George Jobey’s Rams suffered three consecutive away defeats at the start of the 1926/1927 season against Arsenal, Leeds, and Sheffield United. Their only victory came in the second game of the new campaign – a 2-1 win at home against Liverpool – leaving Derby second bottom of the league as they prepared to face Newcastle United at the Baseball Ground.

The official 12 page programme is mostly advertising with the cover featuring a footballer standing next to a shield listing Derby’s FA Cup achievements of three finals and nine semi-finals. Notes and Notions exclaims that it was ‘real bad luck that Harry Bedford should be kept out of the side through indisposition,’ referring to the forward’s absence in the previous two games. However, Bedford recovered in time to face Newcastle and was named in the team line-up.

23 year old Newcastle captain Hughie Gallacher, a Scottish international centre forward called ‘the mighty atom’ in the programme pen pictures, was listed in the Newcastle line-up. Gallacher was a prolific striker for Newcastle, scoring 143 league and cup goals in his 174 appearances before being transferred to Chelsea in 1930, and then to Derby in 1934 where he scored 38 times in 51 league games helping the Rams finish second in Division One in the 1935-36 season. However, in 1941 Derby County were investigated by the FA over suspected financial irregularities, one of the accusations being that manager George Jobey had paid Gallacher illegal signing on fees. Gallacher refused to admit it but Jobey, manager of the Rams since 1925, received a ten-year suspension for his part in the scandal. Despite his undoubted ability (463 goals over 624 senior games for eight different clubs), Gallacher had an eventful private life in retirement and died in 1957 by walking in front of a train.

The programme reveals that Harry Bedford had other interests outside of football with an advert inviting punters to call after the match for pipes, pouches and cigarette holders at his shop at 87 Pear Tree Road.  The Tiger Bar in the Corn Market is described as a ‘popular lounge, gentlemen’s saloon bar and smoke room’ and the Empire Cinema advertises ‘the screen idol’ Rudolph Valentino in Cobra where he ‘plays the part of a modest hero of many loves.’

The Derby Daily Telegraph match report describes how Newcastle took the lead when left back Thomas Crilly was ‘hampered by opponents and the glaring sun’ and headed into his own net. Derby equalised when outside right Valentine Smith centred for Harry Storer to score ‘a beautifully headed goal’.

Hughie Gallacher had a quiet game for Newcastle as the ‘Derby full backs were as fast as he, could get the ball off him somehow; and poor Gallacher was left without an alternative scheme in his locker, for his colleagues would give him the ball in the air, and at those times the spare ten inches of [Derby centre half Harry] Thoms reached up first’.

26,306 were in attendance at the Baseball Ground to witness the 1-1 draw. The Rams finished the season mid-table on 41 points. Newcastle went on to finish as champions of Division One – five points ahead of Huddersfield Town – which is still the last time they won the league title.