1971-72 season scrapbook

[angieram]

Here they are. I wasn't going to post, but there are photos all over Twitter.

L to R: McGovern, Powell, Davies, Todd, Gemmill, O'Hare, Macfarland, Dawes, Gibson.

[Kathcairns]

2 hours ago, Foreveram said:

And Curtis Davies 

Yea,was just mentioning the old team. Jake Buxton and Charlie Palmer, Eric Steel were also there.

[Guest]

THE TEXACO CUP 1971-72 SEASON

The next game up in two days time is the second leg tie of The Texaco Cup Final versus Airdrieoneans at the Baseball Ground. While the Texaco Cup games have been mentioned several times in posts as this thread has progressed, the actual games have not been covered as match day fixtures.

So, before we come to the final resolution of the competition, here is a round up of how the Rams fared in their earlier games.

Derby County had already won the first sponsored competition to be approved by the Football League when they lifted the Watney Cup in August 1970, sweeping aside Manchester United, the 1968 European champions in an overwhelmingly one-sided final by 4-1 at a packed Baseball Ground.

The Texaco Cup followed in its wake. Had the idea been put into practice 20 years earlier, a British Isles Cup would have had more significance. But with the advent of the three European competitions that prevailed in 1971 (the European Cup Winners Cup was last contested in 1998-99), it became a cup for the also-rans, even though there was a welcome influx of cash for the competing clubs.

Wolverhampton Wanderers had been the first winners the previous season and made approving noises about the success of the new venture. However, in later years, Newcastle United manager Joe Harvey was reportedly less enthusiastic. “The Texaco Cup is like flypaper,” he said. “Once you’ve got your hands on it, you can’t get rid of it.”

With the benefit of hindsight, given the almost perpetual emptiness of the St. James’ Park trophy cabinet ever since, Joe might have been more circumspect in his comment, if he could only have seen into the future.

There was still a certain novelty value when Derby entered the competition and their four home matches each drew gates in excess of 20,000. The club profited by about £40,000 from its participation and it provided useful experience of two-legged ties, which did not come amiss given the Rams’ forthcoming European campaigns.

The first round tie against Dundee United did not present any great problems. Derby cruised into a four goal lead inside an hour at the Baseball Ground and, although the Scots came back into the match with two goals, Derby restored their lead, running out comfortable 6-2 winners. Derby’s goals were shared between Durban, Hector, Walker, Hinton, O’Hare and Robson.

The second leg appeared little more than a formality, but remains notable for the longest flight undertaken by Derby County’s travelling supporters at the time. What should have been a comfortable hop took four hours as an aged Dakota lumbered north, apparently uphill and against the wind all the way. On hearing this news when arriving in Dundee, my three companions and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that we had taken the cheaper option of sharing petrol for the ten hours round drive from Derby and back.

The aeronautical adventure had not been good preparation for Terry Hennessey, who joined the flight after being summoned as a late replacement. At Tannadice Park, just across the road from Dundee’s ground, Dens Park, the Rams left out five of those who had played in the League Cup at Leeds two days earlier and included Peter Daniel, Tony Bailey, Barry Butlin and Jim Walker as well as Hennessey. Derby indeed, used 22 players in the Texaco Cup, only Hennessey, Colin Boulton and Alan Hinton playing in all eight matches.

The lead was soon increased in Dundee with goals from Hinton, who played the ball around sweetly in midfield, and Butlin. After that the Rams rather lost interest and Dundee United satisfied their supporters by winning the match 3-2, allowing the Rams to go through by 8-5 on aggregate.

The next Texaco match, at home to Stoke City, was memorable for an extraordinarily poised debut by Steve Powell, who was only a month past his 16th birthday. Powell’s father Tommy had played more than 400 matches for the club and the promise of his son had been apparent as he played for Derby Boys and captained the England Boys Team. The rise in status after only 14 Central League games for the reserve team hardly affected Steve and journalists who had been seeking information about him before the kick off were soon turning to each other with expressions of amazement.

So assured was Powell that at one stage he ran towards Hennessey who was about to take a throw-in, shouting, “Leave it, Terry son.” Terry son was not entirely amused at being so addressed, but he left it. Hennessey later had more serious problems when he was carried off with a twisted right knee midway through the second half and, in the last 20 minutes, Stoke reduced a 3-0 deficit to 3-2, making the return an altogether different proposition. The Rams goals came from O’Hare (2) and Hector, with Mahoney and Smith replying for the Potters. In the enthusiasm over Powell and the worry about Hennessey, Alan Lewis’ first appearance passed with little comment. Lewis, at left back, was a year older than Powell and played very competently. But, unlike Powell, he did not develop after winning England Youth caps and Dave Mackay readily agreed to sell him to Peter Taylor at Brighton in March 1975.

Derby played coolly in the second leg at the Victoria Ground. Frank Wignall, playing in midfield, increased the lead when, shooting as tackled by Micky Pejic, he looped the ball over Gordon Banks. Dennis Smith pulled back a goal four minutes from time but the Rams maintained their advantage for a 4-3 aggregate win. There did not seem much to stop the Rams winning the trophy, but they again left themselves with little margin for error when, on a treacherous and near frozen Baseball Ground surface, they could beat Newcastle United only 1-0 in the first leg of the semi-final, the goal coming from John O’Hare.

In front of a crowd of over 37,000 with 20 minutes left at St. James’ Park, Derby were struggling but Jim Walker, on as a substitute for Alan Hinton, bundled in Durban’s low centre to level the aggregate score and earn extra time after Malcolm McDonald and Stewart Barrowclough had scored for the home side, a minute either side of half time. After the 90 minutes, Newcastle had nothing left and goals from McGovern and Todd gave Derby a 3-2 win on the night and a 4-2 aggregate passage into the final. Such was Derby’s domination after the 90 minutes, when McGovern equalized on the night, the Geordie faithful began to head for the exit in droves. After Todd’s goal, we were left almost alone on the open end to celebrate the Rams victory.

Airdrieoneans coasted through the other semi-final beating Ballymena 7-3 on aggregate. Because of the security worries in Northern Ireland, both legs were played in Scotland with Ballymena’s home leg played at Stair Park, Stranraer.

There was a stormy reception when we visited Airdrie at the end of January. Again, I travelled by car while the team and other supporters flew from East Midlands to Glasgow Airport. The crowd at Broomfield Park bayed and jeered as if seeking a replay of the battle of Bannockburn and Airdrie’s tactics was likened by some older Derby supporters to a throwback to the days of the old Third Division North at its most rugged. Colin Boulton soon realised that if he held on to the ball, Drew Jarvie, Drew Busby or both would charge him. His answer was to kick high, long and very quickly: revenge could wait until the second leg.

Tony Parry, signed from Hartlepool a week before, made his debut in this match and, finding the style of the match familiar, grafted effectively. Archie Gemmill played brilliantly in this first leg. Although blatantly hacked down several times, he did not retaliate and made his point by constant involvement, high skill and boundless courage. Derby tried to draw the heat from the situation. They were organised, even the forwards had marking jobs, and they came away with what they wanted, a 0-0 draw.

[LeedsCityRam]

Texaco Cup Final – Wednesday 26th April 1972 & the return leg against Airdrie at the BBG

The first leg finished 0-0 up in Scotland in January & this second leg had been re-arranged from the original date of March 8th because of an unplayable pitch. Airdrie were towards the bottom of the then Scottish Division One (SPL in new money) but the Anglo-Scottish element meant this was likely to be a testy affair

 

Although not a major tournament, just over 25k turned up at the Baseball Ground that evening & Brian Clough ahead of the title showdown with Liverpool, picked 7 first team regulars in the starting XI. He was rewarded with a 2-1 win & the first silverware of 1971/72 for the Rams, courtesy of goals from Alan Hinton (pen) and Roger Davies. Match report below;

 

 

Original matchday final programme;

 

And here’s Alan Durban (captain for the night) receiving the Texaco Cup from Len Shipman, chairman of the Football League – pic courtesy of Andy Ellis via @Brailsford Ram;

 

 

Small footnote on this night – back in the League, Crystal Palace got a crucial 2-0 win at home to Stoke which meant Notts Forest & Huddersfield were relegated to Division Two. Forest had been beaten the night before by Wolves in front of 16,889 at the City Ground;

Edited April 26, 2022 by Duracell

[Crewton]

17 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Forest had been beaten the night before by Wolves in front of 16,889 at the City Ground;

Were Panthers at home that night? Shocking support for a team "fighting" relegation......

