Dean Sturridge scored one of the most memorable goals of the Jim Smith era at Derby County – and it’s one that many supporters still talk highly of to this day almost 24 years on.
Sturridge, who is now 46, scored 20 goals in 39 appearances during Derby’s promotion-winning 1995/96 campaign under the Bald Eagle.
The frontman went from being a bit-part player under former managers Arthur Cox and Roy McFarland in the early 1990s, during which time went out on loan to Torquay United, to a key member of the team under Smith.
His goalscoring exploits weren’t finished upon Derby gaining promotion to the top-flight, either.
He scored 11 league goals from 30 appearances in the Premiership, now known as the Premier League, in 1996/97, including a stunning strike in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Arsenal in December 1996.
Sturridge is Derby’s all-time Premier League goalscorer with 32 goals, which includes their first in the Premier League era in a 3-3 draw against Leeds United at the Baseball Ground in August 1996, and there’s little doubt that the thrilling afternoon at Highbury is memorable for several reasons.
“I remember that game for the goal I scored and also for the fact I broke Darryl Powell’s nose as well!” Sturridge said in an interview with dcfc.co.uk in 2013.
“We had a clash which I think was before he scored our second goal of the game. The ball was bouncing around in the penalty area and we both went for it, with Darryl ending up with a broken nose.
“I reminded him that the six-yard box was my domain and that he shouldn’t have been there in the first place!
“Going back to the goal I scored, it is one that people talk about a lot and I think that’s down to the fact Highbury was a beautiful stadium and Arsenal were a top side at the time.
“There had been some build-up of it being Ian Wright against Dean Sturridge and the battle of the goalscorers.
“It was a magical day and one where we showed as a Derby County side that we could play at that level.”
He added: “I actually got my goal celebrations from Ian Wright and how ebullient he was when he scored, showing his personality on the football pitch.
“At Highbury I remember him winking at me and telling me that my goal was different class; that was a nice moment because he was one of my heroes at the time.”
Sturridge netted 59 goals for Derby between January 1992 and January 2001 after coming through the youth set-up.
He made 214 appearances in total for the Rams and he went on to have spells at Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers and Kidderminster Harriers before retiring.
Sturridge believes the arrival of Smith, assisted by Steve McClaren, transformed both the fortunes of both Derby and himself.
Smith handed him the chance to showcase his talents as an out-and-out striker and he didn’t disappoint as he grasped the opportunity to impress with both hands.
Sturridge looks back with great fondness on that particular period of his career.
He said: “Jim Smith and Steve McClaren made a difference to all the players to be fair. They were very thorough throughout the week in terms of the intensity of training and their tactical acumen.
“What they did at that time is probably all around the world now, but back then they had the foresight to put that impression on the team.
“On a personal basis, I was given the opportunity to be an out-and-out striker. At every club, if you’re a young striker coming through you are mainly played in a wide position to start off with because you’re not yet trusted to play down the middle.
“Jim Smith gave me the opportunity to play regularly as a striker and it fitted in well with the components of the rest of the team.”
He added: “We had midfielders like Robin van der Laan, Lee Carsley and Darryl Powell who would dig in and then the likes of myself, Paulo Wanchope and Ajosa Asanovic, playing in the number ten role, would do the damage.
“At one stage we were called the entertainers because of our style of football. A catalyst for that was Igor Stimac at the back; he was casual, elegant and confident and it spread to the rest of the team.”
Want to see Sturridge’s memorable strike at Highbury again and the entire 2-2 draw at Arsenal from December 1996 in full? Log on to dcfc.co.uk from 7:45pm on Tuesday evening to watch a full re-run of the game in the latest edition of Matchday Relived, brought to you by 32Red.
