Wistaston Ram

How can you forget Tony Springett?

Almost most memorable Cup tie.
Rams v Man Utd 3rd round with Best, Charlton etc ,year around 1965 or 66 can't remember.l had queued out alnight to get a Boys end ticket all of 1 shilling and 6 pence.l gave it pride of place next to clock on mantlepiece come the day l was suffering a very heavy cold so had felt rough for a few days.Rolled out of bed and got ready for game and horror my ticket had gone ,Mam wheres my ticket for the match ? Mams reply l sold it as you are poorly and l didn't think you would be going !!!! 
It was the first time the Rams had appeared on MOTD in front of a 33000 ish crowd ,oh and we got beat.
 
 

Mentioned this game before, but where it all began for me. My first ever Derby game was a cup tie v Preston
January 1959. 2 - 2 on the snowy BBG.
The picture below is Jack Parry scoring and hangs in a corridor at Pride Park.

ATG
1Wildsmith 6.0
24Nyambe 6.0
17Sibley 6.0
35Nelson 7.0
5Bradley 5.5
6Cashin 6.0
3Forsyth 6.0
2Wilson 6.5
4Hourihane 7.0
12Smith 6.5
7Barkhuizen 6.0
20Ward 6.0
8Bird 7.0
11Méndez-Laing 7.0
14Washington 6.0
9Collins 6.0

Ooh!  Gate Mate!

 
😉

Today's view. Be nice to the chief steward on the gate, he is a mate of mine!

My two both came from the same cup run with my worst memory also from the same cup run. 96/97, last season at the BBG. Would have to look up who we beat in the 3rd round as can’t remember. 
 
4th round - Derby 3 Villa 1 - Saturday 3pm kick off, unbelievable game and atmosphere. Can vividly remember asanovic running through with ball almost stuck to his head before bringing it down and flicking it to another Derby player. Van der Laan Sturridge and Ronnie Willems scored. Villa finished 5th that season with likes of Yorke Bosnich Ehiogu Southgate and Milosevic (“missalotvic) 
5th round - Derby 3 Coventry 2 - Night game, 2-0 down early on due to two Russell Hoult clangers (one of them featured on Aunties sporting bloomers which was a show hosted by Terry Wogan back in the day- think hoult took out Christian Dailly and think Huckerby ran around them to score). Think Ashley ward and Ooh Ah (again) got us back to 2-2 and Sturridge scored in about the 87th minute or something. Pandemonium remember coming out of the popside everyone singing Que Sera Sera, genuinely thought it was going be our year. Then heartache…..
Derby 0 Boro 2 - They smashed 6-1 at riverside a few days earlier, we still look shellshocked and didn’t turn up. We had a crash on way to the ground that day as well not a good day. So deflating 
If we’d beat Boro we’d have had Chesterfield at Old Trafford in the Semi….let that sink in (for those like me who werent around for 1976 semi with United) 
As it was Boro got to Wembley and lost to Chelsea Di Matteo scoring for ages fastest FA Cup final goal in history. They also lost league cup to Leicester, and got relegated.
 

Of those I’ve attended 1-0 v Sheff Utd at Bramall Lane with massive away support was epic. The 3-3 v Wednesday was mayhem on the pop side when Kitson buried his header.
Memorably my first ever game at the BBG was in the FA cup in the away end with a Telford Utd college friend when Bobby D scored a hat-trick. At the end of the game we had it all on to persuade the mounted police to let us out rather than be herded to the Station! Having come up from rural Essex to college with a passing interest in football this experience made me a Derby fan!

I have fond memories of that game too. It was the first away game I went to on my own as a teenager. Got lost on the long walk from the railway station and ended up at Cambridge City's ground! Fortunately a car full of Derby fans made the same mistake and gave me a lift to the Abbey Stadium.

Some odd choices in this top five FA Cup  famous victories 
https://www.sportinglad.com/football/fa-cup/most-famous-fa-cup-victories/
What your top three be?  Mine  based on games I attended would be;
1) v Notts Forest 2.0 in 1983 - The best atmosphere I have been part of. My dad treated us to seats in the Ley Stand and we had a cracking view of Archie Gemmill's freekick. Could have made a fortune that day if we had picked up all the loose change coming from the forest fans below.
2) V Sheffield Utd 1.0 in 1986 - Crammed in the terrace with 10,000 other Derby fans, little old Derby from the third division defeated the blades from Division 2 with a Rob Hindmarch goal.
3) v WBA 2.1 (2015?) - Probably the last time I felt any sort of FA Cup magic, big away following and we came back from behind with goals from Bent and Ince.
The worse games;
1) 1984 v Plymouth 0.1 - so much expectation travelling down to Devon and somehow we escaped with a draw. The replay has to be one of the worst feelings as a fan with the club nearly going out of business (never thought that might happen again!).... 
 
