West Country derby refers to any English sporting fixture involving two teams from the West Country.
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Currently Bristol City F.C. are the highest ranked West Country association football team, playing in the Championship, the second tier of English football.[1] Exeter City F.C. and Yeovil Town F.C. compete in the League One, the third tier,[2] while Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Plymouth Argle, Swindon Town, Torquay United are in the npower League Two, the fourth tier,[3] having been promoted from the Conference National in the 2008–09 season.[4]
As of 2011-12, there are eight professional football clubs in South West England that compete in the Football League, they are:
A full list of all of the stadia from the 8 professional football clubs from the West Country.
| Home Club | Stadium Name | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol City | Ashton Gate | 21,497 |
| Plymouth Argyle | Home Park | 19,500 |
| Swindon Town | County Ground | 14,700 |
| Bristol Rovers | Memorial Stadium1 | 12,010 |
| Yeovil Town | Huish Park1 | 9,600 |
| Exeter City | St. James Park1 | 8,830 |
| Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road1 | 7,066 |
| Torquay United | Plainmoor1 | 6,104 |
1This ground contains terracing
2Not a football-specific ground
see Bristol derby
Both Bristol City and Plymouth have been highly successful in the 21st century and as a result both were in the Championship until the end of the 2009–10 season, when Plymouth were relegated to League One. It is just under 100 miles from Bristol to Plymouth,[5] but both clubs are in the South West region of England. The relative success of the two clubs throughout the 2000's has resulted in the derby being dubbed as a "Best in the West" match.
At the start of the 2000s, Argyle were languishing in the lower reaches of Division Three, but two promotions in the 2001–02[6] and 2003–04[7] seasons gave them a place in the Championship. After a couple of mid-table finishes in the division, Argyle became play-off contenders, but after losing several key players they only just avoided relgation in the 2008–09 season.[8]
City started the decade a division above Argyle, and were serious play-off contenders under the management of Danny Wilson. When they did make the play-offs, in 2003, they went out in the semi-final, losing 1 – 0 to Cardiff City on aggregate.[9] Their heartbreak continued as they lost the final the following year – going down 1 – 0 to Brighton at The Millennium Stadium.[10] Gary Johnson became their manager in 2005, and after a poor start City eventually finished as runners up in League One in the 2006–07 season, as a result earning promotion.[11] They started the following season extremely well, going top of the Championship for most of it, but in the end only managed a play-off spot. In the play-off final they lost 1 – 0 to Hull City courtesy of a Dean Windass goal.[12] In their last two seasons they have narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
Argyle defeated City 4 – 0 in the first round of the LDV Vans Trophy in the 2003–04 season,[13] making it the biggest win in a game between the sides in recent years. The biggest ever wins between the sides was a 6 – 0 win for Bristol in the 1954–55 season and a 7 – 1 win for Plymouth in the 1924–25 season.[14] When the clubs met again in the 2007–08 season, with both teams flying high in the Championship, a late own goal from Krisztian Timar gave City a 1 – 1 draw at Home Park.[15] The return fixture saw a Rory Fallon brace give Argyle a 1 – 2 success at Ashton Gate, effectively ending the Robin's automatic promotion hopes.[16] The following season, Argyle let two goal lead slip at Ashton Gate as the game finished 2 – 2.[17] The Robins won the return fixture 0 – 2.[18]
The team's first meeting in the 2009–10 season resulted in a 3 – 1 home win for City courtesy of two late goals in October 2009.[19]
The last meeting between the sides saw Plymouth gain a thrilling 3 – 2 win in March 2010. The Greens were 2 – 0 up at half-time, but two Nicky Maynard goals saw the visitors equalise. However, Argyle captain Carl Fletcher scored with a stunning 20-yard shot in the first minute of injury time to make it 3 – 2.[20]
| Competition | Bristol City wins | Draws | Plymouth Argyle wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | 23 | 11 | 18 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| League Cup | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Football League Trophy | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 24 | 12 | 22 |
| Venue | Date | Competition | Bristol City | Plymouth Argyle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Park | 20 October 2009 | The Championship | 2 | 3 |
| Ashton Gate | 16 March 2010 | The Championship | 3 | 1 |
Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle have played each other 88 times in the Football League and in national cup competitions, with the better record belonging to The Pilgrims thanks to their 34 wins compared with Rovers' 28. Prior to these meetings they both also played in the Southern League. Bristol Rovers and Plymouth are both currently competing in League two in 2011/12 season.
