CITY 1 DERBY COUNTY 1
League Division 1
14th November 1970
attendance 31,817
scorers
City Bell(76)
Derby O’Hare(24)
Ref R Barker
City Corrigan, Book, Mann, Doyle, Heslop, Oakes, Summerbee, Bell, Lee, Hill, Towers – sub Bowyer(unused)
Derby Green, Webster, Robson, Hennessey, McFarland, Mackay, McGovern, Gemmill, O’Hare, Hector, Hinton – sub Durban(unused)
COLIN BELL SCORES AND FRANCIS LEE CELEBRATES
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 16TH NOVEMBER 1970
Manchester City are as far away as ever from revealing that early season snap and sparkle that made them one of the title favourites.
Joe Mercer summed up the loss of another home point in the 1-1 draw with Derby in four words “Our passing was atrocious.”
The result however, was just about right in a game where rugged Derby ran themselves back into something near known form with Archie Gemmill the most industrious player on the park.
Their goal was a combination of luck and mis-management with both George Heslop and Mike Doyle seemingly leaving an Alan Hinton cross to each other, and then watching in horror as John O’Hare flicked the ball in from an almost impossible angle.
But having established that lead, County were content to ride out City’s repeated raids with Roy McFarland featuring in a battle royal with the non-stop endeavours of Francis Lee.
And it was not until Colin Bell started to stamp his authority on the game in the last quarter of an hour that Derby finally capitulated. Bell first had a searing drive pushed out by Les Green, but earned just reward with a superb header from a cross by a rejuvenated Mike Summerbee who had his best game for a long spell.
Such was Summerbee’s drive that he at times demanded a two-man shadow but still contrived along with Lee, to be City’s best forward.
There was not the same aggressiveness on the left, however, where Freddie Hill became bogged down on a tacky surface that required drive rather than skill on the ball.
City were sound enough at the back with George Heslop, though unorthodox in some of his methods, doing a fair job against the twin striking menace of O’Hare and Hector. And skipper Tony Book also did exceptionally well in the face of a calf injury that was still troubling him.
City are still not enjoying the breaks in front of goal, but at times they sabotaged even their own skilful efforts by wasteful use of the ball. They were, too, frustrated by some uncompromising Derby defensive tactics.
