Derby County: Players who kept it in the family

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Close to 1,000 different players have pulled on a Derby County first team shirt since the club was formed. But not all their surnames are different. Peter Seddon looks at the select band who “kept it in the family”.

MOST families would be delighted to have just one representative of Derby County in their ranks. But the distribution of sporting talent isn’t a democratic process, for a number of families have contributed two or even three players to the cause.

The example of brothers playing for Derby County began early – indeed in the very first League game ever played by the Rams.

The match was away to Bolton Wanderers on September 8, 1888, a game Derby won 6-3.

Two of the Rams’ goals were scored by the Sawley-born left-winger Lol Placket – and first to congratulate him was his inside-left partner and brother, Harry.

The Placket brothers played 46 games for Derby County between them, but the chances of this becoming a lasting record soon disappeared when the most celebrated siblings ever to play for the Rams arrived at the club just a season later.

John and Archie Goodall notched up an incredible combined appearance tally of 661 games – no other brothers get close. In character they were as different as chalk and cheese.

John, born in England, was level-headed and quiet. So much so, in fact, that he earned the sobriquet Johnny Allgood. Archie, younger by a year and born in Ireland, was loud and highly volatile.

While John gave the Derby directors no trouble at all, Archie redressed the balance times without number.

Yet, despite his reputation as a troublemaker, Archie was a loyal club servant – he played 423 games for the Rams and his 167 consecutive appearances remain a club record to this day.

Another pair from the Victorian era deserves a mention. Derby County’s record scorer Steve Bloomer takes all the plaudits, while the existence of his younger brother Phillip is barely acknowledged.

There is a good reason for that – and a tragic one too. Phillip made only one League appearance for Derby, at left-back in September 1895. He died the following summer, a victim of peritonitis, after being ill for a week. He was 21 years of age.

It is curious that the years prior to 1900 threw up more pairs of Derby County brothers than in the club’s entire history since.

Others of that era were Walter and Charles Rose, and Frank and Fred Forman, along with several more. But not a single pair of genuine “star siblings” played for Derby County after the death of Queen Victoria.

Most worthy of a mention, despite playing only 29 games between them in the early 1950s, are Don and Geoff Hazledine.

The look-alike pair of forwards did nothing noteworthy while playing for the Rams, but they certainly hit the headlines playing against them. Both were members of the Boston United side which visited the Baseball Ground for a second round FA Cup tie on December 10, 1955.

The Midland League side fielded six ex-Derby players that day and ran out sensational winners 6-1. It was arguably the low-point of Derby County’s entire history.

Father and son partnerships also throw up some curious links. Jimmy Methven played 511 games at full-back for Derby County and he also managed the club from 1906-1922.

As if that remarkable record wasn’t achievement enough, he did something no other Rams’ manager has ever done – selected his own son to play in the first team.

Perhaps it was largely an act of sentiment – for Jimmy Methven jnr played only a single game, away to Bolton Wanderers in 1914.

Methven jnr remains one of those ephemeral players about whom little is known – no photographs of him have ever been published.

He was thought to be around in Derby in the early 1960s, when he would have been long retired. Does anyone have any recollection of him, or even a photograph?

A much more prominent father and son duo were again linked to both the playing and management side, although the roles were reversed.

Johnny McMillan played 126 times for Derby from 1890-1895 – he was part of the highly-talented Rams’ side of that era which was supremely entertaining but never won a major trophy.

His son Stuart played only one game for Derby in January 1915, but fully 31 years later he earned himself a unique place in the club’s history by managing the side to their famous FA Cup Final win in 1946.

Another unique father and son feat belongs to Ernald and Ken Scattergood. Ernald was the Rams’ goalkeeper from 1907-1914 and his son, Ken, was between the sticks for 25 games in the 1936-37 season.

That makes them the only father and son to have both kept goal for Derby.

Much better-known are Jack Bowers and his son, John. Jack made his debut on February 2, 1929, and became a prolific scorer – the centre-forward renowned for his bravery scored 16 hat-tricks for the Rams and notched 183 goals in 220 appearances before being transferred to Leicester City in November 1936.

John was also a forward but much less prolific – between 1959 and 1965 he scored 20 goals in 68 games.

Another father and son were both Derby County full-backs. Jack Nicholas snr is the lesser-known, although he played 143 games, few Rams’ fans alive could possibly have seen him play, since those appearances were between 1905 and 1910.

But many older Derby fans will remember his son, Jack. His memorable experience in 1946 was a unique one – as Derby County captain he lifted the FA Cup for the first and only time in the club’s history.

Fans of a slightly younger age (although they would still need to be 50!) will recall the best-known father and son duo of the modern era.

Classy Derby-born forward Tommy Powell played his first League game for the Rams in 1948 and his last ever appearance was in a League Cup game on November 1, 1961.

Tommy was of a breed virtually unknown among today’s League players – a one-club man – and so was his son, Steve.

The tough midfielder and central-defender known affectionately as “The Rock” made his Rams’ debut in October 1971 at the remarkable age of 16 years and 30 days.

He went on to start 409 games – three more than his father! – which gives the pairing a combined tally of 815 appearances which no other family duo can match.

Steve’s own son, Steve jnr, might have made it a unique family treble – he was on the Rams’ books as a junior but didn’t quite make the grade.

Another class of family link is the dynasty, where a proliferation of football-playing uncles, nephews, brothers and fathers can make life difficult indeed for the statistician.

One of the most extensive Derby football families was the Bromages – Enos Bromage kept goal for the Rams in 1888-89, and his nephews Harry and Enos jnr both pulled on Derby County shirts in his wake.

Just to keep it in the family, one of Derby County’s longest-serving trainers was Bill Bromage, another of the clan.

The Storer family also loom large in Derby’s history. William played 27 games as a forward in 1891-92, but his nephew, Harry, later stole the show.

From 1920-1928 Harry played 274 games at inside-forward and scored 63 goals. Not content with that, he later became Derby County manager, serving the club from 1955-1962 before making way for Tim Ward.

Family links seem thinner on the ground today. George Burley had the pleasure of briefly managing his nephew, Craig, four seasons ago, but the influx of overseas players to Pride Park makes it less likely that family members will play together.

But, who knows what future links may be forged? Which sons of Derby’s current squad might make the grade? Will Nigel Clough ever become manager?

This may be the end of this particular story but the Rams’ family story will run and run.

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