DERBY COUNTY 4 CITY 0

League Division 1

30th April 1977

attendance 29,127

Scorers Gemmill(66), Daniel(68), Hector(79), Daly(86 pen)

ref J Yates

City Corrigan, Clements, Donachie, Booth, Watson, Doyle, Barnes, Royle, Kidd, Owen, Keegan – sub Power(70)

Derby Boulton, Langan, Webster, Daly, MacFarland, Todd, Powell, Gemmill, Daniel, Hector, Newton – sub O’Riordan

FROM THE PRESS BOX

CITY ACCUSED! ‘PLAYERS LOST THEIR HEADS’ – MCFARLAND

DAVE HORRIDGE WRITING IN THE DAILY MIRROR 2ND MAY 1977
When they lay Manchester City’s title hopes to rest, they should call on Roy McFarland to provide the epitaph.
After a bizarre and eventful match that gave Derby their most satisfying win of a sad season, skipper McFarland said: “If you are going to win championships, you must have discipline, and City haven’t got it. Our pitch is bad and the referee wasn’t perfect. But City manager Tony Book shouldn’t blame either. He should blame his players, because they lost their heads.”
To be fair, Book pointed out that the pitch was the same for both sides and refused to comment on referee John Yates’ performance, six bookings and Brian Kidd sent off, until he had seen his report.
And Book added:”If it means players should be fined, they will be. This was our worst performance of the season.”
City revealed the ambition expected of them early in the second half. But Ged Keegan and Kidd were foiled by magnificent saves from Colin Boulton, who had the luck he deserved when Dave Watson rammed a header against the bar.
Then as City’s concentration was diverted by flying boots and flailing punches, Derby ran in three goals through Gemmill, Peter Daniel and Hector.
Kidd inexplicably carried on the feuding after he had been booked and gave referee Yates no option but to send him off.
Gemmill, Hector and City’s Ken Clements had also gone into the book by then, and an amazing penalty incident cost City goalkeeper Joe Corrigan an unlucky caution.
While his action was interpreted as dissent, he was correctly pointing out where the penalty spot had been lost on the Baseball Ground.
After it had been restored by a groundsman’s paint brush, Gerry Daly hit goal No. 4.