Derby hovered around the middle to lower reaches of Division Two in the early part of the 60s and they made a managerial change at the start of 62/63 when Tim Ward took over from Harry Storer.

Both had been former Derby players before being handed the top job.

The first roots of the championship-winning squad began to grow with the emergence of local lad Ron Webster, and the signing of Welshman Alan Durban in 1963.

Jack Parry and Geoff Barrowcliffe became the fourth and fifth members of the 500-game club, but Derby were pulling up few trees in the league and having little success in the FA Cup.

Bobby Saxton became the first player to appear for the club as a substitute, replacing Barrowcliffe 14 minutes in to an opening-day game against Southampton in 1965.

The Rams broke their own transfer record in September 1966 when they paid £40,000 for Kevin Hector, a 21-year-old striker from Bradford Park Avenue who already had over 100 league goals to his name.

It would prove to be one of the most significant deals in the club's history.

Another significant appointment came in the summer of 1967, when Brian Clough replaced Tim Ward in the manager's hot-seat.

Brian Clough

Clough installed Peter Taylor as his assistant and the pair embarked on a partnership that saw them enjoy unprecedented success at Derby.

Clough guided Derby to the League Cup semi-final for the first and only time, though in the league they finished 18th - one place lower than Ward's last season in charge.

Legendary Scotsman Dave Mackay arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in time for the 1968/69 campaign and he proved to be an inspiration as Clough's Derby romped to the Division Two title, seven points clear at the top.

Mackay, despite playing outside of the top-flight, was named as the joint Footballer of the Year that season, such was his impact at the Baseball Ground.

Dave Mackay lifts the Second Division championship trophy in 1969

Derby ended the decade back up among the upper reaches of the English game once more.

In 1969/70, their first season back in the top-flight, they finished fourth, behind champions Everton, runners-up Leeds United, and Chelsea.

That would have qualified them for the UEFA Cup, only for a league disciplinary commission to deny them their first-ever appearance in European football after finding them guilty of administrative irregularities.

The Baseball Ground was complete and housed a record 41,826 in September 1969 as the Rams thrashed Tottenham Hotspur 5-0. The figure was never beaten.

That was Derby's record 22nd league game unbeaten, spread over two seasons. Their best in one season is 20.

Derby also broke the £100,000-barrier for the first time with the signing of classy midfielder Terry Hennessey from Nottingham Forest.

The greatest era in the club's history was just around the corner.