3/1 To Win
It’s arguably the club’s greatest ever victory. Wednesday 22nd October 1975. European Cup. Baseball Ground. Derby County vs. Real Madrid. An iconic game. To even use the two teams in the same sentence showed how much of a dominant force the Rams were in the early-to-mid 1970s. Not just in England, but in Europe, too.
Regardless of your age, anybody with an association with the football club knows what the scoreline was on that famous chilly midweek night. And we all know who the hero was, too. A Charlie George hat-trick and a 4-1 victory over the Spanish giants, who boasted a line up full of star-studded household names, placed Derby’s standing in world football amongst Europe’s elites, for a few weeks at least.
It was much more than a victory, though. For supporters, anyway. Memories were made and they were etched firmly into the minds of those old enough to remember. Dreams also came true that night. A new breed of Derby County fans were born, as well. And whilst the second leg may not have gone Derby’s way for one reason or another, not many clubs in the world can boast a convincing victory against Los Blancos.
But, how did the Rams find themselves there? And how did they master a victory over one of football’s greatest ever teams? dcfc.co.uk takes a closer look.
Saturday 4th May 1968. Derby County had just lost 3-1 at home to Blackpool in the Second Division, finishing their campaign in 18th position. It was a sorry state of affairs which pretty much summed up the decade for the Rams. Obscurity, mediocrity and a far cry from the side which won the FA Cup just over 20 years previous.
Brian Clough’s first season in charge had not ended well. A League Cup semi-final journey masked a poor league performance which saw the side finish five points above the relegation places in the Second Division. It wasn’t a position the club wanted, nor expected, to be in. But, there were green shoots of hope.
Smart recruitment, as well as a core of players who were capable of performing much better, saw Derby finally match their ambitions and reach the First Division in 1969. They finished as champions, too, losing only five games along the way. The addition of experienced defender Dave Mackay really kicked the team on. More on him later.
Anyway, with Derby back in the big time and with further players added, Clough formed a side capable of competing in the top-flight of English football, a division they had not competed in since the 1951/52 campaign. After a fourth-placed finish in the club’s opening season back in the First Division, they would end the 1970/71 campaign in ninth position. Whilst it was a backwards step, there were huge strides being made by the football club and the progression was evident to see.
So, when the Rams lifted the First Division title a year later, the club’s meteoric rise to the top had been completed. Second Division survivors to First Division champions, all in the space of four years. It was an incredible achievement. The challenge, however, was to maintain their form and make Derby County a force to be reckoned with.
A maiden European campaign ended in semi-final defeat against Juventus. There were high points, though. A famous victory against Benfica at the Baseball Ground gave Rams’ supporters a taste of what the big time felt like, and when Derby booked their place in the last four of the competition with a 2-0 victory over Spartak Trnava, overturning a one-goal aggregate deficit, the scenes were something never witnessed before.
The club’s inaugural European journey would end in Turin following defeat against Juventus, and in October 1973, Clough’s Rams’ adventure would also end as his resignation was accepted by Derby County chairman Sam Longson and he was replaced by Mackay. It was an accrimonous departure, but Mackay’s entrance would prove to be an inspired appointment, albeit not immediately.
Whilst it took some time for the players and supporters to get over the disappointment of Clough and Peter Taylor’s departure, Mackay settled into life well. He had a head start, however. Not only did he know the vast majority of players, but he also moulded the side and added further quality, too. Francis Lee, a renowned goalscorer for Manchester City, joined the ranks, whilst Bruce Rioch arrived from Aston Villa. Between them, they would both reach double figures as Derby County again lifted the First Division title in 1974/75.
Rioch reached the prestigious 20-goal mark in all competitions, whilst Lee netted 16 times of his own. Only Kevin Hector scored more that season with 21. Mackay’s side relied on attacking intent, suffocating their opponents into mistakes and entertaining the crowd. They certainly did that. The title-winning exploits set up another opportunity of tackling Europe, this time with the defiant Scotsman at the helm. He added to his firepower for the following season, too, as George arrived from Arsenal.
