DERBY County midfielder Will Hughes won his 10th England Under-21 cap tonight but was substituted in the 55th minute after suffering an ankle injury.

The 19-year-old started for England in their Under-21 European Championship play-off first leg against Croatia U21s at Molineux but was replaced by Tom Ince in the second half.

England trailed to Marko Livaja's 13th-minute goal when Hughes was replaced but levelled through Harry Kane in the 58th minute.

And Gareth Southgate's side won 2-1 thanks to a Saido Berahino penalty in the 85th minute after he was brought down by the Croatia keeper.

The play-off second leg will be played at the home of HNK Cibalia in Vinkovci on Tuesday (5pm), with the aggregate winners booking a ticket for next summer's European Championships in the Czech Republic.

Southgate said Hughes would be assessed before a decision is made whether he is fit to face Croatia again.

A woman was bitten on her bottom in a dog attack in Melbourne on Friday afternoon.

Police and ambulance crews were called to the incident at 1.35pm.

A dog was on the loose in Church Street and it also bit a man on his leg and arm.

The dog was put under control and the area was pronounced safe.

FORECASTERS have been taking a stab at predicting what will be in store for the UK this winter with everything mooted, from "record snowfall" to another wet and windy month.

But the perils of long-range forecasting are well documented and experts admit trying to say what the weather will do anything beyond five days is a risky business.

This week Midlands Radio Station Signal1 posted a story on its website, which has since been removed, quoting forecasters from Exacta Weather and Vantage Weather Services and concluding in a headline the "worst winter for decades is on its way."

Last year, using similar sources, the Daily Express newspaper infamously ran a headline warning of "100 days of snow". It proved to be one of the wettest and mildest winters on record.

So can we ever trust a long-range forecast?

A spokesman for the Met Office said: "Of course, by their nature, forecasts become less accurate the further out you look.

"Although we can identify general patterns of weather, the science does not exist to allow an exact forecast beyond five days, or to absolutely promise a certain type of weather.

"As a result, 'seasonal forecasts' cannot be as precise as short-term forecasts.

"This is especially true in the UK, one of the hardest places to provide forecasts for because of our size and location."

However, the Met Office does have a go at predicting the future in its three-month outlook, which was also published this week.

It says the current forecasting models suggests the country is in for "milder and wetter than average conditions" for the rest of the year.

This might come as a cruel blow for the thousands of people affected by floods and storms during the winter of 2013 and the chaos that followed in early 2014.

But, by its own admission, the Met Office can only look at probable scenarios and its latest three-month forecast goes on to say: "However, there are still substantial probabilities that average or opposite conditions may occur.

"This is because there are many competing factors that determine what our weather will be like in the coming months."

Online weather experts have been putting out their own predictions for the remainder of the year and how the coldest months will shape up.

Everything from solar activity to volcanic activity in Iceland has been taken into account but few seem to settle on a clear possible outcome.

However, if there is any consensus to find among the barrage of differing opinions, all indications are that we're in for another wet winter. Or possibly a very cold one.

RUSH-HOUR motorists faced delays on Friday night after five vehicles collided on the A38.

The incident happened at the Mickleover junction at about 5pm and left debris on the dual carriageway.

Police cars, fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene and two people had to be pulled from their vehicle.

The northbound lanes were closed, with tailbacks going back miles. The road was fully reopened by 8pm and four were taken to hospital after the collision involving three cars and two vans.

Police criticised some of the drivers who had been driving irresponsibly which added to the traffic problems.

"Lots of the drivers tried to avoid the queues by turning round and going up the slip road the wrong way," a spokeswoman for the force said.

She added: "Thankfully the area is now clear and nobody was injured in the incident. Everybody is safe and well."

She said an officer had to come into work and report drivers who were doing "360-degree turns up the slip road the wrong way".

These issues occurred after the road was reopened.

Burton office worker Emma Turton was stuck in the traffic on her way home to Derby.

She said: "It had been a very busy day and I needed to get home with a glass of wine in front of the television.

"Everybody in the traffic was slow-moving just a little bit at a time."

Derby Telegraph readers took to Facebook to describe what they were going through.

Peter James Woodings said: "It's chaos at the best of times on the A38."

