It was my big sister Sue who was blessed with the looks in the Stelling family. She was still at High School when she won the inaugural ‘Miss Hartlepool’ contest in 1967. One of her first duties was to have the first dance at a special ball with the brash, bright, young manager of the local football club. His name was Brian Clough.
Clough had been appointed manager late in 1965, bringing with him his partner Peter Taylor. He was the youngest manager in the English Football League. In the 18 months the pair were there, they won nothing but transformed the club from regular re-election seekers to promotion contenders.
He incorporated the spindly legged schoolboy John McGovern who would later twice lift the European Cup as Nottingham Forest captain, into the side. He was relentless in his efforts to raise the profile – and much needed funds – of the club, going as far as driving the team coach on one occasion. He put Hartlepool United on the map.
But in 1967, he left to join Derby County, taking Taylor with him. We’d offered him a salary of £3,250 – including bonuses - to stay, but mysteriously he wasn’t tempted.
The rest is history. He returned to sign McGovern for £6,000 three years later. Our goalkeeper Les Green also ended up at the Baseball Ground. And in 1972, with Hartlepool on the brink of going out of business, he saved them by paying £3,000 for central defender Tony Parry. Derby already had Roy McFarland, Colin Todd and Terry Hennessy on their books and Parry barely kicked a ball for them. It was a great philanthropic gesture – albeit using Derby’s money!
The statue of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor outside Derby's Pride Park
My sister was the one who was really responsible for my passion for Hartlepool United. When I was seven and not old enough to go alone, I would nag her relentlessly to take me to games. She would often sucumb and usually would be the only woman in the Town End or on the Mill House side, braving the icy winds that whistled in off the North Sea, just to please her little brother.
By coincidence Sue followed Clough to Derby – not literally, but for her job. She worked in the centre and lived on the outskirts. She would never get to enjoy Clough's great European footballing triumphs. She never saw me appear on TV. At the age of 37, she collapsed and died at home. Blessed with good looks but tragically not good luck.
Brian's path and mine crossed from time to time in the years that followed. Very occasionally, he was an entertaining but hugely unpredictable guest on Soccer Saturday. I have a bronze of him proudly sitting in my office at home, presented to me with the blessing of his family.
Brian Clough in his Derby days
• Brian Clough obituary: 'One of Britain's greatest managers'
So football and family links mean I’ve got a bit of soft spot for Derby County. I think a lot of older Pools fans also have an affinity for them because of the Clough connection. Don’t get me wrong. They’re not my second team. I don’t believe in that. One person, one passion, one team is my philosophy. I hope we can be the weekend's giant killers when we meet in the third round of the FA Cup.
We did just that in our only other FA Cup meeting back in 1984. Derby that day had John Robertson and Kenny Burns in their side so it was a proper upset. This time round, even though Paul Clement will rest some of his Championship stars, the chances are that former England man Darren Bent and ex-Villa star Andreas Weimann will lead their attack, so that’s not too shabby.
We will certainly need luck on our side too, just as it was against Salford City in round two. In the replay, they battered us for 90 minutes until, like Foreman against Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle, they had punched themselves out and allowed Scotty Fenwick to land a knock-out blow.
Mikael Mandron seals victory for Hartlepool over Salford
There’s no question that we will be on the ropes at times on Saturday, but like every other lower league side we have a puncher's chance. And if Ronnie Moore and his side can produce the shock of the weekend, my celebrations at around 4.45pm on Soccer Saturday will be off the Richter scale, so I will apologise in advance. I may have a soft spot for Derby, but remember it's one person ,one team.
For me and my sis, that team is Hartlepool.
Hartlepool may not get to Wembley this season. But I will. Along with Chief Executive Russ Green, we will be walking the 260 miles from Victoria Park to Wembley from March 21st to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK. 10 marathons in 10 days. And one of the clubs we will be stopping at is...Derby County
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