For those of us of a certain age it will feel familiar on Saturday, we will be doing exactly the same thing as we did on the same weekend back in 1989, heading to Derby in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

On 7th January 1989 we travelled to Derby County for a 3rd round FA Cup tie and here we are again on Saturday doing the same thing only two days short of the 30th anniversary.

Undoubtedly there will be a fair few at Pride Park who were also at the Baseball Ground all those years ago, however much has changed, as mentioned we will be heading for Pride Park, Derby's home for the past 20 years and not the Baseball Ground a hotchpotch of a stadium that almost made the Dell look normal.

A look in the mirror will be different as well, there will be old age pensioners going this weekend who were in their mid 30's back then, men in their 50's who were fresh faced 20 somethings and middle aged men who had not even started secondary school back then, it seems so long ago, but then again barely yesterday just where did those 30 years go.

in 1989 17,178 assembled at the Baseball Ground including if my memory serves me right around 3,000 Saints supporters, Derby were a decent team back then, they had signed both Peter Shilton and Mark Wright from us and would finish 5th in the League and here is a little bit more deja vu for those who have been moaning about players leaving Saints, there was a feeling that in the past few years, players of this quality had been allowed to leave and had been replaced with inferior players.

Our team only a few years earlier for an FA Cup Semi Final had read Shilton, Holmes, Dennis, Wright, Case, Bond, Lawrence, Cockerill, Moran, Armstrong, D Wallace with Andy Townsend as sub, it wasn't quite as strong as two years before that but still formidable.

For the trip to Derby our team read, Burridge, Forrest, Statham, Blake, Moore, Osman, Le Tissier, Case D Wallace, G Baker, Rod Wallace sub Rideout, on paper far weaker than the side of a couple of seasons or so earlier.

But there is a moral, yes we weren't happy with the team back then, but we had several youngsters about to break through, Le Tissier was still just promising and the likes of Rod Wallace, Shearer etc yet to emerge, but in the following 12 months they would blossom alongside astute signings like Neil Ruddock and we would flourish again, so for those not around 30 years ago things can change quickly in football.

Back to 1989 though, this game finished 1-1 , Derek Statham had given us a second half lead from the penalty spot and we looked good for a win and had several good chances either squandered or saved, it was looking good as the final minute approached we looked comfortable and Derby had barely troubled us when Derby humped it forward more in hope than expectation, but we had dropped our concentration, the ball sailed past several of our men who really should have cleared it and at the back post was another ex Saint, this time Trevor Hebberd to head home, does this all sound familiar, I thought it might, so all those who rant on social media about Saints should be aware, nothing has happened in the past two years that we haven't seen before and come through.

The replay at the Dell was only three days later, 16,233 were in attendance, back then the cup meant something, this was around 1,500 more than our average for the season, but they had seen it all before even back then, Saints dominated the first half and indeed the early stages of the second but on the hour were undone, a poor back pass saw Derby capitalise and take a lead they barely deserved.

However we levelled within a minute with a low drive from Gerry Forrest and Saints resumed their domination, but they found Peter Shilton in fine form and couldn't force a winner.

Extra time came and within 5 minutes Saints were behind again with Callaghan scoring for the visitors with a 25 yard drive out of nowhere, this time there would be no way back we were deflated and Derby saw out the last 25 minutes with Saints knowing they had dominated 210 minutes of football, well all bar 3 and yet were still out of the cup, again this would not be the first time nor the last that Saints fans had witnessed this.

So here we are again back ar Derby 30 years later, a lot has changed in that time, we have seen perhaps the lowest point in the Club's history and some great high's, football is a game where there is no guarantee's, we go week in week out for those rare high's and they are all the sweeter when they come for the experience of the lows.

Photo: Action Images

bstokesaint added 13:00 - Jan 4 We really need to go for it in the cup. Derby will certainly fancy their chances of an upset so we need to show how we kept a clean sheet against Chelsea. Given that I reckon we should have enough to get away from the drop in the league, put simply if we go out of the cup this season will literally be over for us in Jan. PS, Nick I know a few 65 year olds who would be horrified as being described as “old age” pensioners :) !!

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SAINTSNIL added 13:37 - Jan 4 I thought Yoshida was in the team that day, and had a stinker.
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SanMarco added 18:15 - Jan 4 Yes - I remember it well - not sure we were as dominant as this makes out but let's hope for a better result tomorrow...
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underweststand added 21:54 - Jan 4 FA Cup 3rd round games mark my anniversary as a Saints fan. This year it's 60 years. My first game was an FA Cup 3rd round match - on 16 January 1959. (OK 2 weeks away) but for this reason I always reference 3rd Cup ties. Saints (Div.3 South then) had drawn First Div. Blackpool (for the second time in 6 years), and just over 29000 fans piled into The Dell to see Blackpool's team of internationals and in particular one player ..Stanley Matthews.. (just weeks short of his 44th birthday). (why are we letting " that young Davis fellow" leave now? ..(joke, joke) It was a bitterly cold day as I stood with my father on the embankment "under the clock". Both sides scored in the first half, but it was Matthews who had the last word, when he crossed a ball onto the head of Ray Charnley who gave the Saints keeper no chance, Saints lost that game 1-2.. (just as they had done previously in 1953). Of course, there have been a lot happier days since then, but its the 3rd round FA Cup games that stay in my memory ...for obvious reasons. As for the Derby game, I expect to see even more Academy graduates in the line-up , in place of those first teamers amongst the "walking wounded", and as the U23's beat Stoke 2-0 on Friday evening - WITHOUT their regular players; Ramsay, Barnes, Johnson, Slattery and O'Driscoll, it remains to be seen if any of them will get game time. This is the sort of game that Championship clubs look to win when they draw a struggling Prem.side, so it will be interesting to see if Ralph can outwit Frank Lampard's selection as Derby are going well at present and pushing for a play-off spot. There is always the hope that Saints can give me an anniversary present- with a Cup win.

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SaintBrock added 10:41 - Jan 5 I wish some of you guys would stop reminding us how old we are. The Wizard of the Dribble visiting our humble abode has been an abiding memory for many of us. I'm sure he wore a Tangerine shirt despite our stripes on that occasion but.... it wasn't the first time that the great man had graced our turf, he was also on the winning Blackpool side in the 5th Round replay at the Dell in 1953, oddly the score was the same. I was at that one as well... respect please!

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underweststand added 18:36 - Jan 5 Nick (!)...I have to go along with Saint Brock (and no doubt a few others) in connection with your usage of "old age pensioners". It's hardly PC these days. A little respect please. A phrase that came out of the pre-War times, but nowadays you might refer to us as "seniors" or something more a bit more gracious. YES - it was a long time ago, and I can even recall my late father often referring to Charlie Wayman as the legend of his era. For those "younger fans " who have never heard his name, you can find a selection of film clips of Matthews on YOU TUBE. including his MoM performance in what came to be known as "the Matthews Cup Final" in the early 1950's Admitedly, the pace was a bit slower than the rush and tumble of todays game, but you'd have to admit he had wonderful ball control, and the ability to cross a ball " on a 6d. (thats' old money)... .but today I don't feel "old "... even though I get a paltry pension.

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