And after lifting the Charity Shield and making a steady start to their title defence, Derby County embarked on another European journey. Slovan Bratislava were the challengers in the First Round. The competition didn’t get off to the best of starts, however. A 1-0 defeat in Czechoslovakia meant the Rams needed to come out fighting in the second leg to ensure their passage through to the next stage of the competition. It was a nervy night under the Baseball Ground lights.
But the attacking flair on an early-October evening was evident from the first minute as George saw an early 25-yard effort saved by the Bratislava goalkeeper. Archie Gemmill tested his palms, whilst George was denied by a goal line clearance as the Rams took the game to their visitors. And, as the game approached half time with the scores level, Derby finally made the all-important breakthrough as substitute Jeff Bourne, who had replaced Henry Newton in the first half, steered a shot into the back of the net, hitting the post on the way in. Equaliser.
That was one hurdle out of the way, but the Rams knew they needed another goal to avoid extra time or the dreaded penalty shoot-out. Rioch shot narrowly over early in the second half, whilst David Nish’s deflected effort struck the post and rebounded out. It didn’t look to be going Derby’s way, but with Mackay operating a gung-ho approach in search of the second goal of the game, they were finally rewarded on 78 minutes as Lee fired home from outside the box.
It was a sublime finish, and one which supporters had come to expect of Lee, and when Gemmill was fouled inside the Bratislava penalty area moments later, Derby’s passage to the next round looked to be a formality. Lee stepped up but saw his spot kick saved. No matter, the forward would finally grab his second of the game soon after as he reacted quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area with less than ten minutes remaining to set up a Second Round tie against Spanish giants Real Madrid.
There was much hype and anticipation around the game, as you would expect. Tickets sold like hot cakes. It was the talk of local, national and international media, whilst Mackay was keen to play down the occasion. But, everyone wanted a piece of the action. After all, it is not every day Real Madrid rock up in town.
There was an interesting mood amongst supporters. Some felt Derby were favourites going into the first leg at the Baseball Ground, others had written the Rams off completely. But, there was a steely determination in the dressing room. One sown into them firstly by Clough but reinforced further by Mackay.
Derby’s preparations couldn’t have gone much better, either. Wins against Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton sandwiched between a draw against Norwich City, meant Derby County picked up seven points from a possible nine prior to the game against Miljan Miljanic’s Madrid side.
That brings us to Wednesday 22nd October. Derby had stopped over at the Midland hotel the night before the game before training at their Raynesway base in the morning. It was a normal day. The players were in good spirits, relaxed and focussed ahead of one of their biggest games in their careers, whilst supporters patiently waited all-day for kick off. Some booked the day off work, whilst Derby became a city full of full of clock-watchers as anticipation ahead of the tie grew.
When Real Madrid arrived at the Baseball Ground on the night of the game, they were met by a barrage of intimidating Derby supporters designed to frighten their opponents and create a hostile atmosphere. Whether it worked or not, who knows, but Madrid certainly knew they were in for a game as soon as they stepped off the bus near the player’s entrance.
And just as they headed pitch-side to inspect their surroundings for the evening, they were met by a typical Derby welcome which Lee recalled in a previous edition of The Rampage. “I remember the night when we played Madrid,” the former Manchester City forward recalled. “The old Lees foundry, I don’t know if this was done especially, but they decided to release all of their ash and smoke into the air just before kick-off.
“Madrid were having a walk around and tip toeing through the mud and all this smoke came pillowing down on them and they must have thought ‘where are we here’, coming from the Bernabeu down to this, but it was a top night.”
A top night it was. Cold, too. The Great British weather had not been kind to the Spanish giants. There was a chill in the air as the teams emerged from the tunnel with kick off fast approached. The players were met by a roar only ever witnessed on European nights as supporters did their best to unsettle their visitors.
And, it worked, as the Rams, dressed in their famous black and white, took an early ninth minute lead. It was a cracker, too, as described by television commentator Barry Davies. Colin Todd’s cross-field pass found David Nish with space to run in to. He looked left and found an unmarked Gemmill who took one touch and crossed low for George. The striker raced on to the ball and caught it sweetly to fire into the bottom corner to send the Baseball Ground into a state of ecstasy.
