DERBY COUNTY |
The initial kit worn by Derby
County replicated the colours of the county cricket club, who founded
the club, not because they were interested in the game, but because they
saw it as a way of cashing in on the games popularity to boost their
finances. And so the early profiteers entered the game and made the 1884
side turn out in chocolate, amber and pale blue strip !! It didn’t
thwart the club’s development as they were founder members of the
Football League and went on to reach the FA Cup finals of 1898, 1899 and
1903—unsuccessfully on each occasion. The club had moved into the
Baseball Ground in 1895, having to evict gypsies who had been camping on
the site and since that date the club had believed there was a curse on
the ground put there by one of the former inhabitants.
The curse had not stopped Derby reaching 13 FA Cup semi-finals between 1895 and 1909 and becoming Division 2 champions in 1912 and 1915. They did suffer a record 0-6 defeat in the 1903 FA Cup final against Bury, when their keeper was injured, but many say that Shakers would have won by more had that not happened. The matter of the curse had lasted for such a long time, that when they reached the 1946 FA Cup final the captain of the side crossed a gypsies palm with silver to lift the curse. It worked as they beat Charlton to take the Cup back to Derby, despite the ball bursting during the game. That also happened in their next League match - also versus Charlton - five days later and in the next two games after that too. The cost of replacements almost equalled their FA Cup winning bonuses !! When Dai Astley (no relation to Rick) scored 29 goals in his first 30 games, the Rams fans wondered what was happening. Between the years of 1936 and 1939, he went on to score 49 in 98 League and Cup games. The Rams run to the 1946 FA Cup final saw the end of midweek afternoon matches in this country, because the semi-final replay at Maine Road attracted a crowd of 80,000 and the post-war Government were in fear of the massive loss of productivity because of people being away from work. Considering the other side was Birmingham, it is a mystery where all these fans came from. The club were embroiled in an illegal payments scandal in the war years, which involved crossing gypsies palms with silver to curse the opposition. It is a period in the club’s history that does them great shame at a time when many, many lost their lives fighting to protect the country from this sort of thing. The club went into hibernation until the early 70’s when a brash young manager took over at the club and took them to the League title in 1972. Manager Brian Clough led them to their best years, including European football and this was followed up by Dave Mackay, who had been captain in ‘72 and repeated the feat in 1975. As the club fell from it’s exalted position, media tycoon, Robert Maxwell moved in and in their Centenary season 1983-84, he almost took them into Division Four. Since his death and the subsequent move to the modern surroundings of Pride Park, the club have established themselves as Premier League material. Foreign imports have come and gone and the club does well to stay in the top league despite a limited budget for signing new players. Manager Jim Smith is an experienced campaigner who is trying to get Derby back where they belong. The new stadium has echoes of the old Baseball Ground. The old place was developed by a baseball mad foundry owner and had Catchers Corner and Homerun stand. But the craze was not long-lived and he had to move in a stand from the Racecourse ground (their previous home) to make enough room for supporters when the football team took over the stadium. The new ground boasts a number of Lion bar outlets and also the Simba stand, which is a reserved area for Junior Rams. Pride Park is also has a lavishly grassed pitch in complete contrast to the old Baseball Ground, which was quite often a mud heap and many a player had to be treated by the physio for trench foot. FAMOUS PLAYERS : - Colin Todd,
Jack Stamps, Jack Bowers, Kevin Hector, Manila Envelopes, Steve Bloomer,
Roy McFarland, Dave Mackay, Colin Boulton, Paolo Wanchope, Raich Carter |
Formed | 1884 |
Turned Professional | 1884 |
Became a Limited Company | 1896 |
Previous names | - |
Previous grounds | Racecourse
Ground - 1884-95 Baseball Ground - 1895-1997 |
Nickname | "The RAMS" |
Club Colours | HOME
: Shirts - White with Black trim Shorts - Black with White stripes Socks -White AWAY : Shirts
- Navy Blue |
Record Premier League Win | 4-0
v Wimbledon Home 4.3.2000 |
Record Premier League Defeat | 1-6
v Middlesbrough 5.3.1997 0-5 v Sunderland Home 18.9.1999 |
Record Football League Win | 9-0
v Wolverhampton Wanderers Div. 1 10.1.1891 |
Record Defeat | 2-11
v Everton FAC R1 1889-90 |
Record Cup Win | 12-0
Finn Harps UEFAC R1 15.9.1976 |
Record Fee Paid | £4.75 million to Hull City for Tom INCE (3rd July 2015) |
Record Fee Received | £2.9 million from Liverpool for Dean SAUNDERS (July 1991) |
Record Premier League Appearances | 137 - Jacob LAURSEN (1992-2000) |
Record Premier League goalscorer | 31 - Dean STURRIDGE (1996-2000) |
Record goalscorer in a Premier League season | 13 - Paolo WANCHOPE (1997-98) |
Record all-time goalscorer | 291 - Steve BLOOMER (1892-1906, 1910-14) |
Record goalscorer in a League season | 37
- Jack BOWERS (1930-31) 37 - Ray STRAW (1956-57) |
Most goals in a match | 6 - Steve BLOOMER v Sheffield Wednesday Division 1 2.1.1899 |
Most League Appearances | 486 Kevin HECTOR (1966-78 and 1980-82) |
Record Home Attendance (all-time) | 41,826
v Tottenham Hotspur Div. 1 20.9.1969 |
Record Premier League Attendance | 33,378 v Liverpool 18.3.2000 |
Record match receipts | £425,804 v Huddersfield Town FA Cup R5r 24.2.1999 |
Record total of goals in a Premier League season | 52 - 1997-98, 38 games |
Record Premier League points total | 55 - 1997-98, 38 games |
Record total of goals in a League season | 111
- 1956-57 Div 3 (North) |
Record League points total | 84
- 1985-86 84 - 1986-87 |
Most Capped player while at club | 28 - Roy McFarland (England) |
Address : Pride Park Stadium, Derby DE24 8XL
Telephone
: 01322 202202
01322 209999 (Box Office)
0891 121187 (News)
Fax : 01322 667540
Capacity
: 33,000
Away Allocation : 2,000-5,000
Pitch size : 110 yards x 74 yards
Official website : www.dcfc.co.uk
Unofficial websites : Derby
Evening Telegraph
Fanzines
Directions to ground
By car ...
Exit the M1 at Junction 25
Take A52 to Derby
Turn off at the Wyvern Shopping Centre and follow the signs to Pride Park
Stadium.
By train to Derby Midland (20 minute walk to the ground)
By bus, catch the shuttle bus to the stadium from Derby Bus Station (every 10 minutes)
Full results history of Derby County v Spurs
Transfers from Derby County to Tottenham
Transfers from Tottenham to Derby County
Spurs v Derby County Match Reports
Spurs v Derby County Reserves Match Reports
Spurs v Derby County Youth Match Reports