Plymouth and Bristol Rovers both currently compete in Npower League 2. The two west country teams played each other on a Tuesday night at Home Park in the 2010/2011 season in a cracking League One game where Plymouth were victorious in a 3 – 1 win. The return leg was another thrilling encounter where Plymouth were trailing 2 - 0 to Bristol Rovers at half-time courtesy of 2 goals from Will Hoskins for Bristol Rovers. Rovers dominated the game in the first half but Plymouth completed a stunning comeback. Scoring 3 goals in the second half resulting in Plymouth being victorious. The match attendance was 5,943.[22] However the result did little to help Argyle's bleak position and, along with Rovers, they were relegated to League 2 at the end of the season.
| Competition | Bristol Rovers wins | Draws | Plymouth Argyle wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | 23 | 22 | 33 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| League Cup | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Football League Trophy | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 26 | 34 |
| Venue | Date | Competition | Bristol Rovers | Plymouth Argyle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Park | 2 November 2010 | League One | 1 | 3 |
| Memorial Stadium | 4 January 2011 | League One | 2 | 3 |
In addition to this, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol Rovers were managed by Ian Holloway
Only 18 miles separate Torquay and Exeter,[24] both in Devon. Torquay see Exeter as their main rivals, although Exeter tend to see Plymouth as their main rivals (as a 2003 survey by Football Fans Census suggests),[25] despite the fact that Argyle and Exeter have been playing in different divisions for a number of years. Nonetheless, there is still a small friendly rivalry between The Gulls and The Grecians.
Torquay started the new millennium by just avoiding relegation to the Conference National, but by 2004 they had been promoted to League One.[26] However, after a season confined almost entirely to the relegation zone, they made an immediate return to League 2. Following two campaigns of struggle in the basement division, the Gulls were relegated again, finishing bottom of the Football League meaning demotion to the Conference.[27] However, life as a non-league club was short. After the heartbreak of being beaten in the play-off semi-finals in their first season in the Conference (by none other than Exeter), Torquay went a step better the following season – beating Cambridge United 2 – 0 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.[28] An encouraging first season back in the Football League led to yet more promotion agony for the Gulls in the 2010/2011 season. Finishing seventh and claiming the final play-off place, Shrewsbury Town were dispatched in the semi-finals, setting up a meeting with fellow former Conference side Stevenage at Old Trafford in the final. Unfortunately for Torquay they were beaten 1-0 and had to contemplate another year in the Football League's basement division. During the summer of 2011, manager Paul Buckle resigned to take over at another West Country club, Bristol Rovers.
Up until recently Exeter were a non-league side. Financial problems and on-pitch struggle during the late 1990s and early 2000s ruined the club, and in fact they nearly went bust. They were relegated to the Conference in 2003,[29] but performed well as a non-league side, consistently finishing in the top half. They lost the 2007 play-off final to Morecambe,[30] but won it the following season, thereby being promoted to League Two.[31] In the 2008–09 season they finished 2nd in their new division, earning promotion again.[32]
Possibly the most notable meeting between the sides was in Exeter's 2007–08 promotion season in the Conference. The two sides met in the play-off semi-final, with Toquay being victorious in the first leg as Chris Zebroski scored a last-minute goal to make it 1–2 to The Gulls. The second leg at Plainmoor saw Kevin Hill give the hosts the lead, making it 3–1 on aggregate, but Exeter remarkably stormed back to take a 1–4 lead on the night, making it 3–5 on aggregate, and as a result made it to the final at Wembley Stadium. They beat Cambridge 1–0 in that game to earn promotion.
Traditionally, Argyle and Exeter see each other as their main rivals, but over the years the two clubs have been playing in different divisions. It's approximately 35 miles from Plymouth to Exeter, but both cities are actually closer to Torquay than to each other. Although, the two clubs do tend to be more successful than Torquay, hence the reason for hating each other more than The Gulls.
Exeter are currently in Npower League 1 with Argyle currently at the bottom of League 2. The last cup meeting between the sides was a Johnstones Paint Trophy match at St James Park which Exeter won on penalties.
The most recent league meeting between the sides, was when Exeter defeated Plymouth by a single goal. Courtesy of James Dunne which was his first goal of the season for Exeter.[33]
| Venue | Date | Competition | Exeter City | Plymouth Argyle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Park | 11 December 2010 | League One | 0 | 2 |
| St James Park | 30 April 2011 | League One | 1 | 0 |
West Country derby is also a phrase used in rugby.[34]
Games between Somerset and Gloucestershire are often referred to as a West Country derby.[35]
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