Caitlin Lewis said: "Hardly surprising as its a terrible scissor junction, like on the A52 at Spondon. Whoever designs these road junctions needs their head examining."

And Carl Greenway said: "The junctions are fine, it was never designed to hold so much traffic and these days everybody is always in too much of a rush to give a monkeys about the vehicles to the front, right, left and behind."

DERBY County midfielder George Thorne has been praised for his positive attitude as he battles to recover from long-term injury.

The 21-year-old suffered cruciate knee ligament damage during a pre-season friendly against Zenit St Petersburg in Austria in July – just days after completing a £2m move from West Bromwich Albion.

Thorne was ruled out for nine months but Rams coach Paul Simpson revealed the player has dealt with this blow in the right manner.

"We see him every day and I've got to say he's been great to have around, because he's so upbeat and positive," said Simpson.

"He's an influence in the changing room because of his character and he's always there on a match day encouraging people.

"So that's been really good to see, because you never know how players are going to get affected by long-term injuries.

"He's stayed really positive and that can only help him in getting back sooner rather than later."

This is the second time Thorne has sustained the injury so far in his fledgling career.

"I'm sure it helps having been there before but it's also a bit of a downer," said Simpson.

"He's been very good so far and we'll keep him going and keep him involved as much as we can.

"He came outside and had a couple of kicks of the football one day last week, just to get some fresh air, I think! So that will do him good.

"He's still involved with us – it's just a shame we can't have him out there on the field at the moment.

Thorne is pleased with the progress he is making and hopes to be back in action before the end of the season.

"I'm at a stage now where I can start to step things up a little bit," he said.

"At the minute, I'm hitting the targets at this particular point of my rehabilitation and I'm going to see the surgeon next week for a scheduled review.

"That will be the three-month mark and I'm positive, the physiotherapists are positive, but I won't rush anything."

Asked about the chances of Thorne coming back ahead of schedule, Simpson said: "It's been talked about but we can't change the history of how these cruciate ligament injuries have gone.

"We don't just pull nine months off the top of our heads because it sounds like a nice figure. It's because that's the general time it takes to recover properly from that type of injury.

"If you rush them back and they come back too early, you obviously have a higher risk of it going again, which we don't want to happen.

"So we'll only bring him back when he's right to come back.

"If that's earlier, fantastic, but at the moment, we're not expecting him back any earlier than originally planned.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens after Christmas and going into the new year."

DERBY County midfielder Will Hughes won his 10th England Under-21 cap last night but came off in the 55th minute after suffering an ankle injury.

The 19-year-old started for England in their Under-21 European Championship qualifying play-off first leg against Croatia U21s at Molineux but was replaced in the second half by Tom Ince.

England trailed to Marko Livaja's 13th-minute goal when Hughes was replaced but levelled through Harry Kane in the 58th minute.

And Gareth Southgate's side won 2-1 thanks to a Saido Berahino penalty in the 85th minute after he was brought down by Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic.

The play-off second leg will be played at the home of HNK Cibalia in Vinkovci on Tuesday (5pm), with the aggregate winners booking a ticket for next summer's European Championships in the Czech Republic.

Southgate said Hughes would be assessed before a decision is made whether he is fit to face Croatia again.

Hughes made his mark in the first half, playing a one-two with Berahino but the West Bromwich Albion striker curled his shot wide.

The Rams midfielder then linked up with Manchester United's Luke Shaw to create an opening but the full-back's ferocious shot rebounded off the far post after a fingertip save by Livakovic.

DERBY County captain Richard Keogh has been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar today.

Ireland boss Martin O'Neill has confirmed that Keogh will not be fit for the match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin due to a hamstring strain picked up in training on Thursday.

The Rams centre-back will be assessed again before the squad fly out to Germany but he remains a doubt for Tuesday's game against the world champions in Gelsenkirchen.

"There's a bit of tightness in the hamstring and a scan has shown a little bit of something," said O'Neill.

"He's feeling much better but I wouldn't want to risk him (against Gibraltar). It's come too early for him."

SIMON Dawkins is not expected to be fit in time for Derby County's next match.

The Rams return to action after the international break with a trip to Reading on Saturday, October 18.

Dawkins has missed the past three matches due to a hip flexor problem.

