Fulham FC — Fulham v Southampton — 6 January 2018

40 The Official Fulham FC Matchday Programme

Now wearing the black and white of Derby County, Chris Baird’s

passion for the game remains undimmed. Having started out at

Southampton, he later served Fulham with distinction...

Interview: Alexander Bowmer

A FOOT IN

BOTH CAMPS

A FOOT IN

Chris Baird

C

hris Baird is the epitome

of an unsung hero. While

flashier teammates have

stolen the headlines down the

years, the Northern Irishman

has been working diligently and

without fuss, admired greatly by

both Southampton and Fulham

fans. He turns 36 next month,

but his stellar performances for

current club Derby County suggest

there’s no reason for him to hang

up his boots.

Baird’s big break came in 1998

when, at 16, he left the comforts

of home and Ballymena United for

Hampshire and Southampton.

“I didn’t know what to expect

going to a different country,” he

says. “I know it’s only across the

water, but it’s still very strange for a

16-year-old. Once I got to know the

rest of the players in the academy,

I settled in really well. They looked

after me brilliantly. I’ll never forget

it, because it was my first club and

it just took off from there.”

As a defender, he was in good

company. He continues: “I

cleaned Jason Dodd’s boots, along

with Francis Benali and Claus

Lundekvam. I always looked at

them and how they would perform

week in, week out. They’d always

have a chat if I had any problems

and gave good advice about how to

improve my game.”

The fixture Baird is perhaps most

well-known for during his time

at Saints is the 1-0 FA Cup Final

defeat to Arsenal in 2003. It was

just his second start for the club,

but he acquitted himself superbly

and was singled out for praise.

“One of the best days of my

FFC-040-A Bairds Tale.indd 40 04/01/2018 13:43