A RAM FOR ALL SEASONS; EXCLUSIVE Roy is such a County legend he was player of year in 1972. . and 2008!

Byline: Wally

DESPITE the dearth of deserving contenders, Roy McFarland was delighted to accept his invitation to present Derby's player of the season gong.

As captain of Brian Clough's championship-winning team in 1971-2, former England defender McFarland was the first man to be awarded the prestigious accolade.

Yet McFarland, now 60, was still taken aback when he took to the pitch to do the honours and the Rams' player of last season trophy was presented to, er... Roy McFarland.

In truth, it had been a lousy campaign: relegated from the Premier League with a humiliating 11 points, Derby had leaked goals in torrents, the midfield couldn't tackle a fishing rod and the strikers dealt in binary.

Sheepishly, McFarland accepted the prize on behalf of Derby's supporters, who voted for themselves after remaining devoted to a hopeless cause way beyond the normal boundaries of fever-pitch loyalty.

"It felt strange and I thought it was wrong not to give it to one of the players who had toiled, against mounting odds, to keep Derby in the Premier League," said McFarland as the Rams launched their 125th anniversary celebrations.

"I honestly didn't know who had won it until I got out to the middle of the pitch. Much as I love this club, and its supporters, I couldn't agree with turning a prize into a sort of protest.

"No matter how badly the team has performed, there is always somebody who has given everything, who has been honest and genuine in his commitment.

"In terms of attitude and trying to do the right things, I felt Darren Moore gave a decent account of himself, and I felt it was a bit unfair on the players - I felt sorry for them at times when they were out of their depth.

"The fans enjoyed the journey that Billy Davies took them on, and it was a wonderful tribute to their loyalty that they filled Pride Park every week when Villa and Arsenal came here and scored six and West Ham scored five. If it's ever possible to say a club won promotion a season too early, it's probably true of Derby. It's been a pretty hard 18 months for the club since they won promotion.

"I was sat next to Dave Mackay at that play-off final, and we were both as nervous as hell for the last 10 minutes. We were jumping up and down, looking anxiously at the clock every few seconds, and neither of us had ever been so animated watching a football match before.

"The relief and celebration of winning at Wembley that day was fantastic, but last season was disastrous and, for a few weeks at the start of this one there was little sign of improvement and you wondered how much further the stone would drop." Happier times have returned to Pride Park, however, after the Rams reached their first semi-final for 40 years this week.

Ahead of today's home game with Crystal Palace, Paul Jewell's men will be glued to the Carling Cup draw following Nathan Ellington's last-gasp penalty in midweek down the A50 at Stoke. It was a result to gladden the heart of a Rams legend, although McFarland observed: "If he had been playing at the old Baseball Ground, on the kind of pitches I played on, I'm not sure if Nathan would have been able to roll his penalty into the net the way he did.

"It would probably have got stuck in the mud before it reached the line - it could be a pretty heavy surface, and Cloughie must have been a genius to get us playing such decent football on it. But reaching a semi-final is a nice reward for the supporters.

"It gives them something to look forward to - this club has had some famous nights in Europe, against the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid, and maybe there's another one around the corner."

And who knows? In a momentous year for Derby, the player of the season may even go to a player this time.

CAPTION(S):

WHITE KNIGHT Roy McFarland is still worshiped by Derby fans; McFarland in his playing days and (left) with some Derby greats