Somerset derby
The Somerset derby is a local derby in football in the United Kingdom between Yeovil Town and Bath City and sometimes Taunton Town and Weston-super-Mare, named after the county of Somerset. Though both are currently in non-League football, the two clubs are the most successful in Somerset, the two hold the record for the most number of Somerset Premier Cup wins (25 each). The two clubs have played each other 272 times, making it one of the most contested derbies in English Football, however the clubs have not met competetively outside of the Somerset Cup since 2003.
Somerset Flag | |
Location | Somerset (England) |
---|---|
Teams | |
First meeting | Yeovil Town 4–2 Bath City (23 November 1901) |
Latest meeting | Yeovil Town 3–0 Bath City (5 May 2022) |
Stadiums | Twerton Park (Bath City) Huish Park (Yeovil Town) |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 272 |
Most wins | Yeovil |
All-time record | Record attendance: 11,700 (Yeovil vs Bath City, 7 December 1957) |
All-time series | Yeovil: 120 Drawn: 57 Bath City: 95 |
Largest victory | Yeovil Town 3–0 Bath City (5 May 2022) |
History
The two clubs met for the first time in 1902, in which Yeovil won the game 2–0.[1][2][3] The rivalry stems from location and league position, with Yeovil and Bath having played in the top tier of non-League football for the majority of their history.[4] Tensions between Bath and Yeovil were said to be strongest in the 1960s and 1990s, with the two clubs playing each other over 272 times in all competitions.[5] From the 1910s to the late 1990s Bath and Yeovil consistently occupied the same league.[6]
The first game for which the grandstand at Twerton Park officially opened was an FA Cup-tie on November 12, 1932. Yeovil, at the time, were said to be much “much reviled” in Bath over the years. 5,345 watched Yeovil beat Bath 4–2. The paper reported that the crowd were ‘strangely silent’, with Bath City fans stating “Losing to Yeovil always hurt”.[7]
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. Having been promoted to the EFL Championship in 2013, Yeovil played second-tier football for the first time in their history during the 2013–14 season, at the same time, Bath were struggling in the sixth tier. Whilst the club were having one of the best periods in their history, Bath City were having one their worst, thus, local animosity between Bath and Yeovil dissipated. Albeit, Yeovil Town's decline since 2014 means that as of the 2022–23 season Bath City currently sit just one tier below.[8]
All time results
Meeting | Season | Date | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Stadium | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
272 | 2021–22 | 4 May 2022 | Somerset Premier Cup | Yeovil | 3–0 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,016 |
271 | 2006–07 | 1st April 2008 | Somerset Premier 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 Premier 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 January 1990 | Conference | Bath | 2–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 1,479 | |
250 | 1987–88 | 4 November 1987 | Somerset Premier Cup | Yeovil | 2–1 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,124 |
249 | 20 October 1987 | Somerset Premier Cup | Bath | 2–2 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 450 | |
248 | 1986–87 | 26 April 1987 | Somerset Premier Cup | Bath | 1–2 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 638 |
247 | 15 April 1987 | Somerset Premier Cup | Bath | 1–1 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 577 | |
246 | 25 February 1987 | Somerset Premier 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 Premier Cup | Yeovil | 0–2 | Bath | Huish Park | 1,320 |
243 | 2 April 1986 | Somerset Premier Cup | Bath | 1–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 779 | |
242 | 1984–85 | 23 April 1985 | Alliance Premier League | Bath | 1–0 | Yeovil | Twerton Park | 808 |
Statistics
Honours
- As of 26 February 2023
Bath City | Competition | Yeovil Town |
---|---|---|
League | ||
0 | EFL League Two (Level 4) | 1 |
0 | National League (Level 5) | 1 |
2 | Southern League (Level 5) | 3 |
2 | Southern League | 3 |
Cups | ||
0 | FA Trophy | 1 |
1 | Southern League Cup | 3 |
25 | Somerset Premier Cup | 25 |
30 | Total | 37 |
References
- "Old Rivals Clash". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 16 October 1948. p. 10.
- "Yeovil to meet old rivals Bath". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- "Rivals have a lot of cup history between them". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via PressReader.
- "Bath City loose to old rivals". British Newspaper Archive. 13 November 1939. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- Angulo, Chris (14 October 2021). "Throwback Thursday No. 5 – Old Rivals Meet In Windy FA Cup Tie". Gloverscast. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- "Bath City miss a penalty". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. p. 14. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- Tanner, Mark (7 May 2015). "75 years at Twerton Park – Part 3". M Tanner Sports. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- "Yeovil relegated to National League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Yeovil Town (1955/56)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Bath City (1955/56)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.