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Matchday 36 – Saturday 1st April 1972 & the eagerly awaited clash between Derby & Leeds at the Baseball Ground
Leeds’ record against fellow title contenders had been very impressive – beating Man City comfortably at Elland Road, the only side to beat Liverpool at Anfield in 71/72 & had inflicted Derby’s biggest defeat of the season at Elland Road back in December. However, this match was to buck that trend with Derby putting on a champion display to win 2-0 – goals from John O’Hare & an own goal from Franny Lee’s punch bag in front of a raucous BBG crowd
Goals in below link ?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/LfWsSPgbvCI?start=3&end=71
 

 

 
Pre-match edition of The Ram (mindful of the imminent full house v Leeds) was still focusing on the low gate against Ipswich the previous week. Further in the paper was criticism of poor average gates at Leeds & Man City from the national press, both of whom had significantly higher ground capacities than Derby;

 
Derby’s win coupled with Man City’s shock 1-2 home defeat by Stoke meant that for the first time in 1971/72, the Rams sat top of the First Division table. With 6 games to go, had Derby timed their title charge perfectly? Elsewhere, Liverpool beat West Brom 2-0 at Anfield to bring the top 4 all within 3 points;

Matchday 34 – Saturday 25th March 1972 & the short trip to Victoria Ground, Stoke
Stoke started the day in 15th place but had already secured silverware this season, winning the League Cup 3 weeks earlier against Chelsea. They had been beaten 4-0 at the Baseball Ground earlier in the season but their home form was impressive, losing only 3 times in 15 games to that point. Stoke took the lead with a Jimmy Greenhoff penalty before Alan Durban equalised from a free kick - post match discussion though was of a late disallowed goal by Kevin Hector that meant Derby had to settle for a 1-1 draw

 

 

 
Derby’s point meant they stayed in 2nd place even though Leeds walloped Arsenal 3-0 at Elland Road. Liverpool won 1-0 at Southampton to highlight it was a 4 horse title race whilst Man City could only draw 0-0 at Newcastle & so remained 3 points ahead of Derby;
Leeds highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhStPGirTNQ
 

Matchday 33 – Wednesday 22nd March 1972 & the visit of Ipswich to the BBG
Ipswich were having the epitome of a dull midtable season, starting the day in 13th place & with only 30 goals to their name so far this season. The two sides had drawn 0-0 at Portman Road back in August & so the lowest league gate of the season (26,738) were presumably not expecting a thriller. The game was indeed a tight one & was settled by a first half Kevin Hector winner

 

 
Front page of the Ram focused on a report in The Guardian predicting future domination of the game by big city clubs & pointing out the limitations of the Baseball Ground and crowds well below 40,000;

 
Derby’s fifth consecutive league win saw them consolidate 2nd place & move to within 3 points of leaders Man City, with a game in hand still. Elsewhere, Leeds could only draw 0-0 at Leicester & so slipped 2 points behind the Rams;

 

Matchday 32 – Saturday 18th March 1972 & back to league action with the visit of Leicester to the BBG
Leicester started the day in 15th spot and were making a good fist of keeping clear of the relegation scrap in their first season back at the top level. Derby had beaten them 2-0 at Filbert Street back in August though & showed their superiority again here with a comfortable 3-0 win – goals coming from O’Hare, Durban & Hector
 

 

 
Front page of the Ram focused on transfer fee controversy & calls from the PFA to abolish fees so players could walk away for free when their contract expired – predating the Bosman rule by 20 years;

 
Derby’s win meant they took advantage of Leeds’ FA Cup commitments to move into 2nd place. Meanwhile at Maine Road, new £200k signing Rodney Marsh was given his full debut by Man City in a 1-0 win over Chelsea – a result that kept City 5 points clear of Derby at the top (albeit having played two games more);

FA Cup 5th Round Second Replay – Monday 13th March 1972 & another attempt to separate Derby & Arsenal, this time in the neutral surroundings of Filbert Street, Leicester
This was the 4th time Derby had played Arsenal in the past few weeks & with a Quarter Final at Orient the prize, 40,000 turned up at Filbert Street (including a reported 20k Derby fans) to see who would finally prevail. Sadly, an early Ray Kennedy goal from a poor John McGovern back pass proved to be the difference.
Here’s McFarland & Robson attempting to clear from George Graham;

