The Somerset derby refers to all local derby football matches between teams in Somerset, England. Most notably between Yeovil Town, Bath City, Taunton Town and Weston-super-Mare. During the 2023-24 season all four teams competed in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. Yeovil Town are by far the most successful, being the only Somerset side to ever play in the Football League.[2] Bath and Yeovil have played each other most out of the four clubs, playing 274 matches.
 Somerset | |
| Teams | |
|---|---|
| First meeting | Yeovil Town 4–2 Bath City (23 November 1901) |
| Stadiums | Huish Park (Yeovil Town) Twerton Park (Bath City) Wordsworth Drive (Taunton Town) Woodspring (Weston Super Mare) |
| Statistics | |
| Most wins | Yeovil |
| Largest victory | Yeovil Town 9–0 Bath City (26 December 1946[1]) |
History
editThe oldest of the four clubs, Bath City, were formed in 1889 as Bath AFC, six years later Yeovil were formed as Yeovil Casuals. The earliest Somerset derby match was recorded in 1901,[3] when Yeovil beat Bath 4–2.[4][5] From the 1910s to the late 1990s Bath and Yeovil consistently played in the Southern League against each other.[6]
Weston Super Mare, formed in 1947, played Yeovil for the first time in 1951, in which "The Glovers" won 7–0 in the Somerset Cup.[7] The first game the grandstand at Twerton Park opened was an FA Cup-tie in 1932. Yeovil, at the time, were said to be much “much reviled” in Bath. 5,345 watched Yeovil beat Bath 4–2. Bath City fans stated “Losing to Yeovil always hurt”.[8] In 1947, Taunton Town were formed as Taunton FC.[9] Neither Taunton or Weston ever reached the non-League hights of Bath or Yeovil in the Southern League or Alliance Premier League,[10] with Taunton and Weston Super Mare playing Western League football from the 1950s to 1990s.[11][12]
However, since the turn of the century, Yeovil and Bath moved in opposite directions across the English football pyramid, with the two clubs being as many as five divisions apart from one another during the 2013–14 season. Thus, any remaining local animosity between Bath City and Yeovil Town dissipated.[13] In the 2023-24 season Yeovil and Taunton competed in the same league for the first time, and on 26 December 2023, Yeovil played Taunton at Huish Park in front of 6,303, beating the National League South record gate at the time.[14]
Results
edit| Meeting | Season | Date | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 274 | 2023–24 | 6 January 2024 | National League South | Yeovil | 2–0 | Bath | Huish Park | 5,032 |
| 273 | 6 December 2023 | National League South | Bath | 0–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 3,639 | |
| 272 | 2021–22 | 4 May 2022 | Somerset Cup | Yeovil | 3–0 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,016 |
| 271 | 2006–07 | 1 April 2008 | Somerset Cup | Yeovil | 0–2 | Bath | Huish Park | 376 |
| 270 | 2002–03 | 29 October 2002 | FA Cup | Yeovil | 3–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 4,393 |
| 269 | 27 October 2002 | FA Cup | Bath | 1–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 3,470 | |
| 268 | 2000–01 | 13 January 2001 | FA Trophy | Yeovil | 2–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 3,507 |
| 267 | 1995–96 | 23 January 1996 | FA Trophy | Yeovil | 2–3 | Bath | Huish Park | 2,700 |
| 266 | 21 January 1996 | FA Trophy | Bath | 1–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 2,225 | |
| 265 | 1994–95 | 17 April 1995 | Conference | Bath | 3–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,184 |
| 264 | 6 September 1994 | Conference | Yeovil | 1–2 | Bath | Huish Park | 2,351 | |
| 263 | 1993–94 | 15 March 1994 | Somerset Cup | Bath | 1–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 322 |
| 262 | 25 January 1994 | FA Trophy | Bath | 4–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,148 | |
| 261 | 22 January 1994 | FA Trophy | Yeovil | 3–3 | Bath | Huish Park | 2,611 | |
| 260 | 3 January 1994 | Conference | Bath | 3–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,518 | |
| 259 | 27 December 1993 | Conference | Bath | 0–3 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 3,371 | |
| 258 | 2 November 1993 | Conference Cup | Bath | 0–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 584 | |
| 257 | 1992–93 | 12 April 1993 | Conference | Bath | 0–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,331 |
| 256 | 28 December 1993 | Conference | Yeovil | 2–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 6,488 | |
| 255 | 17 November 1993 | Conference Cup | Yeovil | 1–0 | Bath | Huish Park | 2,090 | |
| 254 | 20 October 1993 | Conference Cup | Bath | 0–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 520 | |
| 253 | 1 January 1993 | Conference | Yeovil | 1–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 3,340 | |
| 252 | 26 December 1993 | Conference | Bath | 3–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,504 | |
| 251 | 1990–91 | 1 January 1991 | Conference | Yeovil | 3–2 | Bath | Huish Park | 3,335 |
| 251 | 26 December 1990 | Conference | Bath | 2–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,479 | |
| 250 | 1987–88 | 4 November 1987 | Somerset Cup | Yeovil | 2–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,124 |
| 249 | 20 October 1987 | Somerset Cup | Bath | 2–2 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 450 | |
| 248 | 1986–87 | 26 April 1987 | Somerset Cup | Bath | 1–2 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 638 |
| 247 | 15 April 1987 | Somerset Cup | Bath | 1–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 577 | |
| 246 | 25 February 1987 | Somerset Cup | Yeovil | 1–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,051 | |
| 245 | 25 October 1986 | FA Cup | Bath | 2–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 2,201 | |
| 244 | 1985–86 | 29 April 1986 | Somerset Cup | Yeovil | 0–2 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,320 |
| 243 | 2 April 1986 | Somerset Cup | Bath | 1–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 779 | |
| 242 | 1984–85 | 23 April 1985 | Alliance Premier League | Bath | 1–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 808 |
References
edit- ^ "YTFC vs Bath City Historic Results". Gloverscast. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "Yeovil Town Football Club - Honours and Records". Yeovil Town Football Club. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Yeovil to meet old rivals Bath". Somerset County Gazette. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Old Rivals Clash". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 16 October 1948. p. 10.
- ^ "Rivals have a lot of cup history between them". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Bath City miss a penalty". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. p. 14. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Weston-super-Mare AFC". Gloverscast. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Tanner, Mark (7 May 2015). "75 years at Twerton Park". M Tanner Sports. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ "Taunton Town Club History". Taunton Town Football Club. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Football Club History Database - Bath City". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Football Club History Database - Weston super Mare". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Taunton Town FC". Gloverscast. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Bath City FC". Gloverscast. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Yeovil Town vs Taunton Town". Taunton Town Football Club. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