It had been hoped he would be available for the Championship encounter at the Madejski Stadium but he looks like missing out again.

"It's been a little bit slow with Simon Dawkins," said Derby coach Paul Simpson.

"He's only just out starting to run again this week.

"Next week will be too soon for him but we'll hopefully have him available for the week after."

Goalkeeper Kelle Roos is back in training after missing the last two matches with a dead leg.

"Kelle Roos has been out doing some very light work with Eric Steele," said Rams coach Paul Simpson.

"Hopefully, next week, he should be able to join back in training, if he doesn't have any effects from the work he is doing.

"We've identified that there's no other damage apart from the dead leg.

"So if he's right, he'll be involved but if not, we won't take any chances."

In the absence of Roos, 19-year-old Jonathan Mitchell – signed in the summer from Newcastle United – has provided back-up for Lee Grant on the bench.

"It's been a very good experience for him," said Simpson. "He's done very well since he came in over the summer and being involved in the first team will help him develop."

THERE are many things that can make for an eventful wedding day, be it bad weather or losing the rings.

But a rampaging dinosaur was the last thing guests at the wedding of Jim Parker and Charlotte Mayfield expected to be gate-crashing the special day.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex pictured running amok at Donington Park Farmhouse in Castle Donington was not a real dinosaur, but a product of clever camera trickery and some very amenable wedding guests.

Charlotte, a 27-year-old administrator from Leamington Spa, originally from Castle Donington, explained: "Jim and I don't really take life very seriously and just wanted to make the whole wedding fun.

"We also aren't very good at picture-taking, so WE both feel more relaxed if we are in a fun environment. We really felt it would be very 'us' to have a photo like that."

Charlotte and her new husband Jim, a 30-year-old devops engineer, sprung the idea of setting up a unique wedding picture on her guests as a surprise shortly after they tied the knot.

They picked the spot for the picture, described their idea and told everyone to look like they were running scared from an imaginary dinosaur.

Charlotte said: "The venue was fantastic, I would actually say perfect. The picture was taken on a grassy area where there were some building works going on in the background.

"Luckily all our close family and friends know what I'm like and have learned to expect random things from me."

"We both love it and it makes us laugh every time we look at it."

The couple, who were together at school and reunited five year later before tying the knot last week, enlisted the services of Derby-based Ezekeil Taylor Photography to set up the shot. Photographer Zeke Taylor used a picture of a toy dinosaur which was super-imposed over the background using computer software.

Charlotte said: "Zeke knew he was in for a crazy day as soon as we started Skyping the wedding day to my aunt and uncle in New Zealand.

"We had also met him before and explained that we weren't into forced pictures, which was great for him as he enjoys on-the-spot photos more. So I didn't really have a problem explaining it to him."

Littleover-based Zeke said: "I did think it was a little bit mad but it was what they wanted and I knew I had the technical skills to do it so I gave it a go and it looks really good.

"I do find it funny that I've got loads of really nice photos on my website but it's the silliest one I've ever done that's grabbing all the attention.

"I think it took about an hour to do. It wasn't too challenging, it was just a case of making it look as realistic as possible – as realistic as a dinosaur can be, I guess."

WHEN I read Harry's name in our deaths section of the newspaper, I really hoped it wasn't him.

If you put his name into our archive it brings up pages and pages where he featured.

If it wasn't a photograph of him proudly looking forward, immaculately dressed and with his medals gleaming on his chest, it was a letter he had sent in and published with him expressing his view on the news of the day.

Sadly, though, it did turn out to be Harry, a man I interviewed countless times and for whom I had a huge amount of respect.

The first time I met him he told me a completely unpublishable story about his time in Burma, laughing, smiling and with that familiar cheeky glint in his eye as he delivered it. Three or four of the other reporters came over to my desk on Tuesday, each asking me the same question.

"It's not our Harry, is it?"

Put simply, Harry was a great friend of the Telegraph, a man whose rich and full life those of us who had the pleasure of either interviewing or photographing him admired in spades.

In writing his obituary I hope I have done him justice in the eyes of his family and, however sad it will be on Wednesday, it will be a genuine honour to salute him goodbye.

A DECORATED and popular World War Two veteran from Derby, who witnessed horrors serving in Burma, has died aged 88.