[Guest]

The second leg was postponed in March, to the intense irritation of some Scots who had toiled down from Airdrie. The game was called off in the afternoon because the Baseball Ground pitch was unfit, following two days of torrential rain A group of disgruntled Airdrie fans bought a packet of grass seeds and delivered them to the club office with instructions on how to plant them.

A crowd of just over 25,000 attended the rearranged game. It was a remarkable turn out by any standards although by then thoughts were already turning to the crucial First Division match against Liverpool the following Monday.

Exhausted and disappointed after the defeat the previous Saturday at Manchester City, Clough decided to make changes, which wasn’t altogether surprising considering that, arguably, the most important match in the club’s history was only five days away.

The game proved to be another heavily physical match. Colin Boulton escaped penalty from referee Jack Taylor, who was following the path of the ball from the ‘keeper’s kick, after dropping Drew Jarvie with a crisp right hook in the penalty area, but he was promptly fined £20 by Clough as the incident was caught by a TV camera. The goalkeeper felt that he’d had his money’s worth. I don't usually condone violence on a football field. However, on this occasion, I took a somewhat tolerant view of the incident, as I sat just above it from my seat in Normanton Upper. Jarvie had been niggling 'Bernie' from the off and when the opporunity arose with them alone in the penalty area Colin saw his opportunity and took it. He landed a beauty and Jarvie was left seeing stars. It worked because the Scot kept his distance for the rest of the game.

Hinton scored from a 40th minute penalty after Hector had been brought down by Airdrie ‘keeper Roddy Mackenzie and Roger Davies, making his first-team debut, headed in a fine cross from Butlin for the second.

Whiteford scored for Airdrie, but Derby were only once in any danger and then Hector was back to clear. Clough and Taylor had judiciously sprinkled the team with reserves throughout the competition. While they were happy enough when Alan Durban received the cup from Football League President Len Shipman, their thoughts were already concentrated on the final League match of the season. An infinitely bigger prize was facing them around the corner.

The Texaco campaign had been most enjoyable. Boulton, Hennessey and Hinton played in all eight games. Hector, McGovern, Robson and Todd turned out six times and O’Hare five. It also presented an opportunity to see how younger players and fringe members of the squad were progressing. Derby County not only won the competition but promising young players such as Roger Davies, Jeff Bourne, Barry Butlin, Alan Lewis and Tony Bailey had been given their chance to shine.

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Brailsford Ram

[Guest]

 

 

Thursday 27th April 1972

Clough & Taylor resign from Derby County

At this time, there was continuing uncertainty about the future of Clough and Taylor, rumoured to be leaving Derby to join Coventry City. The City chairman Derrick Robins wanted them to replace Noel Cantwell who was sacked in mid-March with the club fighting relegation. Details were not made public at the time, so we were left somewhat in the dark as to the truth of the matter. The light was only shone on the reality of the situation much later from what was revealed in several sources; the official board minutes of Derby County Football Club Limited and the autobiographies of Peter Taylor, Stuart Webb and Sam Longson.

Four days before the crucial upcoming game against Liverpool, following a period of increasing strain in their deteriorating relationship with Longson and his board, Clough and Taylor dropped a bombshell on the boardroom table.

There had been a month of media speculation that the duo intended to leave Derby County to take the reins at Coventry City. Clough had denied this in interviews with journalists, saying that he would not leave to go to any other club because of what the pair had achieved at Derby. He had described such a thought as madness.

The reality was very different. They had verbally accepted an offer from the Coventry chairman, Derrick Robins at the end of March. Robins wanted them to resign at Derby immediately but they persuaded him to wait for a couple of weeks while they smoothed their departure from the Rams. Really, despite Clough’s public denials of a pending exit from Derby, they wanted to complete the challenge for the League title before resigning. Robins had no concerns for the fortunes of Derby County, only the avoidance of the possible relegation of Coventry City.

On the morning of Thursday 27 April, Clough attended a board meeting at the Baseball Ground. There he informed the directors that he would be leaving the club after the final game against Liverpool on the coming Monday and Peter Taylor and Jimmy Gordon, who were also in attendance, would be leaving with him to take up the vacancy at Highfield Road. Clough teasingly cited, as reasons for leaving; Coventry’s offer to make them the highest paid management team in English football, along with the right to sack the club secretary if he saw fit. This right had been denied him at Derby when he wanted to rid the club of Stuart Webb, whom he viewed as obstructive to his progression of the club.

After a lengthy discussion in which several propositions were put forward, the Board agreed with regret to accept the resignations. It was agreed that the club’s solicitors should examine the contracts of service of the three employees in respect of a possible breach of contract.

The meeting ended but unknown to those present, the Coventry City assistant secretary, Bob Dennison, was on his way to Derby with a letter formally withdrawing the offer to Clough, Taylor and Gordon. Derrick Robins had become impatient at what he saw as ‘being given the run-around by the pair’, which he viewed as a lack of commitment to Coventry’s cause. Dennison informed Stuart Webb of the contents of the letter later that afternoon. The letter was delivered to Clough’s home.

So, Clough, Taylor and Gordon, at a crucial stage of their careers, had resigned from their positions, without a job to go to! What now?

That evening, Clough, Taylor and director Michael Keeling visited Longson at his home near Chapel-en-le-Frith. They indicated that despite all that had been said at the board meeting, they might after all stay at Derby if the board matched Coventry’s offer.

Longson told them he would not be blackmailed. Longson found Clough in a vile mood and, according to the chairman, the manager went into the kitchen to ask Mrs. Longson for a whisky, which he accidentally knocked over in his agitation. Clough allegedly said that if the board was not prepared to pay them more he would ‘wreck the club.’ However, after talking it through with Taylor, Longson said he would put it to the board to pay them substantial increases to stay.

That offer was put to Clough and Taylor the next day and, after some consideration, they accepted. But Longson had not known that Coventry had withdrawn their offer. Stuart Webb had not seen the matter as urgent and was unaware of the visit to Longson the night before. The chairman was furious when Webb updated him and upset that the pair had resorted to trickery to gain a pay rise, knowing that they no longer had a job to go to. He had been duped. If nothing else, Clough and Taylor had front.

The board, seeking to avoid further disruption within the club at such an important time, honoured the offer made.

However, the Storey-Moore affair had embarrassed Longson and now he had been tricked into giving Clough and Taylor a massive pay rise. Together with Clough’s constant courting of the media and controversy caused by his outspokenness, the once close relationship between Clough and Longson was now in tatters, which did not bode well for future harmony.

The club issued a statement the next day saying that Clough and Taylor had agreed to sign a new 5-year contract to stay with the club without explaining the reasons behind making the offer at this stage of the season.

This could only happen at Derby County, where even in the very best of times nothing is ever straightforward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PistoldPete]

On 27/04/2022 at 00:03, Brailsford Ram said:

 

 

Thursday 27th April 1972

Clough & Taylor resign from Derby County

At this time, there was continuing uncertainty about the future of Clough and Taylor, rumoured to be leaving Derby to join Coventry City. The City chairman Derrick Robins wanted them to replace Noel Cantwell who was sacked in mid-March with the club fighting relegation. Details were not made public at the time, so we were left somewhat in the dark as to the truth of the matter. The light was only shone on the reality of the situation much later from what was revealed in several sources; the official board minutes of Derby County Football Club Limited and the autobiographies of Peter Taylor, Stuart Webb and Sam Longson.

Four days before the crucial upcoming game against Liverpool, following a period of increasing strain in their deteriorating relationship with Longson and his board, Clough and Taylor dropped a bombshell on the boardroom table.

There had been a month of media speculation that the duo intended to leave Derby County to take the reins at Coventry City. Clough had denied this in interviews with journalists, saying that he would not leave to go to any other club because of what the pair had achieved at Derby. He had described such a thought as madness.

The reality was very different. They had verbally accepted an offer from the Coventry chairman, Derrick Robins at the end of March. Robins wanted them to resign at Derby immediately but they persuaded him to wait for a couple of weeks while they smoothed their departure from the Rams. Really, despite Clough’s public denials of a pending exit from Derby, they wanted to complete the challenge for the League title before resigning. Robins had no concerns for the fortunes of Derby County, only the avoidance of the possible relegation of Coventry City.