 

Tickets for Port Vale on sale at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning to 5+ members.
646 tickets available with 6 more blocks still to open up.

Some odd choices in this top five FA Cup  famous victories 
https://www.sportinglad.com/football/fa-cup/most-famous-fa-cup-victories/
What your top three be?  Mine  based on games I attended would be;
1) v Notts Forest 2.0 in 1983 - The best atmosphere I have been part of. My dad treated us to seats in the Ley Stand and we had a cracking view of Archie Gemmill's freekick. Could have made a fortune that day if we had picked up all the loose change coming from the forest fans below.
2) V Sheffield Utd 1.0 in 1986 - Crammed in the terrace with 10,000 other Derby fans, little old Derby from the third division defeated the blades from Division 2 with a Rob Hindmarch goal.
3) v WBA 2.1 (2015?) - Probably the last time I felt any sort of FA Cup magic, big away following and we came back from behind with goals from Bent and Ince.
The worse games;
1) 1984 v Plymouth 0.1 - so much expectation travelling down to Devon and somehow we escaped with a draw. The replay has to be one of the worst feelings as a fan with the club nearly going out of business (never thought that might happen again!).... 
 
 

Some odd choices in this top five FA Cup  famous victories 
https://www.sportinglad.com/football/fa-cup/most-famous-fa-cup-victories/
What your top three be?  Mine  based on games I attended would be;
1) v Notts Forest 2.0 in 1983 - The best atmosphere I have been part of. My dad treated us to seats in the Ley Stand and we had a cracking view of Archie Gemmill's freekick. Could have made a fortune that day if we had picked up all the loose change coming from the forest fans below.
2) V Sheffield Utd 1.0 in 1986 - Crammed in the terrace with 10,000 other Derby fans, little old Derby from the third division defeated the blades from Division 2 with a Rob Hindmarch goal.
3) v WBA 2.1 (2015?) - Probably the last time I felt any sort of FA Cup magic, big away following and we came back from behind with goals from Bent and Ince.
The worse games;
1) 1984 v Plymouth 0.1 - so much expectation travelling down to Devon and somehow we escaped with a draw. The replay has to be one of the worst feelings as a fan with the club nearly going out of business (never thought that might happen again!).... 
 
 

We went to Camb city that day too! But in car with my dad muttering

I have fond memories of that game too. It was the first away game I went to on my own as a teenager. Got lost on the long walk from the railway station and ended up at Cambridge City's ground! Fortunately a car full of Derby fans made the same mistake and gave me a lift to the Abbey Stadium.

Jan 1979... postponed God knows how many times due to snow (Missed a few afternoons off school, due to "not feeling well")! 
Finally went ahead on Tuesday 16th Jan... and it remains the most miserable single-match experience of my life... the coldest I have ever, ever, ever been... the worst "seats" I have ever, ever sat on (Wooden benches with more splinters than actual wood!), and a God-Forsaken 3-0 away defeat to poxy 3rd div. PNE!
If my face had thawed out, I'm pretty sure I would have cried all the way home!  😢
 

It has to be 7 Jan 1984 Cambridge v Derby - my very first live Derby match.
We won and lovely cup run - thought was always like that!
But that was me hooked 

Yep.  The 2-0 win over Cloughie's mob is right up there, for reasons already touched upon by others.  A truly fantastic day, so very much against all odds!
That Plymouth/Steve Cherry fiasco was actually rather stunning... as in every single spectator (including me) left the ground utterly stunned!  😲  I seriously doubt anyone from either side expected such a result.  I bet the bookies made a killing!  😢
 
The killer for me was Hillsborough '76... and I wasn't even there! 
After making my debut as the previous season ended with a big shiny trophy being paraded around The BBG, this was my first full season as an actual regular match-goer.
I recall having tears in my eyes watching (on telly) that fantastic bank of blue balloons, and oh so wishing I could have been there to experience being a part of something so stunningly beautiful.
Obviously, the result itself brought further tears.
My only saving grace is that I wasn't actually there to suffer (Much like the QPR PO final!).
 