Father-of-two Harry Mycroft was also a Derby city councillor, milkman, ice cream man and once broke his back when stationed at Nottingham Road as a firefighter.

son Tom said after "working non-stop all his working life" he then became a full-time carer for his beloved wife, Kathleen, when she fell ill shortly after he retired.

Kathleen died in 2001 and Tom said Harry continued to play a "hugely active part in life around Derby" becoming the President of the Oakwood branch of the Royal British Legion and the chairman of the Derby and Derbyshire Burma Star Association.

He was also a school governor and an active member of the Friends of Chaddesden Park.

Tom, 59, of Hilton, said: "Dad was immensely proud of Derby and Derbyshire and was always on the go. I only saw him an hour before he died and when I left his home he got in his car to drive to the local shops in Chaddesden where he lived.

"He led such an amazing life and has taken such fantastic stories with him now that he has died.

"After doing all the things he did I think he deserved to go the way he did, quickly and without any pain."

Harry died in his car in the car park at Lidl in Nottingham Road, Chaddesden, on Sunday after finishing his weekly shop.

Tom said police told him two customers tried to give him chest compressions after seeing his father was struggling but he was declared dead at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Harry, of Spinney Road, Chaddesden, was born in 1926 and grew up in the Moss Street area of Derby alongside his siblings.

Tom said: "We don't have an actual record but the estimate is that he had anywhere between nine and 13 brothers and sisters."

He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 and was put on the aircraft carrier HMS Attacker and then HMS Devonshire.

He saw fighting in Italy and then, in 1944, sailed to Burma, which was occupied by the Japanese enemy.

Tom said: "At that time it was a case of going out there to fight for King and country and Dad loved being in the Royal Navy.

"As is symptomatic of many former servicemen from World War Two, he rarely spoke about his time in Burma.

"One of the few stories he did tell me was about going to liberate British soldiers from Japanese prisoner of war camps.

"He said he saw so many horrors, the prisoners were so thin, he said you could pick up and carry three or four of them at a time because they were so frail and light.

"I would go with Dad to the Armistice Day ceremony in Derby Market Place every year and every time he laid a wreath he got very emotional.

"He wasn't one to show that kind of emotion very much, which probably says something about his time during the war."

Harry left the Navy in 1946 and settled back to life in Derby.

He met Kathleen working at Smith's tailors in Drewery Lane and the pair married at St Mark's Church, Chaddesden, in 1951.

Tom came along in 1955 and then his sister, Mary, who now lives in Alfreton, was born in 1962.

By now Harry had joined the fire service and was stationed at Nottingham Road station.

Tom said: "He broke his back falling on a job when I was young and I recall going to see him convalesce at a home in Parwich. He was completely cast in plaster and could only really move his eyes and his face."

Harry recuperated and left the fire service, becoming a milkman and USDAW shop steward.

Tom said: "That's where his interest in politics came about.

"He was staunch Labour and represented Osmaston ward on the city council.

"He always fought for the working man, which says a lot about his nature and outlook to life."

For years afterwards, Harry worked as an ice cream man, again around Chaddesden, before finishing his working life as a security officer at the former Williams Holdings industrial conglomerate, which used to be based in Sir Frank Whittle Road.

After Kathleen died, Harry became an active member in the Royal British Legion, Burma Star Association and was regularly seen raising the standard at military functions around Derby and Derbyshire.

Tom said: "He was always out at meetings. He was never in. To have that sort of energy even later in his life is something I'm sure we wish we will all have."

Harry also became involved in the Friends of Chaddesden Park which was established in 2003 and looks after the interests of the city park.

Barbara Taylor, from the group, said: "Harry was a wonderful person who was always so actively involved in everything we did.

"He was a good man and a good friend and we all mourn his passing."

Harry's funeral will take place at the main chapel at Markeaton Crematorium at 10am on Wednesday.

His family has asked for standards to be raised outside as his funeral cortege approaches.

Harry's grandson, Harry Sutton, of Alfreton, is a Lance Sergeant in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and has undertaken three tours of Afghanistan.

The 26-year-old will lead the cortege into the grounds and will then place his grandfathers medals, cap badge and beret on his coffin before the service begins.

