11th May 1997.
The above date is one that will forever be embroidered into the history of Derby County.Today marks 20 years since the Rams played their last-ever league game at the Baseball Ground.
Over the course of this season, Derby supporters have been sending in their most iconic and unique memories of the club’s historic old home to our official matchday programme, The Ram, and today, dcfc.co.uk revisits them.
Below are the first seven memories of our three-part Baseball Ground remembered series…
ALLAN O'SHEA
It’s 1959 and the Rams were ambling along in the old Second Division with Harry Storer as manager. I had been attending games at the Baseball Ground since 1956 and the only thing that had changed was I now had to earn my own entrance money for the game. I had an auntie who lived on Shaftsbury Crescent opposite the Baseball Hotel and persuaded her to allow me to offer the passing people who had a bicycle to lock it safely away in her back garden at a tuppence a time. Don’t forget this was pre-decimal! With enough money made, I was able to make it just in time for the kick-off.One game that today still stands out in my mind was a 7-1 defeat by Middlesbrough who had a young man in their side at centre-forward who had the scoring knack; he was quick and very direct but effective. This was my introduction to Brian Clough. He didn’t score but turned provider for four of the seven Middlesbrough goals put in the back of our net. Alan Peacock, who became an England international later on, also dazzled scoring four that day.A poor defeat for the Rams, but this impressionable 12-year-old was hooked and is a season ticket holder still to this day.By the way in the away game against Middlesbrough that season Derby only lost 3-0 but guess who scored two of their goals? And no it wasn’t Alan Peacock…
STEVE PORTER
I was 12-years-old and my Dad persuaded my Mum to let me go to the rearranged midweek FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Sheffield Wednesday on 26th February 1986. It was a freezing cold night, with a rock-hard pitch, and Derby were in the old Third Division, whilst Wednesday were in the top flight. The game welcomed back Bobby Davison, who had been out injured for an extended period. I was sat in the Normanton Middle Tier and remember the massive cheers from 20,000 Derby supporters when Bobby’s name was read out from the team sheet on the PA system. Derby scored first in the 23rd minute after Bobby Davison ran onto a John Gregory through ball. Bobby carried it 20 yards, before coolly slotting it underneath Martin Hodge. I still remember watching the game back that night on Match of the Day and John Motson saying the words “It’s Bobby Davison for Derby………. it’s a goal!!”. Sheffield Wednesday equalised later in the first half through an unfortunate own goal by Trevor Christie, but it truly was a great night and one in which Derby, as underdogs, fought until the end. They drew 1-1 and lost the replay unfortunately, but Geraint Williams and Jeff Chandler came close in the second half to giving Derby victory. It was only the heroics of Martin Hodge in the Wednesday goal that kept Derby out. For me it was one of the most exciting times to be a Derby supporter.
LEIGH SLATER
Me and my mates, who had grown up together, were now a group of young men. We were 18, some of us 19, loving our football and Derby County, attending every home game and virtually every away game together. Come the end of the 1995/96 season, it all came down to this, a win needed over Crystal Palace and we'd done it, promotion was ours. Fail, and it was the dreaded play-offs, where we as a group of mates had already experienced heartache against Leicester City just two years earlier.The morning of game, we met up as usual, some convinced we were going win. Others, though, were not so confident. Six pints later and we were all buzzing and by the time we took our seats in the C stand a mixture or nerves, hope, and fear had set in. The atmosphere inside the Baseball Ground was electric as normal and as we were only five rows back in the C stand paddock, we were right in the thick of it. The game couldn't have started any better. My hero Dean Sturridge scored inside the opening two minutes and they whole ground went crazy. Celebrating like mad, we seemed only to have calmed down when Palace scored a brilliant equaliser- gutted! The game seemed to be flashing by too quickly. I became more and more nervous, but with around 25 minutes to go we won a corner, Simmo (Paul Simpson) swings in it and there is big Robin Van der Laan to nod home. In the madness that followed I found myself two rows forward, but the pain of the fall meant nothing! Time now slowed down dramatically! "How long left, how long left now?" We asked each other. The final whistle finally came and we all piled onto the pitch. The cheers could be heard in our Derby mad hometown of Ilkeston, tears of joy, hugging complete strangers and the best feeling ever… We were back in the big time. The Baseball Ground has gone now but it's memories live on me and my group of friends we will never forget. I tell my son/ stepson, both 13 and season ticket holders, that their time will come and it will.