 


 

 
Programme of the day from Leicester;

 
Arsenal predictably beat Orient in the Sixth Round & went on to reach the FA Cup Final after edging past Stoke in the Semi Finals after a replay. For Derby, the wait for their first FA Cup Final appearance since 1946 went on….(and still does)
 
 

Matchday 31 – Saturday 11th March 1972 & a visit to White Hart Lane to face Spurs
Spurs started the day in 5th & just two points behind the Rams - a position mainly achieved off the back of a fantastic home record, losing only once in 16 League games (Leeds had been beaten there & Man City escaped with a point). By contrast, Derby’s away record at top 6 sides had not been good so this looked a tough assignment indeed. Despite the ominous signs, Derby recorded back to back clean sheets in North London & a late penalty from Alan Hinton gave them a valuable 2 points.
In the absence of TV highlights, here are the Mirror’s natty diagrams of the key moments with match report further below;


 

 
Programme of the day from North London;

 
Derby’s third consecutive League win kept them in 3rd place and opened up a 4 point gap back to Spurs. Elsewhere, Leeds beat Coventry 1-0 at Elland Road whilst Man City beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison to stay 5 points clear of Derby;
Man City goals; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsLlMGc8710
 

Some great stuff there @Tim Bucktoo !! The legends of our time !
a bit like when Cloughie took over he had goal machine Kevin Hector already at the club, 
when Arthur took over he had another striking legend in place whose goals would drag us out of those dark days ! Oh bobby bobby !
 

Matchday 30 – Saturday 4th March 1972 & a return to League action with the visit of Wolves to the BBG
Wolves started the day just outside the top 6 on goal average & had beaten Derby 2-1 at Molineux in November. However, their away form was particularly ordinary & that pattern continued with Derby coming back from an early goal down to win 2-1, goals coming from Alan Hinton (penalty) & Roy McFarland;

 

 
Front page of The Ram decried the decision of the Football League not to allow that weekend’s League Cup Final between Stoke & Chelsea to be shown live on television;

 
Derby’s win kept them in 3rd place but still 5 points off the top. Man City beat Arsenal 2-0 at Maine Road whilst Leeds were involved in one of the most iconic games of the season, beating Southampton 7-0 with a display of humiliating keep ball at the end of the game just to rub it in;
Leeds highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvf8szf7u80
 

FA Cup 5th Round replay – Tuesday 29th February 1972 & the return match at Highbury
Just a quick note that 1972 was a leap year so today is the closest we can get to 50 years ago since this fixture. It will also break the symmetry of all Saturday matches in 71/72 being on a Saturday 50 years later – instead they will be on a Friday for rest of the season (starting this Friday for the Wolves home game)
This game was played against the backdrop of the recent Miners’ Strike which had depleted stocks of coal to such an extent that there were regular blackouts & power shortages throughout the country. The football authorities in response placed severe limitations on floodlit midweek matches meaning that this cup tie kicked off at 2.45pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Despite that, an astonishing 63,077 turned up – Arsenal’s biggest home gate of the season by over 10k & the biggest FA Cup crowd of the season outside the Final itself at Wembley.
Unfortunately, the enormous crowd caused real issues with congestion & there were a number of crushes as Highbury struggled to cope with that many present – footage in Alf’s post above this one
 
Onto the football, like 3 days earlier the sides remained deadlocked meaning a second replay would be needed (this time on a neutral ground – chosen to be Filbert Street, Leicester);

 

 
Programme from the game;

 
The draw for the 6th round had been made before the game & paired the winners of this tie with Orient, who were 5th from bottom in Division 2. With all due respect to Orient, this was a great opportunity for Derby or Arsenal to make the semi-finals & hence the second replay to be played at Filbert Street on March 13th took on even more importance. Full 6th round draw;

 
There were also 3 fixtures in the League this afternoon & the day after, with Man City beating West Brom 2-1 at Maine Road to extend their lead over Derby to 5 points;