The funeral will be followed by a celebration of his life at the Mickleover branch of the Royal British Legion, in Poppyfields Drive.

Harry leaves two children and five grandchildren.

Tom said: "Dad was so proud when Harry followed him into the armed services and I know Harry will be proud to do this for his grandad.

"Dad has a full and rich life and I am sure many old comrades and friends will be there to salute him off."

TEACHER Joe Gallagher loved making things with wood – but, tragically, it was his passion that would eventually lead to his death, due to asbestos cancer.

Mr Gallagher's widow, Maureen, said her husband was unaware the dust which swirled around his classroom was deadly.

She said "Joe used to tell me that the asbestos was flying around the room when he reached up to pull out the wood from the racking.

"At that time you were unaware of the dangers.

"People used to say there were safe versions of asbestos and unsafe types, but that is rubbish, there is no safe asbestos."

Mrs Gallagher, from Shipley, said her husband began suffering health problems in 1998 when in his 50s.

As his condition deteriorated over the years, he was eventually diagnosed with the terminal cancer mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos.

And Mrs Gallagher said this led to a heartbreaking moment with his young grandson.

"We'd had out grandson, Ethan, over for the day and after tea Joe was driving him home to our son Richard's home.

"Joe said Ethan, who would only have been three or four at the time, said: 'Grandad I'm really going to miss you when you go, are you going to miss me too?'

"Joe knew that his condition was terminal and he told me he had to stop the car, switch off the engine, get into the back of the car and just cuddle Ethan.

"He said he was in floods of tears."

Mr Gallagher's inquest in Derby heard that he had already received a payout after developing the lung condition plural plaques in 1998.

The hearing was told that he and his wife moved to France in 2005 and while he was playing football with his grandson in April 2013 noticed he was becoming severely breathless.

Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court was told that a doctor examined him and diagnosed him with a second lung disease, mesothelioma.

The Gallaghers moved back to Derbyshire and Mr Gallagher was treated at the Royal Derby Hospital. The 70-year-old died at Ilkeston Community Hospital on September 3.

Mr Gallagher's detailed work history was read out in court from a statement prepared by him before his death.

In it he said: "In or about April 1995 I was investigated for a chest infection, had a chest x-ray and was diagnosed with pleural plaques.

"I contacted a solicitor through my teaching union, the NASUWT, and received a settlement claim from Staffordshire County Council in 1998 as it was accepted that I was exposed to asbestos while working at Warslow Secondary School between 1973 and 1988.

"In April 2013 I began to develop further chest problems.

"At the time my wife and I had been living in France for six to seven years and I was examined by a local doctor.

"In July 2013, I suffered quite severe breathlessness while playing football with my grandson.

"Following a CT scan I was diagnosed with mesothelioma."

Mr Gallagher's extensive working history included spells working as a joiner in Chesterfield and Sheffield before he studied teaching and began working at Warslow, which is 10 miles north of Ashbourne.

A post-mortem examination on his body, undertaken in Ilkeston by Dr Markus Henn, gave the cause of death as mesothelioma.

Mrs Gallagher, 67, of Hardy Barn, Shipley, said she met her husband in 1968 when they worked together at the former Trebor sweet factory in Chesterfield.

They married the following year and have three sons – Martin, 43, who lives in Wiltshire, Richard, 40, who lives in the Dordogne, and Rob, 33, who lives in Shipley with his mother.

She said: "Joe was always making things with wood. He made furniture, tables, wardrobes, he would do anything for anyone.

"He loved his grandchildren and the children he taught, always tasking them on school trips and helping them in the classroom.

"He just had this huge generous nature with people.

"He loved sport, cricket, football, we made wine together and loved visiting National Trust properties.

"He also loved music – jazz, classical and modern.

"Since his funeral I have not really had the chance to write to everyone to thank them for their support but we, as a family, are very grateful to everyone who came and helped support us."

Paul McCandless, Assistant Coroner for Derby and South Derbyshire, praised the detailed work history provided by Mr Gallagher and his family.

He said: "Fundamentally from the outset to the end of the well-produced, interesting and accomplished working history provided in the statement by Mr Gallagher's family and made during his lifetime it is clear that he was exposed to asbestos during his time working as a teacher."

