Derby County: Plan backfires

Back row (from left): Jimmy Methven, Arthur Latham (trainer). Middle row: J H Richardson (secretary), Jack Fryer, Joe Leiper, J Reilly (director). Seated, second row: Jack Cox, Archie Goodall, Jimmy Turner. Seated, front row: John Goodall, Steve Bloomer, John Boag, Jimmy Stevenson and Hugh McQueen

THE end of the 19th century was a great time for Derby County supporters and our photograph this month shows the Rams’ team that played in the 1898 FA Cup Final at the Crystal Palace, writes Anton Rippon.

It was the first of three Cup Final appearances for the Rams in five years. Alas, they lost every time, including one by a record scoreline.

The side pictured here went down to Nottingham Forest.

The tension before the final was indescribable.

As the 60,826 spectators arrived at the Crystal Palace – many of them had come from Derby on 4s workmen’s return tickets – so the Rams players sweated it out in the dressing rooms.

But if the dressing room tension was bad enough, worse was to follow. Steve Bloomer later recalled the incident which perhaps cost Derby the cup: “In those days, Cup Final tickets could be bought in any numbers, and Archie Goodall had speculated in them. On the day of the final, he had a lot of tickets left on his hands.

“Of course, he did not wish to lose on the transaction and so, when the crowd was rolling up to the Crystal Palace, he went outside the grandstand to try to sell his tickets.

“We players knew where Archie had gone, but the trouble began when we were all stripped and waiting in the passage outside the room, ready to go on to the field, with no Archie Goodall.”

According to Bloomer, the start of the Cup Final had to be delayed and the players’ nerves grew even more frazzled.

It was no wonder, then, that Derby soon went behind when Capes shot through a crowd of players.

Although Bloomer equalised with one of the best goals of his career, a header from Leiper’s free-kick, Capes restored the Forest lead.

The usual telegraphic error, “2-1 to Derby”, caused cheerful commotion in the streets of the town, until the correction was announced.

In the second half, the greatest chance of the match fell to Bloomer, who missed with only the goalkeeper to beat. Then John Goodall hit the bar.

The Rams were not playing well. The normally reliable half-back line of Cox, Archie Goodall and Turner, were well below their best. McPherson scored a third for Forest, and that was it.

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