. After spending that time one-on-one with the guy I knew what he wanted and 99% of the time he got it.

"He was a real disciplinarian and wouldn't accept anything other than winning; he never thought about playing for a point and he'd always be honest in what he thought of you.

"On a number of occasions he got me in and from a playing point of view that did me the world of good.

"Just when you thought things were going along nice and smoothly this guy came in, shook things up and gave us the belief we could move to the next level and I think everyone responded to him."

And respond they did, as Knowles led Pools on the path to their second-ever promotion by gelling together a team who knew each others' strengths and who played as a unit.

Baker was restored to the frontline alongside Allon and the pair developed a near telepathic understanding, finishing the 1990/1991 season with 49 goals between them.

"It wasn't just about the goals that Joe and I scored - they had to be created from somewhere," a modest Baker insists.

"I mean, Keith Nobbs used to cross balls from his own penalty area! All the guys at the back were fantastic - Ian Bennyworth, John MacPhail, Rob McKinnon.

"Then going in to midfield you had Paul Olsson, John Tinkler and Brian Honour. They are lads who all had their strengths and we all complemented each other very well.

"We had such a good squad and we all knew what each player could do individually and we played to the strengths.

"Sometimes we'd score goals that would be three touches - the keeper would clear it, I'd flick it and Joe would put it in the net, that's just how it was in those days. Often it wasn't pretty but we won games and got promoted."

This article was first published in the Club's Matchday Programme.