Chris Keates is the general secretary of the NASUWT, the teaching union that helped Mr Gallagher make the claim against Staffordshire County Council in 1998.

He said: "One teacher with mesothelioma is too many.

"Asbestos is a silent killer and every effort should be made to avoid these tragedies.

"This is why the NASUWT has been campaigning with other organisations to have a national plan to remove asbestos from all education workplaces to ensure that the school workforce and the children and young people that use these buildings are kept safe."

As well as his widow and children, Mr Gallagher also leaves grandchildren Isabelle, 10 and Ethan, five.

I JUST wanted to add my tribute to the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire who passed away recently.

I have special memories of her, thanks to my American pen friend of more than 30 years, who was the lady who gave the Duchess her piece of Elvis's fence and various other keepsakes from Graceland.

Sara's house shares a perimeter fence with Graceland and she lived there with her parents when Elvis was there. The duchess purchased a copy – or rather, I believe, was given a copy – of the book Sara wrote on her experiences as Elvis's neighbour and a friendship was formed. She visited Sara in her home on one occasion and then, in 2009, when Sara was over here visiting us, she was invited for afternoon tea at the Old Vicarage where the Dowager Duchess was then living. My husband, Bill, and I were graciously included in the invitation.

We spent a wonderful afternoon listening to this remarkable lady chatting about her life and experiences, having been welcomed warmly and made to feel comfortable and welcome.

We were given a tour of the house, including a glimpse of the life-sized cut out model of Elvis in the downstairs loo! And of the beautiful garden too. It was a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Duchess "Debs" was a truly amazing lady and Chatsworth will always be "her" somehow. I met her on one further occasion when Sara returned in 2010 with gifts from Graceland for the Dowager Duchess's 90th birthday. Sara promised to return for her 95th, but sadly now, of course, that cannot happen.We will always have our special memories though.

Margaret Hardeman

Fenton Road

Mickleover

STAR of the Strictly Come Dancing series Tim Wonnacott will be joining Derbyshire auctioneers Hansons this month to film an episode of his daytime TV show Bargain Hunt.

The charismatic antiques expert, who is currently strutting his stuff on the reality TV dance floor, will be at the firm's auction rooms in Heage Lane, Etwall, which bosses say lend themselves well to his presence.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: "We are delighted to welcome King of the Ballroom and Master of Bargain Hunt, Mr Wonnacott, to our auction rooms.

"The auction, to be filmed by Bargain Hunt, will comprise primarily of silver and jewellery which we hope will appeal to a Christmas-buying public".

"Mr Wonnacott will hopefully perform the odd waltz or foxtrot for an enthusiastic pool of Derbyshire people.

"We thrive on theatre and drama, and with a wooden floor in our showroom, I am sure that Mr Wonnacott would enjoy a turn or two around the floor, sprinkling Strictly Come Dancing magic throughout the auction."

The antiques and collectors auction is due to start on Thursday, October 23, at 10am and will run over three days until Saturday, October 25.

Items on sale will include ceramics and glass on Friday and paintings, furniture and textiles on Saturday.

The auction, which can be watched live on the internet at www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk, will also extend on to Monday, October 27, with decorative arts on sale, along with specialised glass and toys.

AN episode of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow programme that was filmed in Derby will be shown tomorrow.

The popular Sunday night series was recorded at the Roundhouse in June, and collectors flocked to the historic former railway shed to show their pieces to the experts.

The hour-long episode, presented by Fiona Bruce, will be shown at 8pm on BBC One and will feature some of the gems unearthed by the people of Derbyshire.

Among these was an old railway timetable, brought in by Phil Carson, of Alvaston, and a number of brass and bronze pieces taken in by Martin Jones, of Littleover.

The 56-year-old Littleover engineer found some of the pieces at jumble sales, while others are family heirlooms.

Two of the items were of particular interest, both to Martin and to the experts. He said: "This little pot was made to look like a stack of 12 pennies, which in old money made a shilling.

"The two coins on either end were minted by Matthew Bolton, in Birmingham, in 1797.

"He was a key member of the Enlightenment movement and had links to Derby.

"At some point, someone had taken the pennies and made them into a little trinket pot.