On the morning of Thursday 27 April, Clough attended a board meeting at the Baseball Ground. There he informed the directors that he would be leaving the club after the final game against Liverpool on the coming Monday and Peter Taylor and Jimmy Gordon, who were also in attendance, would be leaving with him to take up the vacancy at Highfield Road. Clough teasingly cited, as reasons for leaving; Coventry’s offer to make them the highest paid management team in English football, along with the right to sack the club secretary if he saw fit. This right had been denied him at Derby when he wanted to rid the club of Stuart Webb, whom he viewed as obstructive to his progression of the club.

After a lengthy discussion in which several propositions were put forward, the Board agreed with regret to accept the resignations. It was agreed that the club’s solicitors should examine the contracts of service of the three employees in respect of a possible breach of contract.

The meeting ended but unknown to those present, the Coventry City assistant secretary, Bob Dennison, was on his way to Derby with a letter formally withdrawing the offer to Clough, Taylor and Gordon. Derrick Robins had become impatient at what he saw as ‘being given the run-around by the pair’, which he viewed as a lack of commitment to Coventry’s cause. Dennison informed Stuart Webb of the contents of the letter later that afternoon. The letter was delivered to Clough’s home.

So, Clough, Taylor and Gordon, at a crucial stage of their careers, had resigned from their positions, without a job to go to! What now?

That evening, Clough, Taylor and director Michael Keeling visited Longson at his home near Chapel-en-le-Frith. They indicated that despite all that had been said at the board meeting, they might after all stay at Derby if the board matched Coventry’s offer.

Longson told them he would not be blackmailed. Longson found Clough in a vile mood and, according to the chairman, the manager went into the kitchen to ask Mrs. Longson for a whisky, which he accidentally knocked over in his agitation. Clough allegedly said that if the board was not prepared to pay them more he would ‘wreck the club.’ However, after talking it through with Taylor, Longson said he would put it to the board to pay them substantial increases to stay.

That offer was put to Clough and Taylor the next day and, after some consideration, they accepted. But Longson had not known that Coventry had withdrawn their offer. Stuart Webb had not seen the matter as urgent and was unaware of the visit to Longson the night before. The chairman was furious when Webb updated him and upset that the pair had resorted to trickery to gain a pay rise, knowing that they no longer had a job to go to. He had been duped. If nothing else, Clough and Taylor had front.

The board, seeking to avoid further disruption within the club at such an important time, honoured the offer made.

However, the Storey-Moore affair had embarrassed Longson and now he had been tricked into giving Clough and Taylor a massive pay rise. Together with Clough’s constant courting of the media and controversy caused by his outspokenness, the once close relationship between Clough and Longson was now in tatters, which did not bode well for future harmony.

The club issued a statement the next day saying that Clough and Taylor had agreed to sign a new 5-year contract to stay with the club without explaining the reasons behind making the offer at this stage of the season.

This could only happen at Derby County, where even in the very best of times nothing is ever straightforward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had no idea things went that far , or that the brinkmanship was just before our final game. What a difficult man cloughie was. But brilliant too.

[Crewton]

He was truly an enigma : capable of incredible acts of kindness and consideration, but also incredible acts of selfishness and vindictiveness at times. Impossible to categorise as a character. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, PistoldPete said:

I had no idea things went that far , or that the brinkmanship was just before our final game. What a difficult man cloughie was. But brilliant too.

 

Nor did I Pete. None of us did and that seems to include the players and the press, both local and national. The only people who knew about the resignations were Clough, Taylor, Gordon, Webb and Longson and his board of directors. Amazingly they all managed to keep it under wraps and it is only in recent years that the truth has slowly emerged.

The DET’s men on the ground at the time, George Edwards and Gerald Mortimer didn’t mention it in their memoirs and nor did any of the players in their various autobiographies and interviews over the years. Clough mentions nothing about it in his two autobiographies and there is no reference to it in the many other biographies written about him in the intervening years. It is not mentioned in any of the historical books about the club since 1972.

Without mentioning the resignations, in his autobiography Peter Taylor alludes to the fact that if Derrick Robins had not grown impatient, they would probably have left for Coventry at the end of the season.

We all knew of Coventry’s interest at the time but then came the news they had agreed to sign a contract extension and that was that. We were all happy.

Then in 2013 the Longson family posthumously released ‘Sam’s Story’ and that covered this resignation in full detail. In 2016, Stuart Webb released ‘Clough, Maxwell and Me’ in which he detailed at length his relationship with Clough and Taylor, which was very much at odds with the views that the pair, both long since passed had expressed about him many years before. So make of that want you want.

But then, in 2017, club historian Andy Ellis released ‘Brian Clough & Derby County,’ presented as ‘The inside story as told by the DCFC Board Meeting Minutes.’

The minutes were a contemporaneous official and accurate document, kept as required by statute law and they revealed explicitly the exact events of Thursday 27th April 1972. They corroborated fully the detailed events described by Sam Longson.

So there you have it: first revealed by Andy Ellis five years ago but now for the first time, put into public context through us following the events of 50 years ago in this thread. I think we can claim some sort of scoop!!!

So why did the club so successfully keep the resignations a secret? Because it was in no one’s interest to reveal the story. What effect would it have on the players before the vital game against Liverpool if they had found out? Thankfully we’ll never know.

But what I am sure of now, is that this event fanned the flames of the slow burning fire that finally got out of hand and caused the departure of Clough and Taylor just 18 months later.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Brailsford Ram

[IslandExile]

3 hours ago, PistoldPete said:

I had no idea things went that far , or that the brinkmanship was just before our final game.

 

40 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

Nor did I Pete.

Yeah, I was young at the time - 11 - but I do have vague memories of the rumoured link with Coventry. But I had no idea that it went as far as you have described.

Over the years, I have also had the impression Clough didn't get on well with Stuart Webb, so @Brailsford Ram would you mind clarifying what you meant when you said:

44 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

In 2016, Stuart Webb released ‘Clough, Maxwell and Me’ in which he detailed at length his relationship with Clough and Taylor, which was very much at odds with the views that the pair, both long since passed had expressed about him many years before.

 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, IslandExile said:

 

Yeah, I was young at the time - 11 - but I do have vague memories of the rumoured link with Coventry. But I had no idea that it went as far as you have described.

Over the years, I have also had the impression Clough didn't get on well with Stuart Webb, so @Brailsford Ram would you mind clarifying what you meant when you said:

 6 hours ago, Brailsford Ram said:

In 2016, Stuart Webb released ‘Clough, Maxwell and Me’ in which he detailed at length his relationship with Clough and Taylor, which was very much at odds with the views that the pair, both long since passed had expressed about him many years before.

Clough had interviewed Webb for the secretary’s job He was a young assistant-secretary at Preston and was recommended by Jimmy Gordon. Clough and Taylor knew how football clubs worked and neither of them trusted directors. He believed the secretary should be his ears and eyes in the boardroom and report back to him. But Webb saw himself as in charge of the administrative matters while Clough was there to run the football side. This created a barrier between them and from events around their eventual departure from the club, it was clear that Clough believed Webb had in fact become the eyes and ears of Longson and was reporting back on Clough and Taylor.

Clough had noticed that Webb would go to great lengths to keep directors happy. Clough tells such a story in his autobiography about when they were around a pool in Majorca. Jack Kirkland who had joined the board was there- the pair referred to him as the ‘Big noise from Belper’ and Clough’s actions had led to his brother, Bob Kirkland leaving the board. Jack had been making it known he was going to sort Clough out.

The pair heard Webb ask Kirkland “Do you swim Mr Kirkland?” to be told, “Yes I swim,” at which Webb, professing to be a poor swimmer challenged him to a race for a fiver. Clough continues:

“I acted as starter. One, two, three – and in they went. Kirkland, who had only one eye, still had his bloody glasses on. If the pool was 50 yards long Webby had swum 25 by the time one-eyed Jack had done 10. Suddenly, politics jumped in as well. Webby was that shrewd he started to back- peddle and Kirkland beat him on the touch. Taylor drew on his cigarette, nudged me and said: ‘Webby could have done two ducking lengths there and still done him. We’ve got to keep an eye on the secretary.’

“When Taylor called to Kirkland, ‘I’d no idea you could swim like that,’ I had to bury my face in a towel. Taylor was the best and the funniest at taking the piss with a one liner without them knowing it. Within seconds Webby had dived back into the pool to retrieve Kirkland’s specs off the bottom.

“Taylor always kept Webb at arm’s length. One day when I buzzed Stuart in his office, he said he’d be along in 10 minutes. Taylor grabbed the phone and told him, “You get down here. Now. When the gaffer asks you to come, you get your arse down here or I’ll come and drag you down. He was with us in the space of seconds.”

