In preparation for the 1976/77 season, Derby County manager Dave Mackay and assistant Des Anderson took their team to northern Spain to participate in the Bilbao Tournament. The competition featured hosts Athletic Bilbao, along with Standard Liège of the Belgian First Division and Dutch top flight side Feyenoord. Following a 2–0 defeat to Schalke in Germany the previous week, the Rams were eager to find form ahead of the new campaign with their opening match, on 9 August, against Feyenoord.

Derby began brightly, with Colin Todd deployed in an unfamiliar midfield role and Bruce Rioch making strong driving runs past defenders. While Feyenoord were happy to dominate possession without much attacking ambition, Derby pressed with energy and created several chances with many coming down the left through Leighton James.

Kevin Hector fired over following a well-worked free-kick between Archie Gemmill and Rioch, then narrowly missed connecting with a David Nish cross. Charlie George forced goalkeeper Treytel into action with a snap shot, but Feyenoord came closest to scoring in the first half when just before the break, Vreysen unleashed a fierce effort from the edge of the box which Moseley did well to tip onto the post.

After the interval, Feyenoord’s superior match fitness began to show and they took the lead when midfielder De Jong latched onto a return pass and fired inside Moseley’s right-hand post. De Jong then doubled the lead seven minutes from time, heading in unchallenged from a corner to seal the victory.

Despite the defeat, Archie Gemmill was outstanding throughout, creating Derby’s best chance by playing Hector through then later, with Derby exposed at the back, the Scot was back level with Moseley to make a vital interception.

Feyenoord: Treytel, Schneider, Korput, Everse, Rijsbergen, W. Jansen, De Jong, Kreuz (Verhajen 45), Vreysen, N. Jansen (Van Dael 89), Deynze

Derby County: Moseley, Thomas, Nish, Rioch, Daniel, Todd, Powell, Gemmill, George, Hector, James

The following day, Derby faced hosts Athletic Bilbao in the third-place playoff. The first half passed without much incident, but the Rams had to make enforced changes at the break. Charlie George, struggling with illness, and Kevin Hector, nursing a knee injury, were replaced by David Langan and Jeff King who went into Derby’s midfield with Rioch and James moved into more advanced roles.

The game then took a chaotic turn. Within five minutes of coming on, King was booked for attempting to flick the ball between Rojo’s legs as he lay on the ground. Soon after, Rioch delivered a hefty challenge on Astrain, who retaliated with a foul of his own which resulted in a booking. The tension boiled over in the 65th minute when Gemmill was sent off after clashing with Villar, flicking him with a boot as they ran away. A minute later, Bilbao’s Goikoetxea was dismissed when he scythed down Leighton James as he looked to clear the ball. Goikoetxea would later become infamous for a challenge in 1983 that broke Diego Maradona’s ankle, earning him the nickname “The Butcher of Bilbao” – a reputation that stuck with him for the rest of his career.

After the dismissals, the game calmed down. Bilbao’s Dani headed over from a quick free-kick, while James nearly won it for Derby after a solo run, only for Zaldua to make a fine save. The game ended 0–0 and went to penalties. Derby went first, but Steve Powell’s opening spot-kick was saved and although King, Langan, Rioch, and James all scored, Bilbao converted all five of their penalties to win 5–4, putting the Basque crowd in good voice for the final which followed.

Athletic Bilbao: Zaldua, Lasa, Guisasola (Escalza 63), Onaederra, Astrain, Goikoetxea, Dani, Villar (Sarabia 75), Amorrortu, Garay (Madariaga), Rojo

Derby County: Moseley, Thomas, Newton, Rioch, Daniel, Todd, Powell, Gemmill, George (King 45), Hector (Langan 45), James

In the final, Standard Liège took an early lead, but two goals from Nico Jansen earned Feyenoord the trophy.

The morning after, Des Anderson confirmed that Kevin Hector’s knee was improving but while both he and Dave Mackay were disappointed with the results on tour – and concerned that the team had failed to score – they were pleased with the players’ work ethic and improving fitness levels.

As it turned out, the performances in Spain were an indicator of how the 1976/1977 season was to go. The Rams failed to win a league game until mid-October, when they famously beat Tottenham 8–2 at the Baseball Ground, with Bruce Rioch scoring four goals. However, that result was an outlier in a disappointing campaign. Derby won just nine league matches all season – the fewest in Division One – and Mackay and Anderson were dismissed in November.

No official programme was issued for the tournament, but a weekly Athletic magazine dated 5 August 1976 (No. 67) was available. It includes only a brief mention of the Rams, accompanied by a small team photo of the 1975 First Division champions on page 5. An earlier issue of the Athletic, dated 15 July, features a large team photo of the Derby County squad on the front cover, along with more detailed information about the players inside.