"The more interesting piece is a bowl, which I got from a jumble sale. I thought that it was from around the 18th century but one of the staff thought it was actually 17th century or even earlier – possibly medieval.

"If it is 17th century then it is worth between £100 and £300 but could be even more if it was earlier."

Now in its 37th series, the show always attracts a good crowd to its valuation events and the event in June was no exception.

Hundreds of people made their way from around Derby and the surrounding area after sifting through their heirlooms for pieces that they thought the experts may find interesting.

Other venues to host the programme include the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, in Glasgow; Barrington Court, in Somerset; and Lowther Castle, in Cumbria.

Each of the buildings also has a showcase on the episode – something that presenter Fiona Bruce said she was looking forward to doing when it came to the Roundhouse.

THERE is a line in the film Trainspotting where the main character Renton exclaims after a steamy encounter with the opposite sex: "I haven't felt that good since Archie Gemmill scored against Holland in 1978!".

If I'd been in his shoes, the phrase would have been: "I haven't felt that good since Mark Wright scored against Egypt in 1990!".

These days, international matches, particularly England, tend to bore me to tears – unless it's the World Cup or Euro finals.

But they take on a whole new importance when among the line-up is a player from your club.

For Derby fans, the 1990 World Cup finals were particularly special because you had not one but two Rams players in the England team – central defender Mark Wright and goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

And when the former rose up and scored a crucial header in the 1-0 win over Egypt in the group stages of Italia 90 this particular Derby County fan went absolutely berserk.

That tournament, Wright and Shilton played a starring role in England's tournament, which ended when Chris Waddle skied his penalty over the German crossbar in the semi-final shoot-out.

I remember the first game at the Baseball Ground after the World Cup and both Derby players got a hero's welcome from the Rams faithful.

Meanwhile, later that season when we played F*rest, their left-back – and now manager – Stuart Pearce, would be greeted by chants of "Psycho lost the World Cup" after he missed a penalty in that same shoot-out.

But will the day ever come again when a Derby County player pulls on an England shirt in a major tournament?

Yes, we have had players line up for the under-21s. And there is a potent argument that Will Hughes might go on and play for the first team – but whether that is as a Derby County player, only time will tell.

In the meantime, I'm finding myself becoming an avid follower of the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and to some extent Northern Ireland.

Take the Scotland squad named for its Euro qualifiers, which take place today against Georgia and on Tuesday against Poland.

There are three Rams players in their ranks: striker Chris Martin, midfielder Craig Bryson and defender Craig Forsyth.

When the Republic of Ireland squad was named for its matches against Germany and Gibraltar it also boasted three Rams players: central defender Richard Keogh, midfielder Jeff Hendrick and striker Connor Sammon (currently on loan at Ipswich Town), though the latter was later cut from the final party.

And, of course, not forgetting striker Jamie Ward who was named in Northern Ireland's squad to take on the Faroe Islands and Greece.

On paper, there's not a lot to stir the blood of an Englishman with fixtures like Scotland versus Georgia, Republic of Ireland against Gibraltar and Northern Ireland versus the Faroes.

But I'm sure there will be many Derby fans looking out for our boys – cheering them on and hoping none of them pick up any injuries!

Of course, at one time Derby had a plethora of players representing a diverse range of countries in major finals.

I remember the 1998 World Cup in particular. You had central defender Christian Dailly lining up for Scotland, full back Jacob Laursen for Denmark, Rams captain Igor Stimac for Croatia and midfielder Darryl Powell and striker Deon Burton both playing for Jamaica.

So, as well as the England games, that tournament I had an interest in the fortunes of four other teams.

But, alas, there were no Derby County players in the England squad in 1998 – and I don't think there has been in a major tournament since 1990 with Shilts and Wrighty, though Seth Johnson managed a solitary appearance in a friendly against Italy in 2000.

I'm sure down the years there are many Derby County players who have pulled on an England shirt.

And there may be some Rams players who we feel should've been given a chance in the national side but never were.

Of course, we currently have a manager who had the top job with England – and I can certainly think of at least one former Rams manager who should have been given a shot at being England boss!

So, I suppose this week I have two questions for my fellow Derby County fans.

Who was the best Derby player to pull on an England shirt? And I'm not talking about the likes of Steve Bloomer, I mean players you've actually seen play.