But Webb’s power gradually increased and when the split came 18 months later, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Longson and Kirkland.

Webb is well remembered for his part in saving the club from liquidation when he brokered a deal with Maxwell in the toilets of the High Court at the 11th hour. For that he deserves credit but not for the Clough & Taylor affair.

He left Derby to live in Spain after having to settle, a couple of days into the trial, a criminal slander claim brought by Peter Gadsby who claimed Webb had passed maliciously false business information about him to Lionel Pickering.

In his book, he writes pages about his self-perceived integrity in the events surrounding the Clough & Taylor departure, much of which I found unconvincing. His embarrassing loss to Gadsby is not mentioned at all.

When Clough came to the Baseball Ground in 1977 to inform the Derby directors that he would not be accepting their offer for him to return as manager, after reaching a verbal agreement the previous evening, the chairman, George Hardy, claimed that before he left he spoke to Clough alone and during that conversation Clough said "Give me Longson and Webby's head on a plate and we'll come" but Hardy said that was not within his power. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by Brailsford Ram

[IslandExile]

38 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

"Give me Longson and Webby's head on a plate and we'll come"

Thank you so very much @Brailsford Ram for all of that. Some of it I knew and had forgotten but, some of it, I didn't know at all. All of it is greatly appreciated.

That night when it seemed they would return was one of those stressful of my life and I was heartbroken in the morning.

Thanks again. Wonderfully informative. Cheers.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, IslandExile said:

Thank you so very much @Brailsford Ram for all of that. Some of it I knew and had forgotten but, some of it, I didn't know at all. All of it is greatly appreciated.

That night when it seemed they would return was one of those stressful of my life and I was heartbroken in the morning.

Thanks again. Wonderfully informative. Cheers.

This was the last news on Webby in his involvement with English football, reported in the Guardian newspaper on 13 April 2000:

Football boss wins damages

The vice-chairman of Derby County FC, Peter Gadsby yesterday accepted £150,000 damages and £200,000 legal costs under an agreement reached in his libel action against the former club director Stuart Webb. A high court jury was told by Mr Gadsby's counsel, George Carman QC, that Mr Webb had agreed to pay the money "to resolve this matter". The action related to a poison pen letter circulated to businessmen and people in public life.

Clough and Taylor didn't trust him and evidently nearly 30 years later, neither did Peter Gadsby. Does a leopard ever change its spots?

Make your own mind up but just remember that when he published his account of his relationship with Clough & Taylor, they had long since passed. They published their accounts while they were alive and Webby never responded at the time.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Brailsford Ram

[uttoxram75]

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

This was the last news on Webby in his involvement with English football, reported in the Guardian newspaper on 13 April 2000:

Football boss wins damages

The vice-chairman of Derby County FC, Peter Gadsby yesterday accepted £150,000 damages and £200,000 legal costs under an agreement reached in his libel action against the former club director Stuart Webb. A high court jury was told by Mr Gadsby's counsel, George Carman QC, that Mr Webb had agreed to pay the money "to resolve this matter". The action related to a poison pen letter circulated to businessmen and people in public life.

Clough and Taylor didn't trust him and evidently nearly 30 years later, neither did Peter Gadsby. Does a leopard ever change its spots?

Make your own mind up but just remember that when he published his account of his relationship with Clough & Taylor, they had long since passed. They published their accounts while they were alive and Webby never responded at the time.

Cheers Brailsford. 

Like @IslandExile says, its stuff we sort of know but its great to read a summary like that to bring it all back. Its a life time ago but bloody hell it soon comes flooding back when you read such a well written piece.

 

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, uttoxram75 said:

Cheers Brailsford. 

Like @IslandExile says, its stuff we sort of know but its great to read a summary like that to bring it all back. Its a life time ago but bloody hell it soon comes flooding back when you read such a well written piece.

 

In 50 years time on here Utcheterram75, when we're long gone, todays youngsters might be doing a Scrapbook on this season. They won't be able to look back at the peaks we saw the team climb, far from it  But what they will have in common with us is; they will talk about how united the fans were with the management and the team, how many great performances they witnessed this season and how Derby County fought to the End. 

And that comes from an Uncle Albert.

You've got to have been there to tell the tale. 

COYR

Edited April 28, 2022 by Brailsford Ram

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 42 – Monday 1st May 1972 and the title showdown with Liverpool at the BBG

After Derby’s defeat at Maine Road 9 days earlier, the equation was simple – anything less than a win & the title would be gone. That was easier said than done though against a Liverpool side in red hot form. On 8th January, Liverpool sat 9th in the table having been beaten at Leicester – since that day, their league record read Played 15 Won 13 Drawn 2 Scored 34 Conceded 3 – they also hadn’t conceded an away goal in that entire time.

The drama was increased still by the Leeds v Chelsea match being played the same night – with Leeds having a game in hand, Derby hoped Chelsea could do them a favour & stop Leeds picking up 2 points

Onto the action at a packed Baseball Ground, 39k there but thousands locked out. Action from Elland Road at the end of the clip;

 

One of the most evocative photos in Derby’s history - John McGovern’s second half winner giving The Rams a precious 2 points & keeping us in the title race;

 

 

 

Pre match edition of The Ram railed at the Derby Evening Telegraph for ‘rocking the boat’, especially the suggestion Clough & Taylor had been on the verge of joining Coventry – as per earlier posts this week, it came a lot closer than Derby fans probably realised at the time;

 

Derby’s win in their final match returned them to the top of the table but that was only really half the story. Leeds’ 2-0 win over Chelsea meant they only needed a point away at Wolves on May 8th to win the title. Liverpool still had a title chance but needed to beat Arsenal at Highbury on the same night & hope Leeds lost. Derby meanwhile headed off on their holidays knowing there was nothing else they could do but sit and wait for next week;

[Guest]

The date is May 1st, 1972 and it's a Monday. The summer of 1972 had finally arrived. The weather was warm and the evening was brighter than usual in Derby. Our mum’s and dads had been busy flocking to the record stores since the middle of April buying their copies of Amazing Grace by The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, which they kept at No. 1 in the UK singles charts for six weeks.

The Easter Monday defeat by Newcastle United, when the Rams lost Roy McFarland for a short spell while he had five stitches inserted in a head wound and Colin Boulton was nursing a fractured finger, was soon put behind Derby County and they reached their last game of the 1971-72 season still in the hunt for the League Championship. In front of them lay quite formidable opposition for Liverpool had gate crashed into the race for the title by taking 28 of the last 30 points available to them and they had not tasted defeat since going down 1-0 to Leicester City at Filbert Street on January 8. Not only that, but since that day they had not conceded a goal in any of their last six away games – more than 600 minutes of defensive solidarity since Ally Brown had scored the Foxes’ winner, not long before continuing his goal-packed career with West Brom. 

But this was Derby’s ‘Cup Final’ and they had only tasted defeat once this season at the Baseball Ground, which they had turned into their own fortress where they were confident of beating any team in the country on the day. The closeness of the vociferously hostile crowd to the pitch provided an intimidating environment, which was an extra advantage against any visiting team. 

The Liverpool manager, Billy Shankly, knew more than anyone the disadvantage for a visiting team that a partisan home crowd presented; he regarded the Kop at Anfield as Liverpool’s extra man and he swore that the supporters at that end of ground often willed the ball away from crossing the Liverpool goal line just by their very presence. 

He was also aware that the closeness of Derby’s crowd similarly helped the Rams’ players. He said “The Baseball Ground reminds me of the Leeds City Varieties Theatre – setting for ‘The Good Old Days’ on television.  You feel that you can lean across the main stand and shake hands with the people on the far side of the ground (The Popside).” 

Tactically, a manager could take steps to reduce the influence of a particular opposition player but he had nothing in his toolbox to temper the influence of an excitably hostile crowd. And tonight, the expectant Baseball Ground faithful was at its noisiest and excitable best. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.  

Dave Mackay had said, “I had played at all of the big stadiums in the world, but for atmosphere, there was nowhere like the Baseball Ground with a full baying crowd so close to the pitch, particularly at night. It was like playing in The Coliseum.” 

Of course, if Rams fans were at all realistic, they did not expect the title to come our way. Both Leeds and Liverpool had a game in hand over Derby and even if the Rams succeeded in their last game, against the Anfield club, it would still take an unlikely set of results to hand Derby the trophy. Nevertheless, on that warm May Day evening over 39,000 fans packed the Baseball Ground for an all-ticket sell-out match vital to both sides with some 3,000 ticketless Liverpool fans in the streets surrounding the ground, unable to get in. 

