1970–71 Derby County F.C. season

Derby County
1970–71 season
ChairmanSam Longson
ManagerBrian Clough
StadiumBaseball Ground
First Division9th
FA Cup5th round
League Cup4th round
Top goalscorerLeague:
O'Hare (13)

All:
O'Hare (15)

The 1970–71 season was Derby County's 71st in the Football League and their 2nd consecutive season in the First Division. Also, they competed in FA Cup, Football League Cup and Watney Cup.

Season summary

During summer, assistant Peter Taylor told Brian Clough about Scottish midfielder Archie Gemmill who had been considering signing for the reigning champions Everton. Clough saw him as a player who could pass well and had the type of energy that would drive an attack forward. Clough drove to Gemmill's house. When the player refused to sign for Derby (who had never won the league title), Clough told him that he was going to sleep outside in the car. "But my wife invited him in and he stayed the night," Gemmill said. Clough, eventually, got his man for £60,000 over fried eggs the following morning.In his fifth season as chairman, Sam Longson received a telegram by his fourth season manager Brian Clough informing him about the arrival of Central-back Colin Todd in February 1971 for a British record transfer fee for a defender of £175,000.[1] Todd rejoined with Clough after played for his youth squad at Sunderland in 1965.[2][3] When linked with the club, Brian Clough famously remarked "We're not signing Colin Todd, we can't afford him". He then signed him that same day. Also for this campaigned arrived Forward Jeff Bourne from Burton Albion.[4]

The team finished on a disappointing 9th spot in First Division. However, during August the team clinched the inaugural Watney Cup after defeating Fulham F.C., Sheffield United and, on the Final in front of 32,000 fans the squad won with a 4-1 score against Manchester United.[5]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK England ENG Colin Boulton
GK England ENG Les Green
DF England ENG Ron Webster
DF England ENG Tony Rhodes
DF England ENG Peter Daniel
DF England ENG Roy McFarland
DF Wales WAL Terry Hennessey
DF England ENG John Richardson
DF England ENG John Robson
DF England ENG Colin Todd
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Scotland SCO Dave Mackay (Captain)
MF England ENG Willie Carlin
MF Wales WAL Alan Durban
MF Scotland SCO John McGovern
MF England ENG Alan Hinton
FW England ENG Kevin Hector
FW Scotland SCO John O'Hare
FW England ENG Frank Wignall
FW England ENG Barry Butlin
FW England ENG Jeff Bourne

Transfers

In
Pos. Name from Type
MF Archie Gemmill Preston North End £60,000
FW Barry Butlin Notts County loan ended

Winter

In
Pos. Name from Type
DF Colin Todd Sunderland £175,000
FW Jeff Bourne Burton Albion
Out
Pos. Name To Type

Pre-season and friendlies

Watney Cup

1 August 1970 1 Fulham F.C. 3-5 (a.e.t.) Derby County Fulham
Steve Earle 6'
Vic Halom 11'
Vic Halom 13'
2' O'Hare
23'Hector
69'Durban
102'Hector
106'Durban
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 18,501
Referee: R Matthewson
5 August 1970 Semifinals Derby County 1-0 Sheffield United Derby
McGovern 30' Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 25,322
Referee: D Smith
8 August 1970 Final Derby County 4-1 Manchester United Derby
McFarland 19'
Hinton 23'
Durban 35'
Mackay 72'
32'Best Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 32,049
Referee: K Walker

Competitions

First Division

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Qualification or relegation
7 Southampton 42 17 12 13 56 44 1.273 46 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
8 Manchester United 42 16 11 15 65 66 0.985 43 Qualification for the Watney Cup[a]
9 Derby County 42 16 10 16 56 54 1.037 42
10 Coventry City 42 16 10 16 37 38 0.974 42
11 Manchester City 42 12 17 13 47 42 1.119 41
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion qualified for the Watney Cup as the two teams with the most goals that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.

Results by round

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundAAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAAHHAAHHAAH
ResultLWWWDLLLWLDDLLLDDWWLDLDLWWWWWLDLLLWLWDWWDW
Position188554-81311141313141820181914161516181615151513141314141413131312121210989
Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss;   = Leader, Qualification to 1971–72 European Cup;   = Qualification to 1971–72 UEFA Cup;   = Relegation to 1971–72 Second Division; c = Qualification for the Watney Cup

