The Rams began the decade by winning silverware, the Watney Cup, an out-of-season invitational event, by beating Manchester United at the Baseball Ground.

Dave Mackay lifts the Watney Cup in 1970

Their transfer record was raised again, to £170,000 for centre-half Colin Todd, though in 1970/71 Derby finished only ninth in Division One - little indication of what was to follow.

Derby didn't lose a league game in 1971/72 until the middle of October, by which time they had established themselves among the chasing pack at the top of the division.

As the season went on there was a feeling that maybe, just maybe, the club from what was then just a town could ruffle the feathers of the big-city outfits and claim the championship for the first time in its history.

The title race went right to the wire and on May 1 1972, when Derby beat Liverpool in their final game of the season they were in pole position.

However, it was out of their hands. Both Leeds United and Liverpool, still with a game to play, could overtake them at the top of the table.

It was a nervous few days in Derby but the players - on an end-of-season trip to Majorca - had their dreams realised when both results went their way.

Brian Clough and Peter Taylor parade the championship trophy around the Baseball Ground in 1972

Derby, runners-up three times, were the champions of England for the first time in their history.

It also wasn't the only silverware they picked up during the season.

The Rams claimed the Texaco Cup, while their reserves won the Central League, completing an unprecedented trophy treble for the club.

They used only 16 players all season, of which just 12 could class themselves as regulars on the teamsheet, making their triumph even more remarkable.

And so to the continent.

European football came to Derby for the first time, and the Rams were dining at the top table of the European Cup.

Portugese giants Benfica were drawn out in the second round for a trip to the Baseball Ground, and nothing could prepare them for what lay in wait.

Even the legendary Eusebio was powerless as Roy McFarland, Kevin Hector and Jon McGovern sent the home fans into raptures with three first-half goals that put Derby in command.

The second leg, at the intimidating Estadio du Luz, was one Derby had to defend in but they did their job superbly to return home with a 0-0 draw and a place in the quarter-final.

Czechoslovakian champions Spartak Trnava were seen off and all of a sudden the Rams were just 180 minutes away from the European Cup final.

Standing in their way was the Grand Old Lady of Turin, Juventus.

The first leg over in Italy was a controversial affair.

Juventus won it 3-1, but McFarland and Archie Gemmill picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament, ruling them out of the return.

Derby gave it everything they had but it was not to be. Roger Davies was sent off, Alan Hinton missed a penalty, and their dreams of going all the way were over.

In the league they finished ninth, and in October 1973 the club was in turmoil after the resignation of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor following disputes with the board.

At a time when Derby County should have been establishing itself as one of the leading lights in the English game, they were back to the drawing board.

If the fans couldn't keep Clough, then only one man could seriously be considered to take over - the man who had helped galvanise the club upon his arrival in 1968.

Dave Mackay.

Following in the footsteps of Clough and Taylor was never going to be easy, but Mackay - and his assistant Des Anderson - steadied the ship and indeed took Derby to third in 1973/74, earning them a place in the UEFA Cup.

They, too, would have plenty more to come their way.

In the summer of 74 they landed the experienced Francis Lee from Manchester City, and that would prove an inspired capture.

The UEFA Cup adventure lasted as far as round three, and defeat by Velez Mostar of Yugoslavia, though in the previous round the Rams had gone to Spain and put out Atletico Madrid after a penalty shoot-out.

Division One was tightly-fought all season and Derby were never too many points adrift of the leading pack, even if they weren't always part of it.

Davies, Hector and Lee added 12, 13 and 12 league goals each, though Bruce Rioch's 15 from midfield would ultimately prove crucial.

Davies, signed from non-league football a few years previously, netted all five in a win over Luton Town on March 29.

By that time Derby were hitting their best form of the season and were unbeaten in their last nine games, winning six.

A draw at Leicester in their penultimate game put Derby within touching distance of their second title in three years, and once again they weren't playing when they were crowned.

Instead, the annual awards night was taking place when news broke that nearest challengers Ipswich Town had blown their chances and Derby were champions once more.

Kevin Hector and David Nish lead the way after the 1975 title triumph

A 0-0 draw at home to already-relegated Carlisle United on the final day of the season took none of the gloss away from what was another remarkable triumph.

Club legends paraded on the pitch, the trophy was given pride of place on a lap of honour, and another glorious chapter was added to Derby County's history.

Having been crowned champions again, the Rams splashed out £100,000 on Arsenal striker Charlie George - a bargain in the market.

George made his debut at Wembley in the Charity Shield, which Derby won 2-0 against West Ham United thanks to goals from Roy McFarland and Kevin Hector.

Derby had declined the opportunity to take part in the 1972 game.

George would also go on to score arguably the most memorable hat-trick in the club's history.

Another European Cup adventure got underway with victory over Slovan Bratislava, then came the ultimate glamour tie - Real Madrid, the true giants of the European game.

And Derby were in dreamland with a first leg on October 22 that surpassed all expectations.

George smashed home a wonderful first goal that sent the Baseball Ground crowd wild ten minutes in.

Charlie George scores his cracker against Real Madrid at the Baseball Ground

Seven minutes later it was two when George fired in from the penalty spot, before Real pulled one back on 25.

By half-time the Rams were 3-1 up thanks to David Nish and they received a stroke of good fortune in the second period when Real had a goal ruled out for offside - by the same Russian linesman who had awarded Geoff Hurst's effort off the bar in the 1966 World Cup final.

George netted his second penalty of the night and third of the game with 12 minutes left to make it 4-1 to Derby.

The return leg at the Bernabeu would always be tough but, sadly for Derby, Real turned on the style that had earmarked them as one of the great pioneers of the game.

They raced into a three-goal lead to level the tie by 55 minutes, but by 62 the Rams were back in it through Charlie George to lead on aggregate.

Derby were five minutes away from going through but a late Real goal forced the tie into extra-time, where Mackay's men had given their all but were beaten by another strike to go down 5-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate.

It had been a marathon encounter and one that showcased all that was good about the game.

Domestically, Derby were threatening to not only retain their title but add a first-ever Double in the club's history.

But when Charlie George dislocated a shoulder in March, having already scored 24 goals in all competitions, their hopes took a big blow.

Manchester United saw them off in the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough, 2-0, and Mackay's Rams won just two of their last six games.

Still, finishing fourth was another fine achievement for the club from a provincial town in the East Midlands - Derby didn't even become a city until 1977.

The Rams were back in Europe, this time in the UEFA Cup, and broke their all-time record victory with a 12-0 thrashing of Irish minnows Finn Harps - Kevin Hector with five, Charlie George and Leighton James with hat-tricks, Bruce Rioch completing the scoring.

As had happened to Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, Dave Mackay and Des Anderson lasted just 18 months after winning the title before departing the club.

Reserve-team coach Colin Murphy took over temporarily and was given the job permanently in February 1977 after an unsuccessful attempt to lure back Clough and Taylor, who were now at Nottingham Forest.

Ron Webster broke the all-time appearances record with his 526th outing in April, but Derby dropped down to 15th in the table by the end of the season.

Murphy lasted until September 1977 before being replaced by Tommy Docherty, who quickly began to usher in a new era as the title-winning team began to break up through Docherty's extensive transfer dealings.

Docherty guided Derby to 12th in his first season but his much-changed team narrowly avoided relegation in 78/79 by finishing fourth from bottom, and Addison took over the reins for 79/80.

But after such a glorious decade, Derby ended it on a low note by finishing second from bottom and dropping out of Division One.

Twice champions, European Cup semi-finalists, that great night against Real Madrid - now the Rams were facing a return to the second tier.