City were still in with a shout of the title after three successive victories against Middlesbrough (1-0), West Bromwich Albion (2-0), and Birmingham (2-1) when they went to the Baseball ground to face Derby County on this day (30 April) in 1977. The game was televised and it included one of those moments that made commentator John Motson quite giddy.
The pitch was quite muddy and when Derby got a penalty City ‘keeper Joe Corrigan challenged where the penalty spot was believed to be and insisted on it being properly measured. At one point he counted out the steps, much to the delight of the crowd.
Unfortunately, this had been a bad tempered game against a team struggling. It ended in 4-0 City defeat at Derby and it was a huge set back, especially as Derby scored all four in the last 25 minutes. In addition Brian Kidd was sent off.
The Blues remained second however, two points behind reigning champions Liverpool, one point above Ipswich, and Tony Book remained determined. The truth was, however, that with four games to go, time was running out. As with European competition at this time, Liverpool were used to surviving the League marathon, City were not and the Blues missed the title by a point. It would’ve been different had this game gone City’s way.
Follow this link to watch the highlights on youtube:
Here are a couple of articles on the game:
Gary James' Football Archive 