FA Cup 5th Round – Saturday 26th February 1972 & the visit of reigning FA Cup Winners (and League Champions) Arsenal to the BBG
Arsenal stood one point behind the Rams in the Division 1 table & had beaten Derby 2-0 at Highbury two weeks earlier so this was about as tough a tie left in the competition. The visitors picked up where they’d left off a fortnight earlier & led twice in the game (both goals from Charlie George - again) before a late equaliser from Alan Durban took the tie to a replay – to be played 3 days later at Highbury.
Here’s a pic of the two teams having a brief exchange of views;

 

 

 
Pre-match column from Roy Mac talking all things Wembley…

 
Elsewhere, Division 2 strugglers Orient caused a shock by beating 1970 Cup Winners Chelsea to make the Quarter Finals. Full results from Round 5;

 
There were also 3 matches in the League with one very significant game played at Anfield – Liverpool dragged themselves back into the title picture with a 3-0 thumping of leaders Man City, meaning Derby remained 3 points off the top;

Matchday 29 – Saturday 19th February 1972 & East Midlands derby day as Forest were visitors to the BBG
Forest were struggling by this point in the season & started the day 4 points adrift at the bottom. The Rams had won at the City Ground in October & were clear favourites to do the double over our hapless neighbours. Derby duly did the necessary – dispatching Forest 4-0 with goals from O’Hare, Hector & a double from Alan Hinton.

 
Match report from the nationals amusingly suggested Derby fans were embarrassed by how poor Forest were on the day. Taken along with our FA Cup win over Notts County a fortnight earlier, February 1972 yielded a pleasing aggregate score of Derby 10 Nottingham 0;


 
The Ram reported on the ‘offer’ from Willie Morgan of Man Utd that he would wash Derby’s shirts for a whole month next season if Derby finished above Man Utd this season. Given they were clinging onto a top 6 spot by this point & hadn’t won since December, it looked a foolhardy boast & one that proved spectacularly misjudged…

 
Derby’s win kept them in 3rd place & on the tail of the top two. Leeds maintained 2nd spot by walloping Man Utd 5-1 at Elland Road (Willie Morgan present) whilst Man City edged Huddersfield out 1-0 at Maine Road to stay top & 3 points clear of Derby;
Leeds v Man Utd highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weBuwfr8iy8
Man City v Huddersfield highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYkMM6EgzVY

 
 

Welcome back SDSR we have missed you. Forget tonight’s game. The most important thing is that there is a derby county to support 

Matchday 28 – Saturday 12th February 1972 & back to league action with a visit to reigning League Champions Arsenal
The Gunners had been on an excellent run of form & started the day in 5th place, just 3 points behind Derby. Sadly that form was to extend further with a 2-0 home win – both goals coming courtesy of future Derby hero Charlie George & in so doing, handed Derby their first defeat of 1972. Snapshot of John O’Hare trying to muscle his way to goal below;


 

 
Programme of the day from North London;

 
Despite their defeat, Derby stayed in 3rd as Man Utd were beaten yet again but Arsenal climbed to within a point of the Rams with their win. Elsewhere, Leeds were held to a no score draw at Everton whilst Man City shared 6 goals away at Sheffield Utd (highlights in below link) to see their advantage over Derby extended to 3 points;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLs0cKm1ETE

FA Cup 4th Round – Saturday 5th February 1972 & the visit of near neighbours Notts County to the BBG
Notts started the day 2nd in Division 3 but the match captured the imagination of the Derby public, attracting a season high gate (to that point) of 39,450. The game also saw a welcome return to the BBG for Willie Carlin, a key component of Derby’s 1968/69 promotion winning side. Unfortunately for him, his day was rather spoilt from being on the receiving end of a 6-0 walloping – Derby goals coming courtesy of an Alan Durban hat-trick, John Robson, Kevin Hector & an Alan Hinton penalty. Match report below;

 

 
Pre match edition of the Ram featured a menacing looking Roy Mac & future Derby midfielder Don Masson either side of the FA Cup;

