Henry Newton is pictured above playing for Derby at The Baseball Ground - as the mud indicates.
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Twenty-nine year old Henry Newton signed for Derby County in September
1973. He was Brian Clough's last signing as the "Rams"manager, Everton
being paid £100000 for the services of the midfielder who had already
tallied over 350 appearances for the Merseyside club and Nottingham
Forest. The furore that surrounded Clough's unexpected resignation the
following month eventually subsided when Dave Mackay was appointed
manager. Although Newton initially retained his place in the side,
Mackay's signing of fellow Scot Bruce Rioch in February 1974 restricted
his appearances for the remainder of the 1973/74 season. He netted his
only goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw at Southampton, County
eventually finished in third place in the First Division table, albeit
fourteen points behind the emphatic champions Leeds United. Henry
regained his place early in the 1974/75 season and went on to make
thirty-five league appearances. His performances alongside those of
Rioch and Archie Gemmill were the fulcrum for Derby's second
championship sucess in four seasons.
The trio were an almost perfect
combination; Gemmill's endless running and Rioch's attacking attributes
were balanced by Newton's competetive nature and uncanny ability to do
the simple things very well. Henry also netted a trio of important
goals, scoring in consecutive victories against Manchester City,
Liverpool and Wolverhampton. The following season Newton played in
thirty-three games and scored his only goal of the campaign in a 3-2
home sucess against Middlesborough. He also played in both of County's
epic European Cup games against Real Madrid, although his contribution
in the second fixture in Spain, when the "Rams" exited the competition
on a 6-5 aggregate, was restricted by injury. Henry's last game for the
club was in the 1976/77 season; a 0-0 draw against Arsenal at Highbury.
In all competitions he made 156 appearances, including seven as a
substitute. On leaving the Baseball Ground he played briefly for Walsall
before injury forced his retirement from the game. (Mike Cockayne)
After leaving Derby County Henry Newton played 16 games for Walsall before retiring.
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