IslandExile

It might not be the earliest connection, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the best.
My mum and granny both worked in the kitchens at the Midland hotel during and for a few years after the Second World War.
Stuart McMillan had Derby's players holed up there in the days preceding the 1946 FA Cup Final, under strict curfew. A few of the players were friends of the family and got the ladies to turn a blind eye while they sneaked out of the hotel the back way (through the kitchen), so that they could improve team morale by having a couple (purely for medicinal purposes) in the Brunny.
Naturally, if we had lost, there is no way I would be telling you this (likewise, there's no way I would ever have been told the story either), so the teambuilding exercise paid off handsomely and went down in family folklore.

Before the second world war, my Dad was big friends with Bertie Mee, who went on to manage Arsenal to the double in '71.
Anyhow, my Dad (actually a Forest fan) used to rib me that he used to do something I'd never done as a Rams fan - go to watch Derby reserves away. Mee never played for the first team for Derby, moving to Mansfield then guesting for Southampton during the war before injury ended his playing career.
Winter '68, instead of supporting whoever won the cup in any given year, I decided to settle on one club - and chose that from my birthplace....Derby. Good timing, eh?

Before the second world war, my Dad was big friends with Bertie Mee, who went on to manage Arsenal to the double in '71.
Anyhow, my Dad (actually a Forest fan) used to rib me that he used to do something I'd never done as a Rams fan - go to watch Derby reserves away. Mee never played for the first team for Derby, moving to Mansfield then guesting for Southampton during the war before injury ended his playing career.
Winter '68, instead of supporting whoever won the cup in any given year, I decided to settle on one club - and chose that from my birthplace....Derby. Good timing, eh?

I can only go back as far as the early Brian Clough years and my dad was never interested in football but now my son and grandson come to the games with me, so long after I’ve gone maybe he will be talking about grandad saw Derby when they were champions of England twice.

According to family history my Grandad played in a local cup final at the baseball ground in the 1920s, unfortunately he was gone before it became important enough for me to ask, neither my dad nor my uncle were alive when it happened and had no further details!! 

Before the second world war, my Dad was big friends with Bertie Mee, who went on to manage Arsenal to the double in '71.
Anyhow, my Dad (actually a Forest fan) used to rib me that he used to do something I'd never done as a Rams fan - go to watch Derby reserves away. Mee never played for the first team for Derby, moving to Mansfield then guesting for Southampton during the war before injury ended his playing career.
Winter '68, instead of supporting whoever won the cup in any given year, I decided to settle on one club - and chose that from my birthplace....Derby. Good timing, eh?

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Before the second world war, my Dad was big friends with Bertie Mee, who went on to manage Arsenal to the double in '71.
Anyhow, my Dad (actually a Forest fan) used to rib me that he used to do something I'd never done as a Rams fan - go to watch Derby reserves away. Mee never played for the first team for Derby, moving to Mansfield then guesting for Southampton during the war before injury ended his playing career.
Winter '68, instead of supporting whoever won the cup in any given year, I decided to settle on one club - and chose that from my birthplace....Derby. Good timing, eh?

There are many on this board, who like me are fascinated by the history of this great club, I was struck by Turk Thrust’s recent post saying that his grandfather followed the rams during the Victorian era, Also Brailsford Ram who recalls the 1971-72 champions in LeedsCity Ram's thread and warns that soon there will be few alive to tell the tale.
Born 25 miles from Derby, I started watching the rams in the late 70s. I have no older relatives who followed the club and unfortunately no interesting stories were handed down. My earliest link to the rams is the 1946 cup final when as a kid, I was delighted to discover that the elderly gentleman who ran our village youth club had seen our famous victory.  I remember constantly asking him about the day and if he had any souvenirs such as a programme (I was an avid collector at the time).
I’m sure there are many who can go back further, and even if you are less mature than me, you may remember stories passed down from a (great) grandparent. Be interesting to hear how far back we can go.

My grandfather told a story about being hit by a shot from Hughie Gallacher, which puts it 1934-1936. That's the earliest I've heard i person, but a great-grandfather was said to have gone to at least one of the cup finals around the turn of the century, so I can date my family supporting the Rams back 120 years. Not too shabby.

Grandfather was at the cup final. Mother still has his ticket framed on the wall. 

Lord Mayor's show London 1946. Dad not back yet from WW2. Mum (Derbyshire Lass living in London) lifts me up ànd tells me (Aged 6) "That is your team". I was born in Bolsover and will never forget the Cloughie era when I was a season ticket holder.

One of my Grandads, as a youth, saw Steve Bloomer play during his second spell at Derby. Later in the 1930s as a railway employee, he used his travel perks to attend away games when the likes of Bowers, Barker, Crooks and Hughie Gallagher were playing. I'm sure it was his endless stories of those days that got me hooked. 

Can't believe Rooney hasn't yet instructed Davies to volley the ball back to Roos who then executes a perfect scorpion kick to Jagielka who then performs a rabona to Shinnie and starts the attacking move off.
 
 

A draw!!!! What planet are you from???
Oh, but thanks for all the other stuff.

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Debt paid.
Brilliant. Well done everyone ?

Done. Great initiative. 
Just spotted that a Forest fan had praised the initiative and made a contribution. That’s nice to see. 

Rams fan Andy Mitchell is fundraising for St John's Ambulance to see if he/we can raise the £8,000 that Mel left them hanging for. Going well so far but if anyone can help here is the link:-
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stjohndcfc?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socpledgemobile&utm_content=stjohndcfc&utm_campaign=post-pledge-mobile&utm_term=K6Yx7jQn6

Why would he give up the chance to build a managerial career for a mere stop gap position?
Never mind that....
The great thing in Rooney's full post match interview was when he said he didn't want the focus on himself but on Liam Thompson who was excellent on his debut.

Yeah, the abuse of all our goalkeepers and Roos, in particular, is completely out of order.
He makes mistakes....all goalkeepers do. They always have and always will; it's the nature of the position that those mistakes will be magnified. There have been far bigger howlers than those mistakes by Roos.
Roos is a better than average Championship keeper - and I think he is the best of the options that we have available.
Up front is where our priorities should lie.