Peter Baker: Industrious full-back who was an unsung hero of Tottenham Hotspur's 1961 double-winning team

Baker was quick, strong and industrious, competent at aerial combat and a biting tackler

Peter Baker. top left back row, with his Tottenham Hotspur teammates in 1962 (Getty Images)

There was no trace of stardust clinging to Peter Baker. But while the supremely athletic, sharply intelligent right-back was underrated for his part in Tottenham Hotspur becoming the first club in the 20th century to lift the League and FA Cup double, the acknowledged heroes of that triumph harboured not the slightest doubt of his immense importance to their cause.

The men rightly showered with bouquets – imperious wing-halves Danny Blanchflower and Dave Mackay, goalscoring speed merchant Cliff Jones and incisive schemer John White – were unanimous in dispensing lavish praise on the Londoner, while his inspirational manager, Bill Nicholson, trusted him implicitly.

Sometimes Baker would be criticised by White Hart Lane fans for not marking his winger tightly enough – but that failed to recognise that he was deployed directly behind the brilliant but whimsical Blanchflower, who roved the pitch creatively but often left huge gaps behind him, meaning the isolated full-back had two opponents to mark.

An England youth international, Baker made his first adult impact with leading amateur club Enfield, signed for Spurs as an amateur in 1949 and turned professional at White Hart Lane in the autumn of 1952.

He progressed rapidly, making his first-team entrance at Sunderland in April 1953. Thereafter, for several seasons he understudied Alf Ramsey, from whom he learned voraciously and for whom he became the long-term replacement in Tottenham's No 2 shirt.

He cemented a regular berth in 1956-57, saw off a spirited challenge for the right-back position from Johnny Hills a season later, then continued to hone his game as Nicholson succeeded Jimmy Anderson as boss and tweaked the side that was shortly to make history.

Baker was quick, strong and industrious, competent at aerial combat and a biting tackler, while being astute enough not to dive into challenges, especially when Blanchflower had pushed forward. Rather, he would jockey opponents, subtly ushering them away from areas of immediate danger until reinforcements arrived.

Baker's first regular full-back partner was Mel Hopkins, but when the classy Welshman was seriously injured in November 1959, the unfussy, rather dour Ron Henry was introduced to the left defensive flank, and the new pair struck up an almost telepathic understanding that served Tottenham admirably through the glory years. The full-backs reserved one of their finest joint displays for that term's 2-0 FA Cup final victory over Leicester City, whose hopes of an upset were rattled early on, when they were reduced to ten men through an injury to Len Chalmers – substitutes were not allowed in those days. Baker shackled his immediate opponent, Albert Cheesebrough, with unforgiving tenacity.

In 1961-62 the right-back was as efficient as ever as Spurs retained the FA Cup by beating Burnley and reached the European Cup semi-finals, but slipped to third place in the title race.

Though approaching the veteran stage in 1962-63, Baker remained a bastion of Nicholson's lovely side as they became the first from Britain to lift a European trophy, eclipsing Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the Rotterdam final of the Cup Winners' Cup. After that, he retained his place for one more season, stretching his Tottenham appearance tally to 344, before being supplanted by newcomer Cyril Knowles.

Peter Russell Barker (Peter Baker), footballer: born Hampstead, London 10 December 1931; died Hampstead 27 January 2016.