"Let's hope it's a quiet one": Derby 3 Aston Villa 4

Dek Hogan recalls an eventful cup tie at the Baseball Ground, viewed from the wrong end...

Wednesday 5^th February 1992 and Villa are in the middle of a goal drought, only having managed one goal since January 1^st, that goal coming in an FA Cup 3^rd Round Third Round Replay at White Hart lane. As a consequence, we have a mouthwatering fourth round clash with Derby County at the crumbling but hugely atmospheric Baseball Ground.

Despite our lack of firepower, it's an unmissable match. Sadly, tickets for the away end are at an absolute premium and despite being a season ticket holder with plenty of away games to my credit, I don't manage to get one. This isn't a massive surprise, since the away scheme of the day consists of the ticket office rubber stamping a yellow away attendance card with a rubber date stamp with a small Villa badge on it. Since the date stamps have been duplicated within days of the start of the scheme, it's not working out brilliantly in terms of fairness. There's people in the Aston Social openly offering to stamp your card.

However, three of us still travel to Derby, ticketless, because one of the lads knows “a friend of Andy Gray” and apparently they will leave us tickets at the players entrance in Derby. Andy is Big Ron's trusty assistant. It seems a tad unlikely, but Derby isn't exactly a massive jaunt so we take the risk and are soon to be found waiting outside the ground in the hope of tickets.

And waiting.

And waiting.

It soon becomes apparent that no such tickets are going to materialise. By now, even though we are outside and at the opposite end to the away section,  the cacophony being created in the claret and blue contingent is almost deafening. One thing not being able to go, but ten times worse when you can actually hear the fantastic atmosphere but can't join in.

Dejected, we somehow get into conversation with a couple of Derby County stewards outside the ground, recounting our tale of woe, but in doing so, rather exaggerating our Villa credentials in a desperate bid to gain sympathy. Somehow, they get the impression that we are stewards back at Villa Park and we do nothing to correct this misapprehension, even hinting that if the game were to go a replay, we might be able to get them into Villa Park.

Suddenly, we are being escorted into the ground. We've blagged our way in! (Imagine trying to pull a stunt like that now). There's no way our new found Derby friends can get us into the away end, so we find ourselves behind the back row of the lower tier behind the opposite goal, and we hear ourselves promising faithfully that no matter how exciting the game gets, we won't give away our Villa fan status to the hordes of Derby fans ahead of us.

No sheep impressions tonight then, but little do we know just how difficult that promise will prove to keep, as one of the most incident filled cup-ties ever is about to unfurl in front of us. I actually say "Let's hope it's a quiet one" on the way in.

Fat chance.

The game gets underway, the Villa faithful are in full voice and while we can't join in, it is with some pride that we witness just how loud the boys (and girls) sound from the other end.

Just five minutes in and we go a goal down. Les Sealey manages to make a total hash of a Ted McMinn cross and Phil Gee – only playing because Marco Gabbadini is ineligible – gratefully scores the tap-in.

This is where blending in with the Derby fans becomes difficult. I knew stifling joy at a Villa goal would be a challenge but I hadn't even considered what my reaction should be for a Derby goal. I can't celebrate it. I'm on the verge of breaking into some low key polite applause when I become aware that one of my mates has started berating poor Les Sealey for the error. Our cover isn't totally blown but the people in close proximity soon suss who we are.

Before the Derby fans can decide whether to hang us or not, Villa equalise.

There's a frenzied goalmouth scramble which ends with England hero Peter Shilton on his knees and helpless as Dwight Yorke eventually fires home. The Villa end goes apeshit. In the home stand, I murmur a muted “yes” but I'm screaming and dancing on the inside. This muffled response appears to earn a grudging respect from the Derby fans that have discovered our true identity. It looks like we might actually get away with being in here.

Some good natured banter breaks out - though one or two of them look us up and down as though we'd molested their sisters - and it soon becomes clear that as long as we don't make too much of a fuss, we should be safe for the rest of the game.

The equaliser sparks Villa into life and soon we take the lead, a corner from Froggy gets Shilton into all sorts of trouble and he's virtually sitting down as Yorke's cheeky lob finds its way into the back of the net.

The impressive Garry Parker then makes a run from the halfway line, leaving Derby players flailing in his wake and drives the ball spectacularly past Peter Shilton from twenty yards and we are 3-1 up. It's really hard to attempt to blend into the shadows in a stand full of miserable looking Derby County fans when you've got a Cheshire Cat grin on your face.

Ho-hum.

Derby soon get back into it though, McMinn bamboozling Paul McGrath and putting in an inch perfect cross for Phil Gee to place an unchallenged header into the back of the net. Now it is the Derby end's turn to celebrate and fire a few well-worded barbs in our direction as we do our best to look inconspicuous.

We manage to get our fourth before half-time, a nailed on penalty. To his credit, Peter Shilton manages to save Dwight's spot kick but can do nothing to stop the Villa man slotting home the rebound.

4-2 up at half time and looking good. Goal drought? What goal drought?

The second half is never going to be quite as exciting as the first. Peter Shilton manages to save another Yorke penalty and Paul Williams prevents us from breathing easily by putting Derby back into it on the hour, but to be honest, I'm not sure the ticker can take much more excitement. Martin Carruthers even gets a much anticipated first team run-out. We have high hopes for him.

The final whistle goes, we escape the ground in one piece and an away tie at Swindon Town awaits. To avoid having to spend another tense cup-tie sweating in the wrong end, we will end up queuing overnight at Villa Park to secure our tickets for that game.

I always enjoyed the atmosphere of the Baseball Ground and have many happy memories, though I will admit that I've also enjoyed trips to Pride Park, just not quite as much. New grounds are just so sterile and while we can now watch games cosseted by the gurus of health and safety, I'm so glad I'm old enough to have experienced the buzz of the old school.

You just don't get that electricity any more.

Score: Derby County 3 Aston Villa 4
Competition: FA Cup 4th round
Attendance 22,452

Derby County: Peter Shilton, Mike Forsyth, Simon Coleman, Paul D Williams, Andy Comyn, Jason Kavanagh, Geraint Williams, Martyn Chalk, Ian Ormondroyd, Phil Gee, Ted McMinn

Aston Villa: Les Sealey, Dariusz Kubicki, Shaun Teale, Paul McGrath, Bryan Small, Kevin Richardson, Steve Froggatt, Garry Parker, Dwight Yorke, Tony Daley, Cyrille Regis