Ide Victor Aiwone speaks to the highly-rated Peterborough defender about his life in football…
Jack Baldwin has had to climb the footballing ladder in what has been a remarkable journey so far.
He started out at Chatham Town before signing for league two side Hartlepool Town in June 2012; then after a season and a half there he joined Peterborough in January 2014 for a club record fee and has gone on to become a key member of the squad.
Baldwin, 22, is dismissive of the idea that there is any pressure in being Peterborough’s most expensive player, telling Rising East: “It’s not something I think about, if I’m honest; I just try to play the game to the best of my ability whether that’s in training or a game. The club felt I was worth the fee and all I can do is continue to improve and help do my best for the team; we all have the same objective, which is to progress, and that is my focus.”
The centre back has seen his and Peterborough’s stock rise over the last 18 months and sees no reason why his club can’t be plying their trade in the Championship this time next season, adding: “The gaffer wants us to take it each game at a time and not set any targets yet, but I believe we can get promoted from this division. We are too good to be playing League One football, and that’s no disrespect to any other team in this league, but I just feel as though we as individual players, as a squad and as a collective are good enough to play at a higher level.”
Peterborough are currently second in League One, three points behind leaders Bristol City, with Baldwin forming a solid centre back pairing with new signing Ricardo Santos – like Baldwin, from London’s East End.
“Ricardo has great potential, he’s a big lad, built like a tank and he’s only 18 years old,” said Baldwin. “He’s very similar to Raphael Varane. He’s quick, strong, great in the air and very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He can only get better and we’ve built up a great understanding. He has all the attributes to play in the Premier League.”
Baldwin too was linked with several top-flight clubs before joining the Posh and after helping his current club to a fine start to the season, the interest doesn’t seem to be disappearing. That’s on the back-burner for now, though, with Baldwin focused on the job that he has.
“There were rumours floating around,” he admitted. “Obviously I don’t want to name specific clubs as it might not have been true, but there was supposed Premier League interest.
“That’s neither here or there now. The Premier League is something I dream of and hopefully one day I can make that dream a reality but right now I am a Peterborough player and love every minute here.”