That afternoon, Brian Clough had visited the Derby Evening Telegraph offices in Northcliffe House to ensure that Steve Powell’s family would be attending tonight’s game. Clough didn’t want them to miss it. He and Peter Taylor had decided that 16-year-old Steve would play at right back in place of Ron Webster who was injured. Steve, with the permission of Dr. Chapman, the headmaster, had been excused from lessons that day at Bemrose School where he was soon to sit his GCE 'O' level examinations. He was with the Rams squad at the Midland Hotel but he was not to be told that he was playing until the players reached the sanctuary of the dressing room at the Baseball Ground. Let Tommy Powell take up the story: 

“I was at work at the Telegraph and it was a night match. Somebody came up and said, ‘You’re wanted down in the front office.’ ‘That was the old offices. It was Brian (Clough). He said ‘I’m playing the bairn tonight.’ I said ‘You’re joking, aren’t you?’ ‘No,’ he said ‘he’ll be all right. I’ve just left them and he’s gone to bed.’ That was it.” 

Both Tommy and Steve had been pupils at Bemrose School. Tommy had made his debut for Derby County, aged 16, during the War years and went on to play 406 games for the club in peacetime. Steve was to go on and play 409 games plus 11 as a substitute. Derby County was to be the only League club that both father and son played for. They both finished their careers as Rams legends. 

When it was announced that Steve Powell had been chosen to replace the injured Ron Webster at right back, there were gasps of astonishment from the crowd. Normally, the last game of a season might be considered a good time to blood a youngster, and of course, Powell had already tasted senior football that season and thoroughly impressed. But was it right in the pressure cooker atmosphere of this match and against a team such as Liverpool with Keegan, Toshack and company? It was asking a lot. 

"Why am I considering a 16-year-old for such a vital match?" countered Clough in response to those journalists who questioned his wisdom before the match, "because he’s good enough. That’s all you have to worry about. I wouldn’t care if he was 14, providing I thought he was ready. I shall have no qualms about putting him in. He’s a regular right back in the Reserves, and he’s been playing some superb stuff." 

Powell though did more than just not let Derby down. He provided a cool head, mature beyond his boyish years, and abundant skill. Gerald Mortimer wrote in his match report, "Powell was brilliant. Not brilliant for a 16-year-old: just brilliant. Other players gave him the ball with confidence and he did not let them down. Such is his skill that anyone can pick him out now as a future England player and he is so level headed that such predictions will not affect his development." 

The £8-a-week apprentice produced such an assured performance that Shankly, a man whose opinions merited the highest respect, was unstinting in his praise. The cheeky confidence Powell radiated peaked in the memorable moments when he flicked the ball over the head of Emlyn Hughes, then ran round the England player to collect it and coolly pass to a team-mate, with a nonchalance of which George Best would have been proud.  

Steve Heighway and the dangerous duo of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack were being well held by Derby’s defence. The maturity Powell showed in dealing with the threat of Heighway made him look as though he had been playing First Division football for 10 years. 

Clough had withdrawn McFarland (groin) and Todd (ankle) through injury from the England team beaten 3-1 by West Germany in a European Nations Cup first leg tie at Wembley two days earlier, in which Emlyn Hughes had played. In McFarland’s absence, Alf Ramsey replaced him with Norman Hunter to partner Bobby Moore. On the odd occasions that Ramsey had tried that combination before it had not been a success; against the Germans it was a disaster. 

But thankfully the Rams duo had ‘recovered’ for this vital club game and performed excellently.  

Ramsey was furious and couldn’t bring himself to utter Clough’s name when he said “The Derby manager sent a message that it was impossible for Roy McFarland and Colin Todd to play on the Saturday night against Germany; they had both failed try-outs. Yet on Monday they both played against Liverpool and, I was told, without either showing sign or semblance of injury. This man calls himself a patriot but he has never done anything to help England. All he does is criticise us in the newspapers and television.”  

Ramsey barely spoke to Clough again. In his retirement, McFarland revealed that both he and Todd were fit but Clough had told them after the defeat at Manchester City they would not be joining England.  

Club versus Country? On this occasion for all of us Derby fans, the club had to come first and Brian Clough’s priority was for our common good, given our small squad. Anyway, I’d already watched England winning the World Cup but the Rams had never been Champions of England! Thanks Brian. 

There was too much at stake for either team to settle into an early rhythm, as they fought stern battles in the middle of the field. Derby had a penalty appeal turned down when Liverpool skipper Tommy Smith came out to clear with a clumsy header on the edge of the penalty area. 

Todd’s immaculate covering whenever Liverpool threatened to break forward helped Derby to gain some measure of control. They looked more composed and were unlucky not to go ahead when Kevin Hector struck a fine shot on the turn. A long forward pass from Larry Lloyd caught Derby too square and the chasing Keegan fell in the area as Boulton went down at his feet to gather the ball. Smith’s vigorous demands for a penalty earned him a booking. In fact, Smith was so persistent the referee had to have further words with him and he was only quelled finally by the intervention of the Liverpool trainer, Joe Fagan. 

Welsh referee Clive (‘the book’) Thomas perhaps erred on the side of caution in keeping a tight hold on a potentially explosive game. It seemed that he was collecting autographs as, in addition to Smith, he booked Ray Clemence, Larry Lloyd and John O’Hare, with none of the offences being anything more vicious than a push in the back. Bookings were much less common back then than nowadays where referees chuck yellow cards around like confetti. With Thomas’ firm control, many promising moves were strangled at birth and it was pretty obvious that one goal would probably settle the match. 

That goal came in the 62nd minute with the Rams attacking the Normanton End. Kevin Hector took a throw-in on the right and Gemmill collected the ball and took it across the face of the Liverpool goal, looking for an opening. He turned back, found Durban on the 18-yard-line and the Welsh international dummied over the ball, allowing it to go to John McGovern who, while falling backwards, hit a rising shot, which beat Ray Clemence diving to his left. The moment was met by a deafening roar as the scintillating cauldron of tension among the home fans exploded, reminiscent of the famous 3-1 night against Chelsea, headlined in the Derby Evening Telegraph by George Edwards as 'Finest Night For Years As Rams Take Chelsea Apart' less than four years earlier. It was a tremendous goal and McGovern raced away towards ‘A’ stand with his ungainly, stiff-backed run, one arm in the air to celebrate. Had we just witnessed a defining moment in the history of Derby County Football Club, formed in 1884 and one of the 12 original members of the English Football League, founded in 1888? 

McGovern explained: “I somehow managed to score, falling backwards as I hit a right footer into the top corner. Lots of people have since asked me why I was falling when I hit the shot. Well, it was because as the ball ran across the edge of the Liverpool penalty area Alan Durban went to strike it. He then dummied his shot, allowing the ball to come to me. Alan Durban leaving a shooting opportunity to someone else was unheard of, so you could have literally knocked me down with a feather, which explains why I was off balance as the ball screamed into the net. Off balance or not, I knew my connection was fine. The eruption of noise from the crowd confirmed I had hit the target.” 

Given that back in March, the young midfielder had gifted Arsenal their all-important goal that saw Derby knocked out of the FA Cup, it was fitting that he should make amends with such a vital goal at this crucial stage of the season. 

It was a fine goal but there was still almost half an hour to play and Liverpool were hardly going to give up. Liverpool’s best chance fell to Toshack after Keegan had beaten off Todd before whipping over a centre to his Welsh partner, who failed to make the most of it. Their other chances fell to defenders. Firstly, Boulton was on his toes to save a long-range volley from Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes shot wide and then the ‘keeper, diving to his right, parried a powerful volley from Lawler. Substitute John McLaughlin, who replaced Lawler, had Boulton at full stretch with a testing shot, but that was as near as the Merseysiders came to snatching a point. 

It had been an outstanding Derby County performance. In defence, Todd and McFarland were magnificent in front of Boulton, who had this season proved to be a First Division goalkeeper of the highest class. 

In midfield, Alan Durban had a superb game, perhaps his best ever in a Derby shirt. Never the quickest man on the field, he had always possessed an astonishing ability to read a game and against Liverpool, always managing to find space, he was a key factor in the Rams’ success. He had helped lay on the goal with an inspired piece of unselfish quick thinking and in the first half, his flick on from a McFarland header had almost provided a goal for Hector whose shot, touched by Clemence, skimmed the crossbar. And in the closing minutes Durban was there to hammer the ball to safety after Boulton had stopped McLaughlin’s effort. 

