Platform in place for Rams' rise under Clough

IT was Brian Clough's first season in charge of Derby County.

- Anton Rippon

An opening-day 3-2 win over Charlton Athletic at the Baseball Ground was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Then, on August 28, 1967 - a Bank Holiday Monday - Derby won 3-2 at Rotherham United. I'm happy to say that I was there that evening to witness the Rams debut of a young, hitherto unknown, centre-half called Roy McFarland.

I'd seen a few centre-halves in the white shirt: the South African Norman Neilson; the ex-wartime paratrooper Martin McDonnell whose party trick was a forward roll after he'd tackled an opponent; Ken 'Rubberneck' Oliver; the classy Ray Young; the giant Les Moore, who played for the Rams on a Saturday and for the rest of the week carried on doing the rounds as a Sheffield insurance agent; and the combative Bobby Saxton.

But none looked as complete a player as this young man from Liverpool.

At the end of the following month, on September 27, I was at the Baseball Ground when the Millers came to Derby for the return fixture. Fortunately, I was in my place before kickoff - had I been a few minutes late I would have missed some of the most devastating football that the Rams played that season.

Indeed, many of the biggest crowd so far that season - 28,161 - didn't managed to make their way through the late crush until the Rams were 3-0 ahead, and Rotherham United were seemingly out of the match.