Matches

15 August 1970 1 Chelsea F.C. 2-1 Derby County Fulham
Hutchinson 74', 84' 25' O’Hare Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 46,969
19 August 1970 2 Wolverhampton 2-4 Derby County Wolverhampton
Curran 19'
Dougan 29'
15', 31' McGovern
21' Durban
23' O’Hare
Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 29,910
22 August 1970 3 Derby County 2-0 Stoke City Derby
Hinton 19' (pen.)
Wignall 47'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 35,461
26 August 1970 4 Derby County 2-0 Ipswich Town Derby
Harper 3' (o.g.)
Hector 23'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 30,869
29 August 1970 5 Huddersfield Town 0-0 Derby County Huddersfield
Stadium: Leeds Road
Attendance: 27,997
2 September 1970 6 Derby County 3-4 Coventry City Derby
Hinton 13'
McGovern 62'
Hector 8'
88' Carr
31' Clements
28' Martin
54' Martin
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 31,621
Referee: R Capey
5 September 1970 7 Derby County 1-2 Newcastle United Derby
O’Hare 40' 4' Dyson
14' Young
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 30,466
12 September 1970 8 Southampton F.C. 4-0 Derby County Southampton
Davies 34', 52'
Channon 56', 89'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 19,429
19 September 1970 9 Derby County 1-0 Burnley F.C. Derby
Hinton 5' Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 26,749
26 September 1970 10 West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Derby County West Bromwich
McVitie 22'
Brown 73'
46' O’Hare Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 31,437
3 October 1970 11 Derby County 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur Derby
Hinton 81' (pen.) 47' Peters Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 36,007
10 October 1970 12 Everton F.C. 1-1 Derby County Walton
Morrissey 23' 48' McGovern Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 46,214
17 October 1970 13 Derby County 1-2 Chelsea F.C. Derby
O’Hare 3' 26', 57' Weller Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 35,166
24 October 1970 14 Derby County 0-2 Leeds United Derby
53' Clarke
65' Lorimer
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 32,797
31 October 1970 15 Arsenal F.C. 2-0 Derby County Highbury
Kelly 35'
Radford 66'
Stadium: Highbury Stadium
Attendance: 43,023
7 November 1970 16 Derby County 0-0 Liverpool F.C. Derby
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 33,004
14 November 1970 17 Manchester City 1-1 Derby County Moss Side
Bell 77' 24' O’Hare Stadium: Maine Road
Attendance: 31,817
21 November 1970 18 Derby County 2-0 Blackpool F.C. Derby
Hector 39'
McFarland 59'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 28,237
28 November 1970 19 Nottingham Forest 2-4 Derby County West Bridgford
Chapman 8'
Storey-Moore 32'
26' Gemmill
55' O’Hare
59' Wignall 72' McGovern
Stadium: The City Ground
Attendance: 30,539
5 December 1970 20 Derby County 2-4 West Ham United Derby
Wignall 8'
Durban 26'
16' Greaves
19' Brooking
71' Best
88' Best
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 30,806
12 December 1970 21 Crystal Palace F.C. 0-0 Derby County Selhurst
Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 24,418
19 December 1970 22 Stoke City 1-0 Derby County Stoke-on-Trent
Burrows 60' Stadium: Victoria Ground
Attendance: 21,906
26 December 1970 23 Derby County 4-4 Manchester United Derby
MacKay 2'
Wignall 21'
Hector 67'
Gemill 70'
74' Kidd
55' Law
59' Law
57' Best
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 34,068
Note: Les Green made his final appearance before moving to Durban City in August 1971.
9 January 1971 24 Derby County 1-2 Wolverhampton Derby
Gemmill 78' (pen.) 2' Shaw
89' Gould
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 34,243
16 January 1971 25 Ipswich Town 0-1 Derby County Ipswich
56' O’Hare Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 20,231
6 February 1971 26 West Ham United 1-4 Derby County Upton Park
Eustace 48' 7' Hector
19' Hector
29' Hinton
67' Hinton
Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 26,606
17 February 1971 27 Derby County 1-0 Crystal Palace F.C. Derby
Mackay 76' Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 25,521
20 February 1971 28 Blackpool F.C. 0-1 Derby County Blackpool
24' O’Hare Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 17,892
27 February 1971 29 Derby County 2-0 Arsenal F.C. Derby
McFarland 31'
Hector 50'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 35,875
Note: Colin Todd made his debut after moving from Sunderland this month.
6 March 1971 30 Leeds United 1-0 Derby County Leeds
Lorimer 77' Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 36,467
13 March 1971 31 Derby County 0-0 Manchester City Derby
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 31,987
20 March 1971 32 Liverpool F.C. 2-0 Derby County Anfield
Mackay 42' (o.g.)
Lawler 88'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,990
27 March 1971 33 Newcastle United 3-1 Derby County Newcastle upon Tyne
Mackay 1' (o.g.)
Webster 21' (o.g.)
Foggon 55'
89' Hector Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 26,026
31 March 1971 34 Derby County 1-2 Nottingham Forest Derby
Hector 90' 20' Richardson
81' Storey-Moore
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 34,857
3 April 1971 35 Derby County 3-2 Huddersfield Town Derby
Hinton 14' (pen.), 67'
Hector 16'
Clarke 38'
Ellam 39'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 24,113
7 April 1971 36 Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Derby County Tottenham
Chivers
Pearce
Hinton Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 25,627
Note: John Richardson made his final appearance before moving to Notts County in July.
10 April 1971 37 Manchester United 1-2 Derby County Greater Manchester
Law 72' 37', 50' O’Hare Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 45,691
12 Apr 1971 38 Derby County 0-0 Southampton F.C. Derby
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 26,217
17 Apr 1971 39 Derby County 3-1 Everton F.C. Derby
Hector 29'
O’Hare 49', 51'
75' Whittle Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 28,793
24 Apr 1971 40 Burnley F.C. 1-2 Derby County Burnley
Casper 28' 52' Durban
79' McGovern
Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 10,349
27 Apr 1971 41 Coventry City 0-0 Derby County Coventry
Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 22,051
1 May 1971 42 Derby County 2-0 West Bromwich Albion Derby
Durban 27'
Hinton 60'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 33,651