ALEX FISHER
When Arthur Cox spent £1 million of Robert Maxwell's fortune to lure Dean Saunders away from Oxford United in 1988 there was a buzz around the club, not surprising given Saunders had scored 22 goals the season before at Oxford United.All the hype around Saunders' bow passed my seven-year-old self by somewhat if I'm honest, but I remember watching my new hero hit the ground running with a double in a 4-1 win over Wimbledon in October ‘88.His first was a close-range diving header – followed by a questionable dance – before he firmly sealed his place in my heart with a beautiful second.Cutting in off the left his swerving shot beat Hans Segers all ends up, the ball crashing off the crossbar and over the line – what a signing!The money proved more than worth it as Deano scored 15 goals to fire us to fifth in the League, and his debut still sticks with me – even though I was only seven at the time!And that game sealed my love of the Baseball Ground. The noise, the atmosphere, the pitch! I loved it all, and it still holds a very dear place in my heart - so much so I have a canvas of the stadium on my wall.Derby’s home ground now is a superb stadium and there have been many happy memories there, but the Baseball Ground was where I fell in love with Derby County and for that reason it will always mean so much more.
DAVID BEDLOW
What made The Baseball Ground so special? Well, in an era where all grounds were special and individual, and didn’t look like they came from the same flatpack Swedish store, The Baseball Ground was special because it was home. From my schooldays of walking from Sinfin to the ground, to my early adult days of drinking across the road in the Baseball Hotel, it held a special affiliation.The people were old school, real football fans, and the noise and singing was so different. You sung nearly all game not just when you scored. Each player had their own chant, which would reverberate when the teams came out before kick-off. Away teams would be mercilessly abused, yet the tradition of clapping their goalkeeper stood strong.Evening matches under the famous Baseball Ground floodlights were something else, and the dark streets and imposing terracing around the ground only added to the aura.My favourite game there was probably from my favourite era there, which was the Second Division Championship game against Plymouth Argyle, when after promotion was secured against Leeds United the week before, we secured the title with a 4-2 victory. Only three years previous we were on the verge of bankruptcy!Whether it was my early years in the Normanton End, my early adult years shunting between the Columbo End and Popside Pen (depending on which end we were kicking towards) to the latter years in the C Stand and Ossie Middle, this will always be a special place from a special era, never to be repeated but never to be forgotten.
DAVID FISHER
My unique memory of the Baseball Ground is the home debut of Kevin Hector in September 1966. I was 16-years-old at the start of the 1966/67 season but the Rams side I supported couldn't win a game. Then the club splashed out £38,000 on a new player, an astonishing sum for Derby in those days, four times the previous highest transfer fee paid. The player was a young striker called Kevin Hector, and for a few wonderful autumn weeks our world changed completely. We finally had a genuinely exciting player of our own.I was on the Popside for his home debut against Huddersfield Town, a decent side at the time. We had a fragile defence and were soon a goal down. For a while it looked like being business as usual. Then something magical happened. One of our defenders hoofed the ball up the field and a big Huddersfield defender routinely moved to collect it. But this time it was different. In a blur of black and white Hector darted forward, nipped the ball away from the defender and raced towards goal. As the goalkeeper came out, and without breaking stride, Hector nonchalantly flicked the ball past him and into the bottom of the net.For a second there was a stunned silence as the crowd registered what had just happened, then a roar of approval and thunderous applause. No-one who saw that goal was ever in any doubt that Kevin was the genuine article. A magical memory.
KEVIN WOOD
My best memory of the Baseball Ground came on 9th May 1984. Derby County were playing against Portsmouth, which doesn't sound like a big fixture, but for me it was. I had been chosen to be the mascot and had the chance to lead out my beloved Rams. I was only 10-years-old and had always supported Derby. You could call it fate given that I was named after my Dad's favourite player (Kevin Hector) from the day I was born.I was only told a few days before the game itself and was super excited. I cleaned my boots, practiced my shooting ready for the day and when the day came I was moved from my usual seat in the Ley Stand. On this special occasion, I entered through the players’ entrance. I was escorted to a little room at the side of the tunnel and was presented with my kit, the Patrick one! It was a bit too big, but I wasn't bothered. I got changed and the bell rang for the teams to leave the dressing rooms. I left my tiny room and there stood our captain at the time Steve Powell. He took my hand and we ran onto the muddy Baseball Ground turf, what was left of it anyway! John Robertson took me to the side of the penalty area and we did some passing then he took me into the area and I had the opportunity to have a couple of shots at Steve Cherry, although I didn’t manage to get the better of him. In a flash, it was over and we sat in the main stand and watched the match, which we won 2-0. It was great because not only had I actually been on the pitch and met my idols, all my family were there to see it too.
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