Ranking the top 8 best Derby County strikers of all-time | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at Derby County's eight best strikers in their history, and ranks them from eighth to first.

Derby County have a history of sensational forwards who have helped take the club on a journey from the third tier to the very top of English football over the course of their 142-year existence.

The Rams' current crop of strikers is also relatively strong, with Carlton Morris, Patrick Agyemang and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen all donning the black-and-white and taking on the responsibility of scoring vital goals in their push for a top six finish in the Championship.

However, you'll have to go back to the 1970s for the East Midlands outfit's golden days, and supporters still have fond memories of those who led the line as the club won two First Division titles in the 1971/72 and 1974/75 campaigns.

Now, Football League World has taken a look at the eight best strikers in Derby's history, and ranked them from eighth to first. It may not come as a surprise to see who leads the way.

8 ? ? Alan Durban

In eighth place, FLW have Alan Durban. He played his football for the Rams between 1963 and 1973, playing a crucial role in Brian Clough's title-winning campaign in 1972, as well as promotion to the First Division in 1969.

However, it was during his first few years at the club where he truly showed his class. In total, the Welsh forward scored 93 goals in 346 league appearances, with 22 of those coming during the 1964/65 season.

He played in a slightly deeper role under Clough, but continued to perform and his place in Derby's history books will forever remain.

7 ? ? Sammy Crooks

Sammy Crooks is a player that may not be overly well-known outside the city of Derby, but to those with a significant interest in the Rams' storied history, the forward is a player who etched his name into club folklore after playing over 400 times from 1927, all the way until his last appearance in 1946.

Born in 1908 in County Durham, Crooks is credited with scoring 110 goals in 448 appearances for the team, and he only just missed out on featuring in the 1946 FA Cup final, with a knee injury denying him the chance of featuring at Wembley.

His name is now etched upon Derby's Young Player of the Season award, and for a fee of £300, there is no denying just how good of a player he was in the pre-war era. He went on to earn 27 caps for England, scoring seven times.

6 ? ? Charlie George

Charlie George is perhaps best remembered for his time with Arsenal, however, he did also make over 100 appearances for the Rams, scoring 34 goals. While he did not quite reach the numbers of some of the players on this list, it was the importance of those strikes that will be fondly remembered.

George was the hero for the Rams during their historic 4-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Baseball Ground in October 1975, scoring a hat-trick just a few months after joining the club. While his team would lose the return leg 5-1, it remains one of the greatest days in the East Midlands outfit's history.

He continued to be a really key player for Dave McKay, and was crucial to their European qualification in 1976, before eventually leaving for the USA in 1978.

5 ? ? Bobby Davison

Bobby Davison is a hero to many of those in the stands at Pride Park right now, and it's no surprise considering just how strong his impact was during his first five years with Derby - in which he made over 200 appearances between 1982 and 1987.

He scored over 100 goals in all competitions, with 83 of those coming in the league, as the Rams went from the Third Division to the First Division under Arthur Cox, with 5ft 8in striker setting the English Football League alight throughout.

Davison returned on loan from Leeds United in 1990, making a further 10 appearances, in which he scored eight goals.

4 ? ? Jack Bowers

Jack Bowers is Derby’s third top scorer of all time, as the Scunthorpe-born forward fired in 183 goals in 220 matches while playing for the East Midlands outfit. He spent nine years with the club from 1927 to 1936, and he finished as the Football League's top scorer on two occasions.

Throughout his time with the Rams, they were consistently fighting towards the top of the First Division, and they finished second twice, and it would be another 40 years until they finally got their hands on the league title.

Nevertheless, he was a crucial player in the pre-war era for Derby and he earned three caps for England during his career.

3 ? ? Jackie Stamps

Another player whose name is now tagged onto an award at Derby, Jackie Stamps played an invaluable part in putting the club on the map as he scored twice during the 1946 FA Cup final against Charlton Athletic as his side won 4-1.

Stamps never got the chance to shine in his prime properly, as his time with the Rams was disrupted by the Second World War, yet he still scored 126 goals for the club before leaving for Shrewsbury Town in 1953.

His name is now adorned on the Player of the Season award, which was won by Ebou Adams during the 2024/25 campaign.

2 ? ? Kevin Hector

Kevin Hector is Mr Derby County. No other player in the club's history has made more appearances, with the striker playing 589 times for the team in all competitions across two separate spells, and he scored a number of goals in that time.

In total, Hector found the back of the net 201 times for the Rams, and helped the club to both of their First Division titles, as well as their 1975 Charity Shield (Community Shield) victory over West Ham United at Wembley Stadium.

The forward stuck around the Derbyshire area after leaving for the second time in 1982, playing for the likes of Heanor Town, Gresley Rovers and Belper Town. Nevertheless, he will never be forgotten for his time with Derby, and the records that he set.

1 ? ? Steve Bloomer

A bust of the legendary Steve Bloomer sits next to the home dugout at Pride Park watching on, with the club's anthem 'Steve Bloomer's Watching' acknowledging just how crucial he was to Derby as a whole footballing institution.

The first football superstar, Bloomer made his debut for the Rams in 1891, and spent the next 15 years in the East Midlands outfit before rejoining the team from Middlesbrough for another four-year stint in 1910.

No player has scored more goals for Derby than Bloomer, with the legendary striker finding the back of the net on 322 occasions in 525 games. He was also a star for England, for whom he scored 28 goals in just 23 games between 1895 and 1907.

Despite a lack of footage of his time with the Rams, there is no denying his place in the club's history and he will forever be remembered as the greatest player to have ever donned the shirt.