Hector too was a constant thorn to Liverpool, with O'Hare twisting and turning under the massive Lloyd; and Gemmill, after an unhappy week, made his pace and courage count again. 

As a Derby supporter of over 60 years standing, the tension I experienced in the second half of this game was greater than on any evening or afternoon before or since as the team battled to hang on to the dream of clutching the ultimate prize. That prospect was unthinkable not so long before, until Clough and Taylor had arrived in the town to change our lives forever. 

The one man, outside of the enclave of the team, who had witnessed at close hand the cyclonic rise of the club cast under the duo’s command was George Edwards, by now doubling as the Derby Evening Telegraph’s sports editor while still overseeing reporting on the Rams alongside Gerald Mortimer. For one reason or another, the events of this night became too much for George as he recalled in his book ‘Right Place, Right Time’: 

“This match has been well chronicled, though not by me. I had been feeling rough for a couple of days and about half an hour into the game was overcome by nausea and had to ask Gerald Mortimer to report the game as I just had to get out of the ground. I wandered up and down outside for about twenty minutes or so before deciding to call it a day and as I trudged slowly back into town heard a colossal roar which told me Derby had scored. It was all a bit embarrassing and Peter Taylor told me next day he thought it was all down to nerves and there was nothing wrong with me at all. I protested vigorously, but I cannot say for certain that he was entirely wrong.” 

When the exit gates were opened ten minutes from time, no one wanted to leave early and Liverpool supporters, who were waiting outside, spilled into the ground, causing congestion on the packed terraces. There was an alarming moment when hundreds of fans spilled onto the pitch at the Osmaston End, but the situation was quickly restored.         

By now, the tension had become almost unbearable with the Rams supporters urging referee Thomas to blow the final whistle and a couple of minutes into added time he obliged. 

Despite this great victory, however, on the same night Leeds beat Chelsea and it still seemed either they or Liverpool would lift the title. It needed just one contrary result from the two games to for Derby to be overtaken. The Rams, now top of the table, went on holiday to Majorca – minus Brian Clough who went with his family to the Scilly Isles. There was now a seven-days wait until we found out if Leeds or Liverpool could overhaul the Rams at the top. If not, Derby County would become the Champions of England for the first time in their long history. 

Derby had 58 points – one ahead of Leeds as well as Manchester City, with Liverpool a further point away. A point for Leeds and two for Liverpool would see both teams pass the Rams on goal average. Leeds’ goal average was vastly superior to Liverpool’s. 

Just two games remained to complete the Division One season. Before that, on the coming Saturday, Leeds would face Arsenal at Wembley in the Centenary FA Cup Final. Then, just two days later on the evening of Monday, May 8, Wolves would play Leeds at Molineux while Arsenal played Liverpool at Highbury. The outcome of those games would determine the destiny of the First Division trophy.  

The bookmakers had Leeds as 7/2 favourites for the title, with Derby at 9/2 and Liverpool 8/1. 

Liverpool manager Billy Shankly complained, “We should have had a penalty when Keegan was brought down by the Derby goalkeeper in the first half. That was the vital decision of the match. It was not a good way to end such a fine run.” 

 Brian Clough said, “I am over the moon. I am delighted with tonight’s victory, the fact that we are top of the League and the season as a whole. But now we are going on holiday.” 

As his team sipped champagne in their dressing room, Clough paid tribute to Steve Powell, “There is not a word in the dictionary that can describe Powell’s performance. Remember he is just a 16-year-old but he did not put a foot wrong.” 

He didn’t believe that Derby would be Champions now. Peter Taylor firmly did as he told anyone who cared to listen throughout the next week. Taylor was notoriously a betting man. Would he take the odds offered for his team's chances? 

Following the match, the Derby players joined Clough and Taylor for a party at the Midland Hotel. The management duo had originally planned it as a farewell party as they left the club to join Coventry City. But now the pair’s future at Derby had been settled the event thankfully became an end-of-season celebration. 

Regardless of how the final table would turn out, this had been a great season for the Rams and the events of the final game against Liverpool would long remain in the memory of all of those Derby supporters who had witnessed it. 

No follower of the Rams should have questioned the judgement of Clough and Taylor on this day. But one had – the club chairman. In his autobiography ‘Sam’s Story’, released posthumously by his family in 2013, Sam Longson revealed that: 

“The Liverpool match was an evening fixture and the team were resting before the game at the Midland Hotel in Derby. Peter came in and told me that because of injuries, Brian and himself had to play 16-year-old Steve Powell at right back. 

“I told him I thought they were mad to think of throwing a lad of such tender years into the cauldron which was the First Division championship. I never learned to keep my mouth shut over the team selection and, as on other occasions, I should have done that night. Time and again they proved me wrong. That Monday night was no exception. 

“I must add though in my own defence, I never interfered in team selection, I just told them what I thought and that was the end of it. When on the odd occasion it turned out I was right, I never said a word about it.” 

This was from the man who in the following year when Clough and Taylor left Derby County, dismissive of the pair's contribution to the club's success, ridiculously said, “This team is so good that even I could manage it.” 

It is remarkable how often one man’s folly can so destructively alter the course of history. In 1973, Longson, egged on by the antagonistic Jack Kirkland, did it at Derby County, as did Mel Morris recently and today Vladimir Putin is doing it in Russia. I’ll think of them the next time I hear the song ‘Fool Such As I.’ 

[Guest]

Derby County Reserves - Central League Champions 1971-72

The Rams Reserves had clinched the Central League title, with two games still left to play, on the day the first team lost at Manchester City. They completed their fixtures at Elland Road on the night after the first team’s epic victory over Liverpool at the Baseball Ground.

The Central League title, which Derby had last won in the 1935-36 season, was by no means unexpected. During the previous season, John Sheridan had taken over as trainer-coach to the Reserves and Derby finished as runners-up, eight points behind the always-powerful Liverpool team. Enthusiasm for Central League matches increased. The standard of entertainment and the increased attendances was frequently in advance of anything the Third and `Fourth Divisions could provide.

The Reserves had an outstanding season. John Sheridan managed the team that not only won the Central League but also nurtured the development of some promising young players. A few of them were also involved in the Texaco Cup. By the seasons end a handful looked capable of eventual progression to the first team. Ultimately, the development of potential first team players in-house would help overcome the lack of depth in the first team squad experienced this season.

The Central League comprised the reserve sides of First and Second Division clubs from the north of England and parts of the Midlands and Derby’s season got away to an inauspicious start with a 1-0 defeat away to Manchester United. Old Trafford was closed as punishment for crowd trouble in a match against Newcastle United the previous February so the fixture was switched to Macclesfield. Derby dominated possession but a lack of punch in front of goal cost them dear. Midfielder Steve Powell and ‘keeper John Turner, both aged 16, made impressive debuts. 

Lack of firepower contributed to a 4-0 defeat at Coventry and a 2-0 loss at home to Stoke. Durban played in the Coventry match but Jim Walker was Derby’s best player on the day. A Barry Butlin goal was enough to beat Blackpool at the BBG and the following Saturday Jeff Bourne’s hat-trick saw off Preston at Deepdale. Butlin was on the mark in a 1-1 home draw with Blackburn. That day, Graham Moseley caught the eye in goal for Rovers and a few weeks later he was transferred to Derby. The following Saturday Ricky Marlow grabbed a brace in 3-3 home draw against Burnley.

Terry Hennessey was in the side for a 0-0 stalemate at Bolton and a few days later Roger Davies who had recently signed from Worcester City, scored a last minute winner against West Brom on his debut at the BBG. It was the perfect way for the tall striker to kick off his career with the Rams. A 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday was disappointing and four days later they were no match for a strong Everton side, losing 3-1 at Goodison Park.

The last two games apart September had been a very good month for Sheridan’s side, which by now was a balanced combination of youth and experience. They had shot up the Central League table and the following Saturday a crowd of over 8,000 was present at the BBG to see them take on Manchester United. Making his debut was 17 year-old Graham Moseley. Peter Taylor had spotted him at Blackburn and Rovers offered him a professional contract so that they would receive a transfer fee from the Rams. He signed it and joined Derby the next day. Although the young ‘keeper impressed against United it was Barry Butlin who made the news scoring both goals in a 2-0 win against a side that included Paddy Crerand, Ian Ure and Sammy McIlroy. By now Derby had a clutch of promising young players on their books.