It would be a goal replayed over and over again. A fine strike, but George, who spoke to RamsTV Meets in 2018, was very modest about the strike. “Archie clipped it along the edge of the box and I just put my foot to it,” he remembered. “It’s all about timing. I could strike a ball, but it just flew in the corner because everything was just sweet. Everyone said it was a great goal. Yes, it was a good goal, but I didn’t think it was a great goal myself.”
Five minutes later, Derby were in dreamland as they were awarded a spot kick. Lee was upended in the penalty box by Jose Antonio Camacho and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. There were no protestations from the Madrid players. George stepped up and whipped the ball high to the goalkeeper’s right-hand side to score his and Derby’s second goal of the already-pulsating encounter.
Miljanic’s men needed to wake up. The Rams’ bullish approach had caught the Spanish champions by surprise as they raced into a two-goal lead, but once the game had settled down, Madrid looked to exploit Mackay’s side. Juan Sol and captain Amancio Amaro started to have an influence on the game and when his back post cross found Perri unmarked and in acres of space, there was only going to be one outcome.
The midfielder had managed to ghost beyond a sleeping Rod Thomas and he found the bottom corner to reduce the arrears on the night and give Madrid a much-needed, and what turned out to be a pivotal, away goal. It was a setback, but Derby refocused well. They didn’t let the goal deter them and they stuck to the game plan.
But, with the game fast approaching half time, Derby managed to restore their two-goal advantage. And it was deserved, too. They had continued to attack following Madrid’s goal and were rewarded for their hard work and endeavour, even though the goal may have been fortuitous. Roy McFarland did well to bring the ball out of defence and advance into Madrid territory. He played the ball to Nish who ventured inside and with little options, he unleashed a 25-yard effort. It looked tame. And with goalkeeper Miguel Angel Gonzalez favourite to get to the ball, he somehow dived over the top of it and it nestled into the back of the net.
It caught everybody by surprise. Not many expected it to go in, but it didn’t matter as Derby were 3-1 ahead going into the half time break. A chance to rest and recuperate ahead of another gruelling 45 minutes of action ahead. The game plan had worked so far, but the challenge was to maintain that level of intensity in the second half. With words from their manager ringing in their ears, Madrid looked for a way back into the game after the break.
And, even those with rose-tinted black and white spectacles maybe could concede that the visitors should have scored their second goal of the evening in the second half. A lovely counter-attacking move saw the ball played through to Perri who converted past the onrushing Colin Boulton, however, the linesman’s flag was up for offside.
Anybody watching that night, or on the replays afterwards, may try to persuade you it was offside, but don’t listen to them. It wasn’t. It was at least two yards onside. McFarland thought so too: “Without a doubt, the score should have been 4-2, maybe not 4-1, because he wasn’t offside when the ball was crossed but ‘thank you’ to the linesman because that helped us out a little bit,” he told RamsTV Meets.
There were protestations from the Madrid players who were rightly incensed. It was to be expected, but as they threw men forward in a bid to try and salvage another vital away goal, they left themselves exposed at the back as Derby capitalised on the situation. Hector raced inside the penalty area and fell over an outstretched leg. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot for the second time in the game and it allowed George the opportunity to complete his hat-trick in front of the Osmaston End.
After a stoppage owing to Madrid players surrounding the referee, George remained calm, placed the ball on the spot and despite opposition defenders still occupying the penalty box, he fired the ball straight down the middle to secure his hat-trick and the convincing victory. Mackay had masterminded one of the greatest wins in Derby County history and George was the hero of the hour, even though he remained low-key about his role in the game.
The second leg? It’s probably not worth mentioning too much. A 5-1 defeat in Spain knocked the Rams out of the competition at the Second Round stage. It was cruel, especially as many asked questions of the referee’s performance in that second-leg, but that’s all in the past now. It’s best just to focus on the good memories.
Nobody can take away that night in October 1975. For the players, it was a night they had all dreamt of as a child. A convincing European Cup victory against Real Madrid in front of a boisterous sell-out crowd. There can’t be many better feelings in football. For supporters, it was a pinch-me moment, for sure. Many of those people in attendance will remember everything from that day. The noise, the smell, the atmosphere and particularly the famous win. It’s one of those stories to tell the grandkids about, and remind them that once upon a time, Derby County mixed it with the big boys and came out on top.
