Hoppo

JIMMY JIMMY 

Collins 2-0

Collins! After clearing from the edge of his own area moments earlier, picks the ball up on the left wing takes it up the field, lays it off to Bird who gives it him back and he rifles into the net! 
 
absolutely no doubt man of the match. He’s been everywhere and not stopped the whole game. Thoroughly deserved second goal for him.

1469 Derby fans of a 6000 crowd.

1469 Derby fans of a 6000 crowd.

1469 Derby fans of a 6000 crowd.

1469 Derby fans of a 6000 crowd.

Barks for Fozzy

Looks like Forsyth is coming on.

Thing is, he always does. He should have more goals than he has and he'd be the first to admit it, but he has Knighty levels of stamina and leaves everything on the pitch, every time. He's really unselfish and leads by example and now he's up and running, I'd not be surprised to see him routinely converting the type of chances he squandered early season.

Dobbin in offside shocker..

You on dial-up Curtains?

GET IN DERBY!

First half done, we have been the better team against a resolute Cambridge, they are not mugs and lie 7th in the table and are at home. We have to be a little grounded, first game in with Warne as manager and although at times its not fluid yet I am very happy they have upped the tempo and stopped this fannying at the back.

COYR lets keep it up and for once start strong in the second half.

GET IN DERBY!

Just shows you if you play direct and don’t give them all the time in the world, defenders really aren’t that good in this league! Buzzing for Collins! 

GET IN DERBY!

Great finish by Collins after a fluffed back pass by Cambridge.  Great pressure from Collins.

How shipe must you be, we're winnin' awayyyyy

GET IN DERBY!

GET IN DERBY!

GET IN DERBY!

The looks a very odd pitch.
Should siut our fleet of geriatrics.

I just want to say how lucky you are to have Paul Warne as manager. I've supported the millers for 69 years. Obviously, I've seen managers come and go during that period. As far as I'm concerned, and many other fans Warne is the best manager we've had.
Like Derby fans we went through some dark times. Administration points deducted, lost our ground, forced to play in Sheffield in an athletic stadium. No atmosphere, 4 years in the 4th division.
Paul has many qualities. Excellent staff management, a workaholic. He's articulate, honest and will live and breathe Derby County.
I thank him for all the memories, 3 Wembley wins 3 promotions and I wish him well and as a consequence wish the Rams well. I've never had a second team, but for the first time Derby County will be my second team. I look forward to seeing Paul succeed. 
Hopefully Derby will be promoted and we survive in the championship and look forward to see you at the New York stadium.
All the best.
 
 

Cambridge United (Away)
The first time we ever played them was 16th August 1980 in League Division Two (The Championship in old money).
It was the first game of the season after relegation from Division One at the end of the previous season.
Thousands of Derby fans travelled to Cambridge, I think officially it was 3,000 but it seemed as if many more made the journey. Maybe not all of them got into the Abbey Stadium...
My personal journey and one of my most vivid memories went something like this.
7 of us left Uttoxeter at 7am in a Ford Anglia van driven by a bloke who was a builder and became my best man at my wedding three years later. By the time we were on the A50 going toward Sudbury the first cans and bottles were open, cigarettes (mostly Players No.6) were being smoked, and that was just the driver.
We got somewhere near Leicester and had to stop for petrol, the driver got dogs abuse because we'd paid up front whilst in the pub the night before. He protested that he had filled up but we didn't believe him. We had to stop again somewhere near Thrapston on the A14, this time we had a look and the petrol tank was leaking!
We stopped at a road side pub soon after that was full of Derby fans, we got our beers and sat outside with loads of others. We saw a large van in the car park and witnessed some lads lifting one of the beer garden bench tables into the van. These lads explained there was 15 of them and no seats in the back, seemed reasonable at the time. A couple of them tried to put the swing from the kids play area in as well but they were thwarted in their endeavours by the others.
As we drove away from the pub we passed a large gentleman riding one of those bikes with a shopping basket on the front through this quiet village waving a Derby scarf above his head singing "we'll be back in "81".
On arrival at Cambridge, the car park was a field next to the ground. People were saying the pubs were full or not letting Derby fans in so we settled down on the grass, luckily we had more beer than petrol, the sun was out so a couple went off to a shop for sandwiches and pasties while we enjoyed the atmosphere. 
The van we saw earlier turned up and the lads unloaded the pub table, complete with umbrella and the bloke on the bike, still singing "we'll be back in 81".
It was surreal but absolutely hilarious, the whole field was in great humour. As kick off time approached, people were packing up preparing to enter the ground when someone thought it would be good craic to open a gate adjacent to the field and let 30 odd cows stroll into the car park. Derby fans were laughing and trying to herd them onto the road, one lad even tried to lead one toward the ground but the cow was having none of it.
The police and stewards didn't know what to do, they were trying to control the cows while Derby fans were bunking into the stadium. Total chaos.
The away end was as full as an egg, spilling over onto the touchline at times, we lost 3-0, welcome to relegation.
We had a drink with a minibus full of Ilson lads somewhere on the way back, when we left the pub a couple of them were taking the one arm bandit apart for the cash while the rest were lined up at the bar shielding the activity. Bad lads from Ilson back then!
On the drive back we had to fill up the Anglia van twice more due to the petrol leak before arriving on the outskirts of Nottingham.
We all needed the toilet and a drink so we pulled into a place called, I think,  the Nottingham Knight. It was a hotel bar, quite posh for the time until us lot piled in, we sat in this lobby type space with our beers when someone noticed a glass display cabinet with photos of the gumps European Cup team in it. A Doc Marten went straight through the cabinet followed by outrage from the locals and no effs given by us. A bit of a brawl ensued in the car park before our battered, leaking, tired Anglia van somehow got us away and back home without us getting a good kicking or arrested.
 
I hope everyone going to Cambridge on Saturday has an equally memorable day out. ?