A 1-0 win at Newcastle was followed by a particularly encouraging performance in the 3-1 home victory against Sheffield Wednesday and after overcoming Bury away the month of October ended with a hard fought 1-1 home draw against an experienced Forest side with Butlin on the mark again. A 2-0 win at Villa was Derby’s sixth game without defeat and they continued their march towards the top of the table the following Saturday by winning 2-0 at home to Wolves with goals from Davies and Bourne.

Two late goals by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in late November after Walker put Derby ahead was enough to inflict a rare defeat but with Roger Davies in outstanding form a 4-1 victory at home to Huddersfield Town took Derby up to third place.

With the halfway mark approaching they were mounting a strong challenge for honours. Everton were top after 19 matches with Bolton Wanderers second and the Rams third. By now Davies was looking increasingly lively and there had been some good performances from Peter Daniel, Steve Powell and Alan Lewis. Tony Bailey, who was a regular in the side, had been playing well too. Strikers Barry Butlin and Jeff Bourne were also catching the eye and left winger Jim Walker was showing why he was a more than adequate replacement if Alan Hinton was ever out of first team action.

A 3-3 draw at Maine Road at the beginning of December was followed by a thrilling fight-back against a star-studded Liverpool at the BBG. Bourne had given Derby the lead but two Liverpool goals, including one from Toshack, seemed to have secured victory only for Bourne to equalise in the 78th minute and with only six minutes remaining John Sims struck the winner.

After a fighting performance in a 2-1 win at Stoke a week before Christmas another large crowd of over 6,000 were at the Baseball Ground at the end of December to see Derby reserves take on a Leeds United side that included Eddie Gray, Terry Yorath and Joe Jordan. Colin Todd, who was recovering from injury, was in a strong line-up, which also included Alan Durban. Jeff Bourne scored from a penalty after Roger Davies had been felled to secure a 1-0 victory a day after Derby’s first team had been outplayed at Elland Road, losing 3-0.

By now Derby reserves had moved into second place behind Everton after 24 games. They had been turning in some extremely impressive performances, which prompted a delighted John Sheridan to say that he thought his side would hold its own in the Fourth Division.

An outstanding display in a 3-0 win at Burnley on New Year’s Day kept Derby second, five points behind Everton who were running out of steam although there was concern that Derby were beginning to be hampered by a string of postponements. A Roger Davies goal four minutes before the end at Blackpool looked as though it would be enough to guarantee a 15th win but a late equaliser from the home side meant they had to settle for a point. But with only Everton of the top six winning, Derby remained in second place, seven points adrift now, but with two games in hand.

Reserve team fixtures were still being disrupted by the weather although Derby came away from the City Ground on Saturday 19th February with a 5-3 victory over Forest on a day when none of their rivals won. It was a particularly rusty Derby defence that had conceded the three goals. A week later missed chances at home to Aston Villa with Butlin and Bourne the main culprits meant that Derby had to be content with a goalless draw but at least the defence had been much tighter.

Now they were just four points behind leaders Everton with two games in hand. Butlin and Bourne were leading scorers with 14 goals each and Roger Davies was showing why Clough had paid that record fee for a non-League player. He had notched up 10 already and his general play was improving all the time. Goalkeeper Moseley impressed too and Powell was showing great promise.

A goal from Bourne and another top class display from Moseley helped Derby to a 1-0 win away at Wolves in early March, which was followed by another victory on their travels, this time against an experienced West Brom side with Butlin grabbing the goal. Next came a crucial top-of-the-table game with Everton at the BBG, which Derby won 3-1 with goals from Bourne (penalty), Sims and Butlin. This was followed by a 5-1 trouncing of lowly Bury on the following Monday afternoon at the BBG.

March had been a splendid month. Although they had struggled to beat Newcastle 2-1 at home, Derby had moved to within a point of Everton and with three games in hand were looking odds-on for the title. A goalless draw against defence minded Sheffield United might have been disappointing but they were back on the winning trail on Monday 10th April with a 6-1 thumping of Bolton at home, in which Hennessey had a run-out.

By now the side was going from strength-to-strength. A 2-0 win at Huddersfield was a prelude to two convincing home wins, by beating Preston 5-0 and then Manchester City by 4-0.

Unbeaten in 20 games, confidence was sky high when Derby took on Coventry City for their final home match of the season at the end of April. The visitors went ahead early on through Green but with Derby looking the better side Butlin hooked in a deserved equaliser in the 20th minute.  A penalty from Bourne and anther goal from Butlin who picked upon a rebound when Davies hit the bar put Derby 3-1 ahead.. In the 62nd minute Davies volleyed home the fourth. Coventry hit back with two late goals from Green to complete his hat trick. But Derby held on to win 4-3 and this was enough to clinch the title in front of a crowd of 5,300.

Although Everton had completed their fixtures, Derby had two games left. Away to Liverpool, they picked up a point in a goalless draw and in their last game at Elland Road, an ’experimental’ side secured a 1-1 draw to finish three points clear of Everton. John Sheridan’s side had gone unbeaten for 23 games going all the way back to December and in doing so they had dropped only six points.

Goalkeeper Graham Moseley who won England youth honours had never been on the losing side since joining from Blackburn in September. Strikers Barry Butlin, Jeff Bourne and particularly Roger Davies had impressed too. Their combined total of 63 goals had seen Derby finish up as the highest scorers with 84 goals, two more than Everton, and they had the best defensive record too.

Jim Walker had shown that he was still an extremely useful squad player and although Peter Daniel hadn’t featured in the first team this season, he had shown enough in the reserves to convince the manager that he was worth persevering with. Tony Bailey had been superb all season and had deserved his first-team opportunity over Christmas. It was unfortunate that it had come at Elland Road when on the day the whole team had played below its best. But arguably the best prospect of all was 16 year-year-old Steve Powell. Injury permitting, the son of a Derby County legend seemed certain to have a fine future. 

The top five at the end of the season looked like this:

                                    P             W            D          L            F              A             Pts

Derby County            42          26        10        6         84         39         62        

Everton                       42         25         9         8         82         41         59

West Brom                  42         18         18        6         70         43         54

Liverpool                     42         21         10       11         70         42         52

Newcastle United      42         19         13        10         68        54         51

APPEARANCES: Daniel 40. Bailey 40, Bourne 40, Butlin 35, Mason 32(4), Walker 35, Stone 30(2), Lewis 31, Powell 30(1), Moseley 24, Davies 23, Turner 18, Parry 16, Sims14(2), Blair 11(3), Marlowe 8(3), Toon 7(1), Hennessey 6, Durban 4, Phelan 1(2), McFarland 1, Webster 1, Wignall 1, Todd 1, Thompson, Griffin 1, Sheridan 0(1).

SCORERS: Butlin 24, Bourne 23 (6 pens.), Davies 16, Walker 9, Sims 3, Marlowe 2, Daniel 2, Toon 1, Mason 1, Parry 1, own goals 2 (Mann – Man. City, Serella – Forest).

[uttoxram75]

11 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

Derby County Reserves - Central League Champions 1971-72

The Rams Reserves had clinched the Central League title, with two games still left to play, on the day the first team lost at Manchester City. They completed their fixtures at Elland Road on the night after the first team’s epic victory over Liverpool at the Baseball Ground.

The Central League title, which Derby had last won in the 1935-36 season, was by no means unexpected. During the previous season, John Sheridan had taken over as trainer-coach to the Reserves and Derby finished as runners-up, eight points behind the always-powerful Liverpool team. Enthusiasm for Central League matches increased. The standard of entertainment and the increased attendances was frequently in advance of anything the Third and `Fourth Divisions could provide.

The Reserves had an outstanding season. John Sheridan managed the team that not only won the Central League but also nurtured the development of some promising young players. A few of them were also involved in the Texaco Cup. By the seasons end a handful looked capable of eventual progression to the first team. Ultimately, the development of potential first team players in-house would help overcome the lack of depth in the first team squad experienced this season.

The Central League comprised the reserve sides of First and Second Division clubs from the north of England and parts of the Midlands and Derby’s season got away to an inauspicious start with a 1-0 defeat away to Manchester United. Old Trafford was closed as punishment for crowd trouble in a match against Newcastle United the previous February so the fixture was switched to Macclesfield. Derby dominated possession but a lack of punch in front of goal cost them dear. Midfielder Steve Powell and ‘keeper John Turner, both aged 16, made impressive debuts. 