FA Cup

2 January 1971 3rd round Chester F.C. 1-2 Derby County Chester
Keith Webber 84' 25' Wignall
64' Gemmill
Stadium: Sealand Road
Attendance: 15,882
23 January 1971 4th round Derby County 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby
Alan Hinton 27' (pen.)
John O'Hare 89'
80' John Richards Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 40,576
13 February 1971 5th round Everton F.C. 1-0 Derby County Liverpool
David Johnson 43' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 53,490

Football League Cup

8 September 1970 Second round Derby County 3-1 Halifax Town Derby
Alan Durban 19', 68'
Kevin Hector 45'
26' Phil McCarthy Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 20,029
Referee: P Partridge
7 October 1970 Third round Derby County 4-2 Millwall F.C. Derby
Dave Mackay
Alan Hinton (pen.)
John McGovern
John O'Hare
Derek Possee
Gordon Bolland
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 25,537
27 October 1970 Fourth round Coventry City 1-0 Derby County Coventry
Neil Martin 59' Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 26,557
Referee: C Thomas

Statistics

Players statistics

Substitute appearances indicated in brackets
No. Pos Nat Player Total First Division League Cup FA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England ENG Colin Boulton 22 0 19 0 3 0 0 0
DF England ENG Ron Webster 41 0 34+1 0 3 0 3 0
DF Scotland SCO Dave Mackay 47 3 42 2 3 0 2 1
DF England ENG Roy McFarland 41 2 35 2 3 0 3 0
DF England ENG John Robson 40 0 34+1 0 2 0 3 0
MF Scotland SCO John McGovern 39 7 32+2 6 3 0 2 1
MF Wales WAL Alan Durban 32 6 26+2 4 2 0 2 2
MF Scotland SCO Archie Gemmill 34 4 31 3 3 1
MF England ENG Alan Hinton 39 12 34 10 2 1 3 1
FW England ENG Kevin Hector 48 12 42 11 3 0 3 1
FW Scotland SCO John O'Hare 48 15 42 13 3 1 3 1
GK England ENG Les Green 26 0 23 0 0 0 3 0
DF England ENG Colin Todd 14 0 14 0
MF England ENG Willie Carlin 15 0 13 0 0 0 2 0
DF Wales WAL Terry Hennessey 14 0 12 0 1 0 1 0
FW England ENG Frank Wignall 20 5 10+7 4 1 1 2 0
DF England ENG John Richardson 8 0 8 0
DF England ENG Peter Daniel 6 1 4 1 1 0 0+1 0
DF England ENG Tony Rhodes 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 0
FW England ENG Jeff Bourne 2 0 2 0
FW England ENG Barry Butlin 1 0 1 0
DF England ENG Jim Walker 1 0 1 0

References

  1. ^ "Appearances by season and competition". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  2. ^ "Sunderland AFC 1966/67". Rokerpark.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  3. ^ Nannestad, Ian (13 November 2007). "PFA Centenary Auction – a tribute to the stars featured in this unique collection". Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  4. ^ "We are the Champions: 1974-75 – Derby County". gameofthepeople.com. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  5. ^ Steve Nicholson (18 November 2020). "'So perfect' The story behind Derby County's Watney Cup success". derbytelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2023.