In the Derby County Complete Record, Gerald Mortimer describes John O’Hare as having ‘no pace or physicality but essential for Derby’s style – marvellous ball control, could hold passes under intense pressure, totally unselfish’. As Brian Clough and Peter Taylor’s first signing for Derby, the Scottish forward played 308 times for the Rams between August 1967 and August 1974, scoring 81 goals. Known to his team mates as ‘Solly’, John’s main role was to bring others into play while defenders of the time would snap into tackles that would not be acceptable in today’s game.

“My Solly nickname is from my primary school days,” John explains. “My teacher used to get me to recite the Solomon Grundy nursery rhyme most days, so my friends in class started calling me Solomon which then became Solly. By 11 or 12 years old nearly everyone knew me as Solly and my mum wasn’t pleased. When I went to Sunderland in 1962 I became John again. The following year, Bobby Kerr moved to Sunderland and he knew me as Solly so everyone started calling me that again. Then when I moved to Derby, I became John again. Colin Todd arrived and he knew me as Solly. So it’s followed me everywhere from 8 years of age.”

A striker for Middlesbrough and Sunderland, Brian Clough scored 251 league goals in 274 appearances but a serious knee injury meant he retired from playing at just 29 years old. Clough was a youth team coach at Sunderland before securing his first managerial role at Hartlepools United in October 1965, becoming the youngest manager in the league. When he arrived at the Baseball Ground in June 1967, Clough already knew about John O’Hare. But the story of how John signed for the Rams was not as simple as already knowing the manager.

“Manager Ian McColl put me on the transfer list at Sunderland for writing an article in the Daily Mail about being left out of the team. I didn’t get on well with him. Daily Mail journalist Doug Weatherall used to travel on the team bus so I got to know him. Doug was pally with Brian Clough and that’s how he got in touch with me. I came to Derby because of Brian. The fact that Brian was there and I knew what he could do, a very ambitious manager that wanted to get to the very top. I signed without ever having been to Derby. They had good crowds and it felt like a football town.”

John made his Derby County debut against Charlton Athletic at the Baseball Ground on 19 August 1967.

“I remember very little, we won 3-2 and I scored in my first game, it was nice to get off to a winning start but it was nothing to write home about really. Darren Campbell was playing for Charlton, a Scottish lad.”

Although John did not realise at the time, signing for Derby was the first step to becoming a club legend as one of a very select group of players to have won a Division One championship medal with the Rams. John remembers what it was like working under the management duo Clough and Taylor from week to week.

“Jack Burkitt was the trainer, and Jimmy Gordon. Cloughie would come down occasionally and join in 5 a side and try to score a goal, but not that often. We would never see Peter at the training ground, they left it to the trainers. Jimmy was a lovely man and knew what Cloughie and Peter wanted. That was normal at the time. The manager was the football club manager and the trainer did the training.”

In Roy Mac: Clough’s Champion, Roy McFarland tells a story about a time after a heavy defeat one Saturday at Middlesbrough when Clough called the team in for training on Sunday. Clough’s angry rant was along the lines of: ‘none of you can score, you’re missing too many chances, one season I scored 20 goals by Christmas’. Then John O’Hare, known for being one of the quietest in the group, spoke up and said: ‘it was 22, gaffer’. John recalled: “That was right! I was a statistician. Cloughie always scored at least 20 goals by Christmas every season anyway.”

Clough was outspoken and it is well known that he would tell players bluntly what he thought of them in front of the whole team, especially if they had suffered an embarrassing defeat.

“The thing he said most of all to me – ‘you didn’t get hold of the ball, you didn’t get in front of the defender enough’ which was the way I played. He would go through number 1-11 and tell you what you should be doing and what you didn’t do. Dave [Mackay] may have been the only one excused that, but no-one else.”

Well known as a striker or inside forward, John also has experience playing in a completely different role for the Rams – as goalkeeper.