Lack of firepower contributed to a 4-0 defeat at Coventry and a 2-0 loss at home to Stoke. Durban played in the Coventry match but Jim Walker was Derby’s best player on the day. A Barry Butlin goal was enough to beat Blackpool at the BBG and the following Saturday Jeff Bourne’s hat-trick saw off Preston at Deepdale. Butlin was on the mark in a 1-1 home draw with Blackburn. That day, Graham Moseley caught the eye in goal for Rovers and a few weeks later he was transferred to Derby. The following Saturday Ricky Marlow grabbed a brace in 3-3 home draw against Burnley.

Terry Hennessey was in the side for a 0-0 stalemate at Bolton and a few days later Roger Davies who had recently signed from Worcester City, scored a last minute winner against West Brom on his debut at the BBG. It was the perfect way for the tall striker to kick off his career with the Rams. A 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday was disappointing and four days later they were no match for a strong Everton side, losing 3-1 at Goodison Park.

The last two games apart September had been a very good month for Sheridan’s side, which by now was a balanced combination of youth and experience. They had shot up the Central League table and the following Saturday a crowd of over 8,000 was present at the BBG to see them take on Manchester United. Making his debut was 17 year-old Graham Moseley. Peter Taylor had spotted him at Blackburn and Rovers offered him a professional contract so that they would receive a transfer fee from the Rams. He signed it and joined Derby the next day. Although the young ‘keeper impressed against United it was Barry Butlin who made the news scoring both goals in a 2-0 win against a side that included Paddy Crerand, Ian Ure and Sammy McIlroy. By now Derby had a clutch of promising young players on their books.

A 1-0 win at Newcastle was followed by a particularly encouraging performance in the 3-1 home victory against Sheffield Wednesday and after overcoming Bury away the month of October ended with a hard fought 1-1 home draw against an experienced Forest side with Butlin on the mark again. A 2-0 win at Villa was Derby’s sixth game without defeat and they continued their march towards the top of the table the following Saturday by winning 2-0 at home to Wolves with goals from Davies and Bourne.

Two late goals by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in late November after Walker put Derby ahead was enough to inflict a rare defeat but with Roger Davies in outstanding form a 4-1 victory at home to Huddersfield Town took Derby up to third place.

With the halfway mark approaching they were mounting a strong challenge for honours. Everton were top after 19 matches with Bolton Wanderers second and the Rams third. By now Davies was looking increasingly lively and there had been some good performances from Peter Daniel, Steve Powell and Alan Lewis. Tony Bailey, who was a regular in the side, had been playing well too. Strikers Barry Butlin and Jeff Bourne were also catching the eye and left winger Jim Walker was showing why he was a more than adequate replacement if Alan Hinton was ever out of first team action.

A 3-3 draw at Maine Road at the beginning of December was followed by a thrilling fight-back against a star-studded Liverpool at the BBG. Bourne had given Derby the lead but two Liverpool goals, including one from Toshack, seemed to have secured victory only for Bourne to equalise in the 78th minute and with only six minutes remaining John Sims struck the winner.

After a fighting performance in a 2-1 win at Stoke a week before Christmas another large crowd of over 6,000 were at the Baseball Ground at the end of December to see Derby reserves take on a Leeds United side that included Eddie Gray, Terry Yorath and Joe Jordan. Colin Todd, who was recovering from injury, was in a strong line-up, which also included Alan Durban. Jeff Bourne scored from a penalty after Roger Davies had been felled to secure a 1-0 victory a day after Derby’s first team had been outplayed at Elland Road, losing 3-0.

By now Derby reserves had moved into second place behind Everton after 24 games. They had been turning in some extremely impressive performances, which prompted a delighted John Sheridan to say that he thought his side would hold its own in the Fourth Division.

An outstanding display in a 3-0 win at Burnley on New Year’s Day kept Derby second, five points behind Everton who were running out of steam although there was concern that Derby were beginning to be hampered by a string of postponements. A Roger Davies goal four minutes before the end at Blackpool looked as though it would be enough to guarantee a 15th win but a late equaliser from the home side meant they had to settle for a point. But with only Everton of the top six winning, Derby remained in second place, seven points adrift now, but with two games in hand.

Reserve team fixtures were still being disrupted by the weather although Derby came away from the City Ground on Saturday 19th February with a 5-3 victory over Forest on a day when none of their rivals won. It was a particularly rusty Derby defence that had conceded the three goals. A week later missed chances at home to Aston Villa with Butlin and Bourne the main culprits meant that Derby had to be content with a goalless draw but at least the defence had been much tighter.

Now they were just four points behind leaders Everton with two games in hand. Butlin and Bourne were leading scorers with 14 goals each and Roger Davies was showing why Clough had paid that record fee for a non-League player. He had notched up 10 already and his general play was improving all the time. Goalkeeper Moseley impressed too and Powell was showing great promise.

A goal from Bourne and another top class display from Moseley helped Derby to a 1-0 win away at Wolves in early March, which was followed by another victory on their travels, this time against an experienced West Brom side with Butlin grabbing the goal. Next came a crucial top-of-the-table game with Everton at the BBG, which Derby won 3-1 with goals from Bourne (penalty), Sims and Butlin. This was followed by a 5-1 trouncing of lowly Bury on the following Monday afternoon at the BBG.

March had been a splendid month. Although they had struggled to beat Newcastle 2-1 at home, Derby had moved to within a point of Everton and with three games in hand were looking odds-on for the title. A goalless draw against defence minded Sheffield United might have been disappointing but they were back on the winning trail on Monday 10th April with a 6-1 thumping of Bolton at home, in which Hennessey had a run-out.

By now the side was going from strength-to-strength. A 2-0 win at Huddersfield was a prelude to two convincing home wins, by beating Preston 5-0 and then Manchester City by 4-0.

Unbeaten in 20 games, confidence was sky high when Derby took on Coventry City for their final home match of the season at the end of April. The visitors went ahead early on through Green but with Derby looking the better side Butlin hooked in a deserved equaliser in the 20th minute.  A penalty from Bourne and anther goal from Butlin who picked upon a rebound when Davies hit the bar put Derby 3-1 ahead.. In the 62nd minute Davies volleyed home the fourth. Coventry hit back with two late goals from Green to complete his hat trick. But Derby held on to win 4-3 and this was enough to clinch the title in front of a crowd of 5,300.

Although Everton had completed their fixtures, Derby had two games left. Away to Liverpool, they picked up a point in a goalless draw and in their last game at Elland Road, an ’experimental’ side secured a 1-1 draw to finish three points clear of Everton. John Sheridan’s side had gone unbeaten for 23 games going all the way back to December and in doing so they had dropped only six points.

Goalkeeper Graham Moseley who won England youth honours had never been on the losing side since joining from Blackburn in September. Strikers Barry Butlin, Jeff Bourne and particularly Roger Davies had impressed too. Their combined total of 63 goals had seen Derby finish up as the highest scorers with 84 goals, two more than Everton, and they had the best defensive record too.

Jim Walker had shown that he was still an extremely useful squad player and although Peter Daniel hadn’t featured in the first team this season, he had shown enough in the reserves to convince the manager that he was worth persevering with. Tony Bailey had been superb all season and had deserved his first-team opportunity over Christmas. It was unfortunate that it had come at Elland Road when on the day the whole team had played below its best. But arguably the best prospect of all was 16 year-year-old Steve Powell. Injury permitting, the son of a Derby County legend seemed certain to have a fine future. 

The top five at the end of the season looked like this:

                                    P             W            D          L            F              A             Pts

Derby County            42          26        10        6         84         39         62        

Everton                       42         25         9         8         82         41         59

West Brom                  42         18         18        6         70         43         54

Liverpool                     42         21         10       11         70         42         52

Newcastle United      42         19         13        10         68        54         51

APPEARANCES: Daniel 40. Bailey 40, Bourne 40, Butlin 35, Mason 32(4), Walker 35, Stone 30(2), Lewis 31, Powell 30(1), Moseley 24, Davies 23, Turner 18, Parry 16, Sims14(2), Blair 11(3), Marlowe 8(3), Toon 7(1), Hennessey 6, Durban 4, Phelan 1(2), McFarland 1, Webster 1, Wignall 1, Todd 1, Thompson, Griffin 1, Sheridan 0(1).

SCORERS: Butlin 24, Bourne 23 (6 pens.), Davies 16, Walker 9, Sims 3, Marlowe 2, Daniel 2, Toon 1, Mason 1, Parry 1, own goals 2 (Mann – Man. City, Serella – Forest).

As kids, if we were too young to go to the away games we'd go to the reserves games and position ourselves around the Popside terracing to retrieve the ball for the players.

Great memories.