 
Elsewhere in Round 4, non-league Hereford’s brave run was finally ended by West Ham but only after a replay at Upton Park, having held the Division 1 side to a 0-0 draw at Edgar Street. They were however to be rewarded at the end of this season with election to the Football League (in place of Barrow). In the draw for Round 5, Derby were given a home tie again but this time against reigning FA Cup winners Arsenal – ties to be played end of February;

Matchday 27 – Saturday 29th January 1972 & the visit of Coventry to the BBG
Coventry started the day just outside the bottom 6 but had proven a tough opponent for Derby back in August – the Rams escaping from Highfield Road with a 2-2 draw after a late equaliser. Fortunately this match went the way of the form book with a 1-0 home win, John Robson with the second half winner. Match report below;

 

 
Front page of the Ram highlighted that Derby were 5 points better off this season than last & also ran an opinion piece criticising other managers & crowds for questioning referee decisions…

 
Derby’s win saw them move up into 3rd after Man Utd lost yet again, this time at 2nd bottom West Brom. Leeds’ reign as leaders lasted precisely one week after they lost at Spurs meaning Man City sat top for the first time this season after a 5-2 thrashing of 6th place Wolves;

He was one of our best young players, Mr. dependable.  Good luck to him, hate to see him go.

Straight into the starting line up for Orient tonight v Newport.
Jordan will bite Derby in the arse. He’s quicker and better in the air than Thompson and a better footballer than Cashin.

Jordan is a very good footballer. Probably a better CB than CM and another that IMO performed excellently in the Carabao Cup and has since been overlooked.
Unpopular opinion I’m sure but I think he’s a far better footballer than Cashin and has more potential to play at a level where technical ability is required.

Matchday 26 – Saturday 22nd January 1972 & back to League action with a visit to Upton Park
West Ham started the day firmly in midtable (12th) but were a much sterner prospect at the Boleyn & had demolished league leaders Man Utd 3-0 there a couple of weeks earlier. Whilst Derby had ended their poor away run at Southampton, it was still a tough test for the Rams
Match highlights from a cracking game below - keep your eye out for an amusing interlude involving a young Harry Redknapp, 2 teenage girls & two policemen ?
 
 

 
Programme of the day from East London;

 
Derby’s point in East London kept them in 4th place & 2 points behind the leaders but there was major change elsewhere. After a 0-1 home defeat by Chelsea, Man Utd finally surrended their 3 month stint at the top - George Best had been dropped 2 weeks earlier for going AWOL for a week from training (allegedly spent with 1971 Miss Great Britain) but even his return was not enough to stop a 6th game without a win. They were replaced at the top by Leeds (who beat Sheffield Utd 1-0) narrowly ahead on goal average from Man City, who won at Palace;

As much as boycotting it could send a message....don't
Sell the away end out, travel up even if you don't have a ticket, make your presence known before, during and after the game.
If, by some miracle, we have a club by that fixture, celebrate it and make sure Middlesbrough, the place and club, never forget the day Derby rocked up to town.

Seems the mighty Rams are well up to the test       again

Apparently not. 

Big miss in the dressing room also ,morale must be being tested now.

FA Cup 3rd Round - Saturday 15th January 1972 & the visit of Shrewsbury Town to the BBG
Shrewsbury started the day in 7th place in Division 3 & were obviously big underdogs but 33,463 still turned up to the BBG – a mark of the esteem in which the FA Cup was held in those days. Their best player was Alf Wood, a striker who incredibly finished with 40 goals this season although he didn’t bag any against the Rams. Despite the game being goalless after an hour, 2 late strikes from Kevin Hector saw Derby through to the next round
Match report below;

 

 
Pre-match edition of the Ram saw Brian Clough taking issue with some of the coverage Derby were getting from the national press;

 
Elsewhere in Round 3, one of the all-time classic FA Cup ties played out between Newcastle & Hereford Utd, then still a non-league club. After a 2-2 draw at St James Park, the teams went back to Hereford for one of the most memorable matches of the 1970s;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1i7XUmCGcg
 
The draw for Round 4 saw Derby drawn at home again, this time against near neighbours & Division 3 leaders Notts County. Ties to be played start of February;