And who are the Derby players who should've played for England but never got the call?

INTERNATIONAL breaks – who'd have 'em? Well, most of football, it seems, because today marks the start of another barren weekend for the top-class game as Premier League and Championship football makes way for a round of qualifying matches in the UEFA European Championships.

I'm old enough to remember when clubs who had players selected for international matches just had to make other arrangements for their Football League game on the same day.

I don't mean that it was rearranged. Instead, the manager looked to his reserve team to fill gaps left by the call to play for one's country. It seemed a little unfair but clubs got on with it.

As an example, when Derby County's Jack Lee made his England debut, against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park, Belfast, on an October Saturday in 1950 – and scored – the Rams just had to do without him for their home First Division game against West Bromwich Albion the same day.

They couldn't postpone the fixture, so they called up a 19-year-old local lad called Jack Parry for only his second senior appearance.

The Rams drew 1-1 with a Jack Stamps goal, and, according to the Derby Telegraph, young Parry "showed plenty of bustle and willingness to fight hard for the ball".

Parry played four more times that season, so it was a modest start. But by the time he retired in 1967 he'd appeared in a Rams' first-team shirt no less than 517 times (only once as a substitute), which was a club record until Kevin Hector broke it.

Add in 110 goals and the Rams have never had a better servant than Jack Parry.

It is to the eternal regret of his former teammates and those who were fortunate enough to see him play that Jack has always chosen not to involve himself with any former players' reunions. He would be assured of a rapturous welcome. I hope he's reading this.

YOU know that feeling when you're wandering across a park and some children are playing football and you're willing the ball to come bouncing your way, just so that you can kick it back?

Well, the itch can now be satisfied, thanks to walking football.

The other week, I rather annoyed reader Alan Smith of Mickleover because, rather than focus on the benefits of walking football, I'd chosen instead to highlight the injuries sustained by pals playing the game down at Willows Sports Centre in Derby.

Alan said: "Spending an hour on a five-a-side pitch, alternating between strolling, walking briskly – often very briskly – is generally advocated by doctors as being beneficial … most players report feeling fitter and many have lost weight.

"Since the group was formed by Derbyshire County FA and Derby County Community Trust about a year ago, there have only been two serious injuries.

"Yes, we do get a few pulled muscles and strains etc, but given that most of us are in our 50s, 60s and 70s, that's hardly surprising. Walking football is great fun."

Of course, when I wrote the original piece, it was with my tongue stuck firmly in my cheek. So, earlier this week I called in to Willows to take a proper look. I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw.

Lauren Mellor, the DFA's Football Development Officer (Adult Participation), tells me that today the Derby group, along with the Chesterfield group, is taking part in a tournament at Eastwood Sports Centre.

The Derby group is also going to play in an exhibition game on the pitch at the iPro Stadium during half-time in the Rams' Championship match against Wolves on November 8.

Anyone interested should call at Willows on Monday mornings at 9.45, or visit www.derbyshirefa.com/players/walking-football.

I'm happy to recommend it to anyone who still has that craving to kick a football, no matter how old they are. 

THE whole "health and safety" culture is constantly derided by those who reckon we are fast moving towards a nanny state.

The tragic case of the death of former woodwork teacher Joe Gallagher shows just why every workplace has to be subject to rigorous scrutiny.

Mr Gallagher was not a coal miner or a factory engineer, where he might have expected to be exposed to dangerous dust.

Yet asbestos cancer claimed his life, killed by the dust which regularly swirled around his classroom and oblivious, at the time, to the danger it posed.

Medical knowledge grows, often at the expense of tragedies such as this.

But this is why risks should never be taken when work is taking place in older buildings – and if it means that school classrooms have been closed for months while they are made safe, then so be it.

A STUNNING late free kick from Alex MacDonald gave Burton Albion a 2-1 victory over Northampton Town.
The Brewers had led 1-0 through Jacob Blyth's goal on the stroke of half-time at Sixfields before Ryan Cresswell levelled with 10 minutes to go.
But MacDonald popped up with a 35-yard free kick in the 85th minute, which flew into the top corner.
The win has left Gary Rowett's men second in the League Two table, only trailing leaders Wycombe Wanderers on goal difference.