One of the famous Rams heroes of 1969 was Alan Hinton, who now lives in the States. Pat Parkin caught up with him to chat about the 60s magic and that man called Clough.

IT would embarrass Alan Hinton, who was considered to be an old-fashioned winger, to be likened to David Beckham.

The former star in Derby's 1968-69 championship team has certainly never wanted the millionaire celebrity lifestyle enjoyed by the former Manchester United player.

Yet the talent displayed four decades ago by the man fans affectionately nicknamed Gladys – because of his wavy hair and "poncy" white boots – was similar in style to that so admired today in Becks.

"His ability to cross a ball with either foot from any position amounts almost to genius. He can put over a ball on a sixpence to wherever the forwards want it," was how Brian Clough and Peter Taylor described Hinton back in 1967 when he joined Derby County from Nottingham Forest. The fee was £29,500 and there was talk that the Reds' directors believed it was a good deal because Clough would be asking for his money back very soon.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. The dynamic duo had spotted in Hinton the talent they desperately needed and believed they could mould him to become the lynch pin of their team. Later, after Derby won the Second and First Division titles over a four-year period, Hinton was described as the creator-in-chief.

Looking back 40 years to his early days with the Rams, Alan says Clough and Taylor gave him confidence and the opportunity to return to top-class football. "I thought my career was nearly over. I was pretty down about it, so was delighted and flattered when Brian and Peter came after me.

"I didn't settle at Derby at all well in the beginning but Brian handled the situation perfectly. He knew how to build people up when they needed it and pull them down again if they got too full of themselves. He was a smart handler of people, very articulate and admired by most players. So long as you did the job he wanted, you were fine."

The first season was one of re-building and the second brought the success everyone longed for.

"We topped the Second Division before the season was over and spent the next few weeks celebrating.

"I shall never forget the parade the team made all around Derbyshire on an open-top bus. The fans were everywhere cheering us and none of us really believed it all.

"When I was discussing my signing the year before, Brian had said: 'Just make sure you are on the boat because next year this boat is going to take off and you will want to be on it. You are just beginning the ride of a life-time'.

"He was so convincing you couldn't not have signed. The best happened when he signed up Dave Mackay; he was magic."

Alan believes the success of Clough and Taylor lay in them working together. "They were pure genius, way ahead of their time." Of course, there was a blip or two along the way, one of which is now being documented on the big screen thanks to the success of The Damned United, which looks back at Clough's short stint as boss at Leeds.

"It was sad about Brian's 44-day reign at Leeds. Perhaps it shouldn't have happened," said Alan. "There had always been aggression between them and Derby. It might have worked if Peter had gone with him to soften things off. He could talk Brian out of things he didn't think he should do. "

Alan, who now lives in America, was delighted to hear that Nigel had taken over the Rams.

"His dad would have been very proud. I remember Brian used to take him and Simon with us when we were on the pre-season matches in Europe. They used to love playing cards and Alan Durban made up the four with Brian and his sons. The rest of us were very often sent off to bed early while those kids, who must have been under 10, stayed up playing cards. It really used to wind us all up. It was just one of Brian's tricks to keep us on our toes."

In 1976, the year after his young son Matthew died of leukaemia, Alan retired at the age of 34 and he and his wife Joy moved to America. He played or coached football teams in the North American Soccer League like Dallas Tornadoes, Vancouver White Caps, and the Seattle Sounders.

Today the couple live in Seattle where Alan broadcasts on television and radio about local football teams.