“I went in goal one game against Bristol City (a 3-1 win in April 1968 at the Baseball Ground) when Colin Boulton had to go off. I caught or punched one corner and that was about it, never conceded! I wasn’t uncomfortable going in goal because I was a goalkeeper as a child – my first game for the school team was as goalkeeper.”

The Derby Evening Telegraph match report from the Monday after the game confirms that Boulton had to go off for six minutes to receive treatment for a wrist injury and O’Hare ‘deputised admirably’.  

John played in every game in his first season at Derby as the team finished 18^th in Division Two and was nearly ever-present again in the 1968/1969 season when the Rams finished 7 points clear of Crystal Palace to win promotion as champions. Derby, and O’Hare, adapted well to life in the top division finishing fourth and ninth in the next two seasons. Then came the 1971/1972 season, by the end of which Derby County would be crowned Division One champions for the first time in their history.

Perhaps the game that John is best remembered for by Derby supporters is the 2-0 win against Leeds United at the Baseball Ground on 1 April 1972. Although John cannot remember many games, or goals, from his career, he does recall that famous win, which was also his 200^th appearance for the Rams. John scored the first goal, a near post header past Gary Sprake from Alan Durban’s cross on the left, and also played a crucial part in the second goal. Kevin Hector led a counter attack from well inside Derby’s own half then played a low pass behind the defence into the Leeds penalty box to O’Hare, whose shot was saved by Sprake then rebounded off Norman Hunter for an own goal.

Roy McFarland described John’s role that day as an ‘immense performance which defined John O’Hare’s career. Nobody in that Derby team put his body on the line for the cause more often than John, who took such a kicking from the defenders that when he peeled his socks off in the dressing room we could see his calves and ankles had turned black and blue. John was the man we always looked to as the focal point to launch attacks. We knew we could chip the ball up to him and it would stick, 9 times out of 10.’

“The black and blue ankles is probably a bit of an exaggeration!” says John. “Jack Charlton wouldn’t try to hurt you, Norman Hunter was nastier, little Billy was fiery. Getting hold of the ball with your back to goal [and being fouled and kicked] was just something that happened. I quite enjoyed playing against Jack. Leeds were probably the best team in Europe, a great team so to get a result like that was terrific. To beat that Leeds team that day was something special.”

The win against Leeds ensured that Derby were top of the table after 36 games, but Manchester City, Leeds and Liverpool were all close behind. The Rams won only two of their next five games before a John McGovern goal was enough to defeat Liverpool 1-0 at the Baseball Ground in Derby’s final league game on Monday 1 May. Although Derby were top of the table by a point, Leeds and Liverpool could overtake the Rams if they won their final game – away games to Wolves and Arsenal respectively – a week later. The delay was due to Leeds playing Arsenal in the FA Cup final, just two days before the concluding fixtures.

Meanwhile, Derby’s players and Peter Taylor headed off to Cala Millor in Mallorca for a well-earned break while Brian Clough and his family went to the Isles of Scilly. How confident were the Derby players of winning the league at that point?

“In the last few games, [the championship] felt like it was slipping away but it was incredible that the final result went our way. For most of the season we were really in with a shout, but when we went to Mallorca we didn’t think the result would go the way it did. We stayed up late until the early morning waiting for a phone call so we could know the results. It was quite a nail biting wait. Peter was trying to do everything to find out.”

As it turned out, neither Leeds nor Liverpool would win their game in hand which meant that Derby County became champions of England for the first time. There is a great photo of the Derby team celebrating winning the league sat on a diving board at their hotel pool in swimming trunks and sombreros.

One character on Derby’s regular trips to Cala Millor in the late 1960s and early 1970s was goalkeeper Les Green. To describe him as a practical joker would be an understatement.

“Les was crazy, he would climb over balconies! One time he moved a bed from one balcony to another 5 floors up – he was quite strong. Then once when we were training at Bisham Abbey, Les climbed up a tree and jumped out when Alan Durban and Alan Hinton walked past. He was crazy, mad!”