🐏
 

January 1971.  Derby 2 Wolves 1
Super atmosphere, the mud, that pitch and a last minute winner. Can still see John O'Hare cheesing the ball in !!
 

The early 90’s BBG ties against Villa and Sheff Wed, despite not being victorious,  are some the best atmospheres I’ve seen watching Derby.

1. v forest 1983 won 2-0 so unexpected because we were really poor at the time also lots of animosity due to Peter Taylor being in charge of Derby against Clough’s forest. I was 17 at the time Derby was absolutely buzzing that night (pre getting checked for ID in pubs)
2. v Newcastle 1976 won QF 4-2 we were brilliant I was convinced we were going to win the cup that year
3. v Liverpool 1976 won 1-0 I think Roger Davies came off the bench to score a late winner, it was absolutely rammed my dad managed to get a 10 year me stood on the concrete block round the floodlights so I could see
4. v Sheffield United away 1986 won 1-0 Hindmarch (RIP) goal, we had a massive away following 
5. v forest away 2009 won 3-2 came back from 2 down to win replay and to cap it all Kris Commons scored the winner in front of the rams fans 
 
worst FA Cup experience losing semi final to United in 1976

1972-73 - Tottenham Hotspur 3 Derby County 5 
Tottenham were 3-1 up, Derby brought it back to 3-3 and the game went into extra time and Derby scored twice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nHT2_8hj94
I was at this match and when Derby made it 3-4 the majority of Tottenham fans  left the ground.
 

1976 Quarter Final 4-2 versus Newcastle United
Four of the best goals you will ever see.
But yeah, I also loved the 2-0 versus them from down the road.

Sunday 5th November 
  Mornflake Stadium  ( Gresty Road ) 14:45 KO
Opponents    Crewe Alexandra - 5th in League 2
Played 16          W 8        D5      L3         GF 35    GA 25       PTS  29
Current Form 
A Harrogate   W  1-0
H Stockport County   L 0-2
A Crawley Town  W   4-2
H  Tranmere Rovers   W 2-0
H Wrexham   L 0-3   (  EFL Trophy )
A Salford City   A    L    2-4
Top Goalscorer - Chris Long - 7 Goals 
 
So after what I thought was our best performance of the season against Northampton Town we move on to the 1st round of the FA Cup and an away tie at league 2 Crewe Alexandra 
This is no doubt a potential banana skin as Crewe are currently 5th in L2 and also  the current top goalscorers in L2 with 35 Goals, on the flip side of that though they have also conceded 25 goals 
In 8 Home games Crewe have only lost once so could be a tricky opponent and I certainly think Derby cannot take this game for granted as Crewe would see us as big scalp
Saying that if we play like we've seen in patches we should have too much for them and will be interesting to see the line up with maybe Vickers getting a chance and maybe a few other changes.
For me though I'd like to see us go with the same team that played so well especially in the first half against the Cobblers meaning Sonny Bradley deservedly keeping his place meaning Cash will be on the bench 
Expecting a tough game here and our vociferous support will help us get over the line in this one I think and also  believe a strong start and scoring the first goal  will be crucial 
Crewe traditionally try and play football so I hope we also try to do the same and a cup run would be great for us both financially and from a supporters POV
I'm at work Sunday so can't go but wish for a  safe trip to all Rams fans travelling and hope we are in the hat for the second round draw
COYR 
 
 

Well that was absolutely dreadful, pathetic, embarrassing etc etc from us. The worst performance we have put in for a long time which is pretty much the thoughts of the entire fanbase.
We set the team up with players playing out of position, despite that the lack of clear plan or seemingly effort was staggering and something I am not used to under our manager. We usually try and press high, but today we didnt do that or sit back with any sort of organisation. We did nothing but allow your players unbelievable amounts of space to just waltz through and around our team time and time again. As for Tyreece Simpson the less said the better, if you are not going to try at least try and buy a foul or something, but alas to no avail. The whole squad and manager come away with zero credit from that shambles.
I do remember this is a Derby forum though, not a Northampton one! You can only play who is in front of you and you took us to pieces, it could and probably should have been 6 or 7. We didnt handle your pace well, you had players on the half turn which we were unable to intercept or get near. Also all the finishes were tidy finishes which I felt our no keeper had any chance. Realistically we looked like a poor L2 side there, let alone a L1 side.
Anyways, all the best for the rest of the season, see you back here for the reverse fixture. I hope you pick up some form and get up the table, hopefully we get some players back from injury and can scrape enough wins to survive.