[3] He joined West Bromwich Albion from Sutton Town as a 15-year-old amateur in 1936,[4] and made his first-team debut at 17 in 1938 in a 4–3 win in the First Division against local rivals Birmingham.
He kept his place for the remaining four matches of the season, but was unable to help West Brom retain their top-flight status.
He moved on to Brighton & Hove Albion, but played just one league match before competitive football was abandoned for the duration of the Second World War.
After recovering, he made guest appearances in the wartime competitions for clubs including Nottingham Forest and Northampton Town,[5] and then returned to Brighton & Hove Albion.
For the next seven seasons, Baldwin shared the goalkeeper position with Jack Ball, and took his appearance total to 183 in first-team competitions.