Having played in all but two league games in the 1971/1972 season – scoring 13 goals in the process – John made 34 league appearances the next season. But as the 1973/1974 season began, Derby’s number 9 started to find himself left out of the team. Then, on the evening of 15 October 1973, the unthinkable happened. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor resigned.

“Brian was a special manager; all the players were upset. We did what we could to get the chairman to change his mind but it didn’t happen. When Dave [Mackay] came in he was accepted quite quickly, he was probably one of the few people who could take the job and be accepted”.

John played 7 times in the league in the 1973/1974 season and made his final appearance for Derby in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham at the Baseball Ground on New Year’s Day 1974. After 7 years at Derby, John moved on to Leeds United in the summer of 1974 where Brian Clough had recently been appointed manager.

John recalled: “Roger Davies had broken through before Dave came, and at the end of my time at Derby I was playing more in midfield and wasn’t playing regularly so it was time to move on. I wasn’t on the transfer list, and Cloughie wanted to take me to Leeds.”

The Damned United

It is well documented how the Leeds United players did not accept Brian Clough as their manager when he moved to Elland Road in July 1974. As one of ‘Clough’s men,’ how was he received by the players when at Leeds United?

“Alright, it never felt awkward. The players were absolutely fine. The fans might have given me a boo now and again! I knew the Scottish guys – Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray. I never felt like an outsider. There was definitely an anti-Brian Clough feeling. I didn’t have to be there long to realise the players were not going to accept Cloughie as manager. I’ve not got a bad word to say about Leeds. The ‘cheating bastards, throw all your medals in the bin’ quote – I don’t know what impression he tried to make, but it didn’t work. At that stage I got the feeling he was not going to be there very long.”

On one occasion, John was being driven to training in Leeds from his home in Derby by striker Duncan McKenzie when they were stopped by police for speeding.

“We were stopped near Alfreton for doing 82mph. I didn’t see the police car until they were at the side of us as the car was filled with smoke. Duncan would pick me up and by the time we got to Sheffield he’d have had three fags. He could jump over cars. An amazing athlete, but he smoked like a chimney.”

Brian Clough lasted 44 days as manager of Leeds United before being sacked, but it would not be long before he would be reunited again with John O’Hare. After six appearances and one goal for Leeds, John joined Clough at Nottingham Forest, then in Division Two, in February 1975.

The other end of the A52

Derby County won the Division One championship for a second time in 1975 while John was playing for arch-rivals Nottingham Forest. How did John feel about Derby winning the Division One title given that he had a lot of friends still playing for the Rams?

“I was delighted for them. I can remember being in the Pennine Hotel the night they became champions at the end of the season – I was at the do. I used to go to watch European games like against Real Madrid and enjoyed watching them.”

In 1977, John went to see Brian Clough about an opportunity to play for the Dallas Tornadoes in the North American Soccer League (NASL) on loan, which involved a former Derby County team mate.

“Alan [Hinton – who had signed for Dallas in 1976] came round to my house at the end of the season and said: ‘do you fancy it?’. I was a bit part player at Forest so went to see Cloughie, it was a good opportunity and life experience. So he let me go. I had a great time and had two seasons there. It is difficult to say what standard, it wasn’t top level but there were a lot of good players and older players. Dallas had 5 or 6 British players, there were two or three young Liverpool reserve players and a couple of Mexican players. Pele and Beckenbauer were there [in the NASL]. Training was hard, serious stuff. Training throughout the season with Clough and Taylor was never that hard. There was more running, especially in the high temperatures and I was getting on a bit. And we started at 9am.”

“One of my first games was a draw against New York [known as just Cosmos at the time].The shootout was from the 35 yard line and you had 5 seconds to score a goal. I scored the winning goal in the shootout; I went around the goalkeeper and he pulled me down so I took the penalty kick. Who missed for New York was Pele. Our keeper saved it so we won the game. Once we played a game in Hawaii and the game went to a shootout. Most of the time the goalkeeper would come off his line, so my plan was to take two touches then chip it over him. It was the worst attempt ever – the keeper stayed on his line and caught it so that was an embarrassing one!”

