'It will forever be the 'lost' goal of that 1988-89 season - and it’s a shame because I seem to remember it was a belter'

Back at home I’ve still got an extensive collection of Derby County videos, dating back from the 1980s and 1990s.

I don’t know why but I can’t bring myself to throw any of them away.

I still have an antiquated video recorder on which to play them, which I do from time to time when Mrs J is on a late shift (Shh! Don’t tell her, she thinks I’m doing housework).

The other day I dusted off one called The Derby County Story 1988-89. It never fails to cheer me up, mainly because that was the season that the Rams finished fifth in what was the old Division One, beating the likes of Arsenal, Everton, Spurs and Manchester United along the way.

The video was part of a series produced in conjunction with the Football League. It was revolutionary. For the first time a video was produced for each club in the First Division telling the story of their season.

They even made some compilation videos of the best goals and even the best saves - although I don’t think the latter sold all that well.

With the season review videos what we were promised was every goal from every game.

However, this wasn’t quite the case with Derby’s season review. That season, Derby had started the campaign slowly (no change there then!).

In particular, goals had proven difficult to come by. That was until a home game against Wimbledon on October 29, 1988 - a game which I happened to be a ball boy for.

It marked the debut of our new £1 million Welsh international striker - Dean Saunders.

The Rams spanked the Crazy Gang 4-1, with Saunders bagging a brace. The other Derby goals came from Gary Micklewhite and Mel Sage.

But hang on, what’s this every goal every game thing? Other Rams fans who own this video will know that Mel Sage’s goal is missing!

Although at the time I thought it was brilliant to watch Derby’s entire season on one video - I felt a little bit short-changed that his goal was not on there, and I’m sure Mel felt the same.

It will forever be the “lost” goal of that 1988-89 season - and it’s a shame because I seem to remember it was a belter.

I can’t remember the full details as it was a long time ago but I seem to recall it was a long range effort which gave the keeper no chance.

As I say, my memories of it are a little sketchy as I was on ball boy duty at the other end of the ground at the corner of C Stand and the Osmaston End.

It wasn’t the only piece of hard luck Mel suffered when he was playing for Derby. Over the five-year period he was at the Rams he had a lot of bad luck with injuries. Ultimately, it was injury that cut short his career.

At the time, I played right full-back for Repton - so, when I went to watch Derby I always used to watch closely who was playing in the same position for us to see if there was anything I could learn.

Mel was a right full-back - and he was good. We signed him in 1986 after getting promotion from Division Three to Division Two.

Mel had caught Derby’s eye for his performances at Gillingham, where he was named Player of the Year at the end of the 1985-86 season.

Derby snapped him up for just £60,000 and he went on to become an important part of the side that won the Second Division championship in 1986-87 and promotion to the First Division.

However, the following season, just four minutes into the Rams opening game in the top flight against Luton Town, Sage was the victim of a horrific so-called tackle by Hatters’ striker Mick Harford (who, of course would later play for Derby).

Back in those days you had to do something pretty horrendous to earn a straight red card. Suffice to say, Harford was shown a straight red.

Derby went on to win the match 1-0 but it was little consolation for Sage who had to go off injured because of Harford’s abhorrent challenge.

For me, Sage was never the same player after that. He had a lengthy spell out - but to his credit did make a comeback. But in November, 1991, he sustained a serious knee injury and in 1992 decided to hang up his boots at the age of 28.

In all, Sage made 140 appearances for Derby - and if it hadn’t been for his bad luck with injury, he would have made many more.