Derby County: Pre-war years were a rollercoaster ride

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Some things never change – as Anton Rippon discovered during a look back at the mixed fortunes of the Rams in the years leading up to the First World War.

FOLLOWING the fortunes of Derby County has long been a hair-shirt occupation. Over the years, the Rams have frustrated and angered their supporters, and in between provided them with some great and glorious days.

The years leading up to the First World War were no exception. Twice in four seasons, Derby won the Second Division Championship in nail-biting fashion on the final day of the season. In the meantime they were relegated again. Who’d be a Rams’ fan?

Leaving things until the very last had already cost Derby their place in the top flight. In April 1907, the Rams had left themselves needing to win their final home match if they were to stand any chance of avoiding being relegated for the first time in the club’s history.

As half-time approached, Bristol City led 2-1 at the Baseball Ground when Derby were awarded a penalty. England wing-half Ben Warren saw his spot kick saved.

Warren headed back the rebound, again the ball was punched clear, and thereafter it was all downhill.

A 3-2 defeat at Woolwich Arsenal on the last Saturday of the season was Derby County’s last First Division match for five years.

The Rams’ fortunes had foundered ever since the great Steve Bloomer had been controversially transferred to Middlesbrough in March 1906.

In late September 1910, Bloomer returned to Derby. His reappearance in a Rams’ shirt – against Lincoln City at the Baseball Ground on October 1 that year – attracted a crowd of 14,000, more than double the number who had seen the previous home game, against Blackpool.

It was a dream homecoming. The Rams won 5-0 and the returning hero scored twice. That season Derby finished sixth to continue their habit of always being on the edge of the promotion race without ever giving their fans much hope that a return to the First Division was likely.

All that changed in 1911-12. With Bloomer back in their ranks for a full season, the Rams enjoyed a three-month spell in which they went unbeaten.

It began with a 5-0 win over Glossop at the Baseball Ground on September 16, and ended with a 4-0 defeat at Stockport County on New Year’s Day. In between, Derby had won 14 games out of 16, six of them on the trot.

But then came the usual Derby County blip, with six matches yielding only two points before the Rams got back to their best form and sailed on to promotion, conceding only one goal in their last 11 games, and that a late equaliser from Wolves’ Irish international, Billy Halligan, who had left Derby for the Molineux club just over a year earlier.

One of the main factors behind this new-found defensive excellence was the signing of centre-half Frank Buckley, who was transferred from Birmingham in May 1911, and the arrival of full-back Charlie Betts from Newcastle United in October.

The Rams also had new faces in attack. Harry Leonard, a centre-forward, signed from Middlesbrough in October (he would eventually take over as landlord of the Douglas Bar in Normanton, which for years would be known simply as “Harry Leonard’s”).

Again in October, Derby signed the brilliant amateur international, Ivan Sharpe, from Glossop. Sharpe’s debut came in that 5-0 thrashing of his former club, while Leonard, who had played alongside Bloomer for Middlesbrough, made his mark with four goals in a 6-1 win over Fulham in early November.

When the final League game arrived, the Rams were faced with a trip to Oakwell to play that season’s FA Cup finalists, Barnsley.

Already assured of promotion, Derby needed victory to finish as champions. Despite glorious April weather and the fact that, only 48 hours earlier, Barnsley had drawn the Cup Final against West Brom at the Crystal Palace, there were only about 4,000 present when the game kicked-off on the Monday teatime.

Perhaps the fact that Barnsley could finish only sixth was to blame. More likely it was that, remarkably, they had to replay the Cup Final only two days later.

Supporters were probably saving up for that replay at Bramall Lane (where they saw their side win 1-0 after extra-time to lift the FA Cup for the only time in their history).

But if the Rams were hoping for an easy passage against a Barnsley team who had far more important matters on their mind, they were to be disappointed.

The Derby Daily Telegraph applauded the home side: “The County certainly had a surprise when they learned that the Barnsley 11 had arrived in the town from the Cup Final barely half an hour previously and that they were turning out at full strength that evening … taking the sporting risk that no player would be injured in any way for Wednesday’s replay.”

The first half had few thrills to offer, although the Rams might have had a penalty when Bloomer was floored. The Telegraph reminded readers that the same referee had denied Bloomer a spot kick when the teams had fought out a goalless draw at the Baseball Ground the previous October.

