Carl Peters (Aberdeen)
I was born in Derby in 1974 and so was in primary school during our early eighties slide .All the usual suspects in school were supporting Liverpool (the same sort that now run around in their 'vodafone' tops).I remember feeling it was unfair that Derby only got three stickers compared to Liverpools six to go on the poster charting the progress of the FA Cup (we weren't expected to get far, although we progressed further than Liverpool that year!
I had been badgering my Dad about going to watch the Rams play for a while, but ,he being smug and an exiled scouser (luckily without the accent) said he couldn't be bothered.
Finally he agrees to let me go with friends of his (who went to the same church so obviously weren't DLF in disguise!) and I got to go to see the Rams face Telford in the FA Cup. I remember the seas of noise that the BBG could create when it was full to the rafters. I remember the floodlights shining and the blue mesh fences, most of all i remember the abuse the referee received.
What I don't remember at all is the game or the players. I even thought the score was 4-3 to us until my Dads' mate corrected me as we were leaving. Having just read the match report again on the DET site, I realise. I was also priviledged to see Archie Gemmill in a Rams shirt (even if not in his prime).
For some reason, I was never taken again. A couple of years later I moved to boarding school and that was that, I had to wait until I could afford to buy my own tickets and my next game was nine years later when I saw Derby beat Bolton. Again in the FA Cup , the following season I had left school and went to every game I could including my most memorable game the beating of Fester at Wembley in every category except the score.
Now I'm exiled in Aberdeen I only get to a couple of games a season either at xmas or visiting my still smug Dad ,or flying in to London for away games in the capital, but , no matter how many games I go to ,I'll never be able to recreate that first game feeling.
c2001 Carl Peters