Some images of John’s time playing for Dallas Tornadoes can be seen here.

John ended his senior career when he came on as a substitute against Hamburg in Madrid in the 1980 European Cup final, becoming one of the very few Scottish players to win the competition. He was still under contract at Forest the following season but didn’t play so it was time to look to the future.

“I had a pub in Duffield while still a Forest player, the Scarsdale Arms. My wife didn’t have the best of health at the time. I ended up playing for Belper Town which was handy but [running a pub] wasn’t the life for me.”

The Tartan Army

John made his international debut for Scotland against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park, Belfast, on 18 April 1970. Just like his Derby County debut, John scored on his first start and was on the winning side.

“It was a tight game, there were not many chances. I scored the winning goal, a header from a cross on the right. I was staying at my sister’s, I got back to hers for half past nine then went down the local pub – it stayed open a bit later than usual!”

After a playing in a 0-0 draw against Wales a few days later, John’s third international game was another goalless draw against England at Hampden Park where over 137,000 fans were in attendance.

“I missed a chance, but not a sitter. I was wide on the right and went past the goalkeeper and tried to roll the ball in but it went in the side netting. The only thing I think about is if I had scored the winning goal against England, I wouldn’t have had to buy a drink in Scotland ever again!”

John was capped 13 times by Scotland and scored 5 goals. Does he think he should have represented his country on more occasions?

“I turned a trip down to Brazil and Russia one summer because I wanted to be at home in the close season. I don’t know how players manage nowadays [with post-season trips and international call ups]. Tom Docherty came to the training ground to ask Brian Clough for permission but he wouldn’t let Archie and I go. Kenny Dalglish was coming through so he was going to get in the side anyway. To get 13 caps – and mostly winning goals – was good. I enjoyed my time, no complaints.”

Life after playing

“I worked for NEI (Northern Engineering Industries). It was a tough job, physical but really enjoyable. Then I worked at Toyota for 8 or 9 years. When I finished I started scouting for Leicester City for Martin O’Neill and John Robertson looking at top level players abroad. The most outstanding player I saw was Bobo Balde, he stood out as great centre half and had a good career at Celtic. I did reports on European opposition teams so it was a really good time. I was well looked after wherever I went. I looked through an atlas one day and I went to 31 or 32 European countries.”

Favourite goals for Derby

“My favourite goal was against Blackburn in the Second Division. Alan Hinton crossed from the left; it was a left foot volley from around 12 yards. I’ve never hit the ball sweeter. Then one against West Brom at home after playing a couple of one-twos. I don’t really remember that many. I don’t remember that many games.”

Best Derby players John played with

“Dave Mackay considering his age when he came to Derby. A great leader and captain, he could do everything. An all round player. Then Roy McFarland and Kevin Hector were the two outstanding players, Kevin was an electric striker. Colin Todd as well. Brian Clough brought in Todd and Archie Gemmill around the same time, Clough and Taylor were really good at recruitment. Archie wasn’t a well-known name at that time. Todd and Gemmill made a difference and were top players. Alan Durban was a brainy player. Alan Hinton crossing the ball. I could go through the whole team.”

Best player played against

“George Best. I played against him for Sunderland’s youth team at Old Trafford, the first time I had seen him. He was just so good.”

Modern football

“I tend to flick through it a bit, watching on TV I find it a bit boring. Man City may be the best team in the world, but I just find them a bit boring to watch. They have so many great players, they are just so good. The standard and quality and number of top players in the Premier League is phenomenal.”

“I went to three Derby home games last season. Going to football matches is getting less and less. Paul Warne has done a good job. The objective was promotion and he has achieved that.”

The big question

“I have lived in Derby for 57 years so I consider myself a Derby person with more attachment to Derby County than Nottingham Forest, even though my latter days at Forest were really good and I have done hospitality for Forest for quite some time. I’m a Derby – and Sunderland – fan.”