“Had there been no goals scored on Monday night, then the Derby County club would have had a bone to pick with this official,” wrote the Derby reporter.

In the end, there was no need to hark back to the incident. Two minutes into the second half, former Bradford City forward Billy Grimes sent over a corner. No fewer than three Derby players attacked the ball, but it was ex-Celtic inside-forward Jimmy Beauchop who headed it home.

Midway through the half, Buckley made it 2-0 with his first goal for Derby County. The ball fell to the centre-half on the edge of the penalty area and he hit a glorious swerving shot into the top corner, well out of the reach of the Barnsley goalkeeper, Jack Cooper.

The Rams finished champions, ahead of runners-up Chelsea on goal average. When the team arrived back at Derby’s Midland Station late that evening, they were greeted by thousands of celebrating supporters.

As the Derby Daily Telegraph said the following day: “Now let the supporters rally round the club and help raise Derby County’s name to its former heights.”

The Rams’ return to the First Division started with a successful enough season in which they finished seventh, ending on an optimistic note by going through April unbeaten and dropping only two points.

Relegation at the end of 1913-14, then, was a shock. Derby took only three points from their first 11 games and, when they lost 1-0 at home to fellow strugglers, Preston North End, on April 18, they were assured of relegation once more.

Horace Barnes, who had been a prolific striker for Derby but who had enjoyed little support after Leonard was injured, was transferred to Manchester City for £2,500, a transfer fee that equalled the British record.

Two years after Derby County were seeking the Second Division championship on the final day of the season, they found themselves in an identical position.

This time, though, matters were compounded by the fact that Preston, their opponents on that last day of the 1914-15 campaign, were also assured of promotion and could also take the title.

The Rams arrived at the last game with 51 points; Preston had 50. There was everything to play for.

The other distraction, of course, was that Britain was now at war. But, remarkably, Derby County’s season continued, despite considerable hostility from people who felt it almost treasonable that many healthy young men should continue playing professional football while others of their generation would soon be dying in France and Belgium.

Of course, that top-class football should carry on was good for morale, both of soldiers on leave and those working long hours in munitions factories.

At the end of the season, though, both the League and the FA Cup were suspended.

In the meantime, the Rams did not appear to be letting thoughts of war bother them when the season got under way in September 1914.

In their opening game, Derby hammered Barnsley 7-0 at the Baseball Ground with Norman Fordham, a former Kent League player, scoring a hat-trick after coming into the team for the injured Leonard.

One of the most immediate effects that the war was having on football was in declining attendances.

Only 2,000 had gone to see the Rams beat Barnsley; when Derby visited Glossop for a mid-week League game, barely 500 turned up, such was the uncertain nature of life in Britain in 1914.

Attendances everywhere did improve as the season gathered momentum, particularly for the Rams who soon went to the top of the table, helped by a 10-match unbeaten run that saw them drop only one point.

Leonard had recovered from his pre-season injury and was now scoring regularly, as was Jimmy Moore, who had joined Derby from Glossop for £1,500 the previous season, and Tom Benfield, a new signing from Leicester Fosse.

When the last day of the season arrived, there was only the destination of the Championship to decide. Both Derby and Preston were at full strength, but the attendance – only 12,000 – was disappointing for such an attractive match.

It was probably affected by torrential rain that fell in Derby after lunch and into the afternoon.

The Rams kicked-off towards the Osmaston End and went ahead through Grimes after 22 minutes. The Preston goalkeeper, Charlie Jones, misjudged a cross and Grimes ran in from the right to volley the ball into the net.

Then, 12 minutes into the second half, Derby increased their lead when Leonard scored a fine individual goal, taking a pass from Eadie and forcing his way between two defenders before firing home.

Their defence was kept busy, but there was never any doubt that Derby County would be crowned champions of the Second Division.

The Derby Daily Telegraph told readers: “For some reason or another, the opinion had gained ground before lunch that the County were going to lose. A reason we heard was that, as the players were not to receive the bonus that the Championship normally carries with it in normal times, their interest in the result was minimised.”

Apparently, the Rams’ directors had refused to pay the £25 per head bonus allowed for winning the title, whereas the Preston players had been promised the reward should they top the table.

Whatever the outcome of the wrangle, the Rams were indeed champions. Now they just had to wait four years to resume their place in the First Division.

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