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The 1971–72 season was Derby County's 72nd in the Football League and their 45th season in the top flight. They won their first ever league title to qualify for the 1972–73 European Cup, as well as winning the Texaco Cup. In addition, their reserve side won the Central League for the first time since 1936. ==Season summary== Derby's season started in encouraging fashion with a 12 match unbeaten run, although seven of these were draws. In their opening match, they came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Manchester United, who inflicted Derby's first league defeat in the return fixture. They also exited the League Cup at the second round stage, beaten 2-0 in a replay at Leeds. Defeat at Old Trafford triggered a period of inconsistent league form that saw Derby lose five times in 11 matches, the last of these being a sound 3-0 beating at Elland Road just after Christmas. However, they lost just one of their next 13 matches, and a 2-0 victory against Leeds at the Baseball Ground over Easter took them to the top of the table. They remained there despite losing to Newcastle in their next match (their only home defeat of the season) and then drawing with West Bromwich Albion, but had now played a game more than the three teams below them (Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester City) with only two points separating the four. Two victories followed, but defeat at Manchester City in their penultimate match of the campaign saw Derby slip to third with the title race still wide open. City, having completed their fixtures, now led the table with 57 points, but knew they would not remain there. Second placed Liverpool were a point behind, ahead of Derby on goal average with two to play, the first of them at the Baseball Ground in Derby's final match. Leeds lay fourth on 55 points, also with two matches remaining and a superior goal average. Derby ended their season with a 1–0 win over Liverpool, John McGovern netting the winner, leaving them on 58 points from 42 games, with Leeds now on 57 from 41 and Liverpool on 56 from 41. Derby's destiny was not in their own hands and they left the country to escape the pressure; Brian Clough holidayed with his family in the Isles of Scilly, whilst Peter Taylor went to Majorca with the players. Leeds needed a draw and Liverpool a win to overtake Derby. In the event, Wolverhampton Wanderers overcame Leeds 2–1 at Molineux and Liverpool could only record a 0–0 draw at Arsenal. The league was unusually close throughout the campaign and the final table saw Derby champions just one point ahead of the teams in 2nd (Leeds), 3rd (Liverpool) and 4th (City). Clough had built a balanced team at Derby, one in which every player knew his job. They rarely swept away the opposition, instead building on the foundations of a strong defence, although there were some memorable performances; 4–0 humblings of Stoke and Nottingham Forest at the Baseball Ground, and also away to Sheffield United. Although Derby reached the FA Cup fifth round (losing 1–0 to eventual runners-up Arsenal in a second replay at Filbert Street), their primary cup success for 1971–72 came in the Texaco Cup, a competition between 16 English, Scottish and Irish clubs who were not in European competition. With home gates consistently over 20,000, Derby overcame Dundee United (8–5 on aggregate), Stoke (4–3 agg.) and Newcastle (4–2 agg.) before playing Airdrieonians in the final. After a 0–0 draw at Broomfield Park, Derby beat their Scottish opponents 2–1 in the second leg at the Baseball Ground, with Roger Davies, signed for £12,000 the previous summer from non-league Worcester City, grabbing the decisive goal to give Derby their second cup win in as many seasons. Record signing defender Colin Todd claimed the club's Player of the Year while Alan Hinton finished the season as top scorer with 15 goals. Kevin Hector netted his 100th for the club in a 6–0 FA Cup fourth round win over Notts County and Alan Durban became the club's most capped international, overtaking Sammy Crooks, with his 27th and final appearance for Wales. Steve Powell became Derby's youngest ever player, a record he held for almost 30 years, when he made his debut in a Texaco Cup tie against Stoke City aged just 16 years and 30 days. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1971–72 Derby County F.C. season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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