When Derby and Nottingham Forest clash on the pitch, the Rams (as Derby's team is known as) have chuckling rights over the "coffee cup goal."
We've heard of a team's crowd being called "the Sixth Man," well, in Pride Park Stadium in Derby, a coffee cup is now celebrated in team annals (as well as obscure football history) as it's "twelfth man."
The battle between the two teams -- Derby and Nottingham -- is known as the Mid-Eastlands Derby since both are separated by a few miles. And on this day, in March 2004, the Rams cored three scintillating goals in a 37-minute span that upended their rivals. The most curious goal -- the second -- happened when the ball was passed by by the Nottingham defense to then keeper Barry Roche (now with Chesterfield FC). The ball skipped over a coffee cup that was thrown onto the pitch a few minutes before and away from Roche. Derby's Paul Peschisolido raced towards the free ball and slotted in home while Roche stood in horror.
The coffee cup was retrieved and auctioned off later on to raise funds for a statue of Rams' star Steve Bloomer. With Derby's fortunes in the Premiership, fans have wondered if the team should have signed the coffee cup to a contract.
So was it Starbucks or Seattle's Best? It was generic stadium coffee. Sign the bugger!
We've heard of a team's crowd being called "the Sixth Man," well, in Pride Park Stadium in Derby, a coffee cup is now celebrated in team annals (as well as obscure football history) as it's "twelfth man."
The battle between the two teams -- Derby and Nottingham -- is known as the Mid-Eastlands Derby since both are separated by a few miles. And on this day, in March 2004, the Rams cored three scintillating goals in a 37-minute span that upended their rivals. The most curious goal -- the second -- happened when the ball was passed by by the Nottingham defense to then keeper Barry Roche (now with Chesterfield FC). The ball skipped over a coffee cup that was thrown onto the pitch a few minutes before and away from Roche. Derby's Paul Peschisolido raced towards the free ball and slotted in home while Roche stood in horror.
The coffee cup was retrieved and auctioned off later on to raise funds for a statue of Rams' star Steve Bloomer. With Derby's fortunes in the Premiership, fans have wondered if the team should have signed the coffee cup to a contract.
So was it Starbucks or Seattle's Best? It was generic stadium coffee. Sign the bugger!
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