Bristol derby

History

The first meeting of what would become a fierce rivalry took place on 22 September 1894, when newly formed Bristol South End (later to be renamed Bristol City) hosted a friendly match with Eastville Rovers (later Bristol Rovers) at their ground at St John's Lane in Bedminster, in which Bristol South End (nicknamed the Southerners at the time), perhaps surprisingly, defeated their more established opponents 2–1. After a further number of friendly matches, the teams had their first competitive meeting when they were drawn together in the 1895–96 Gloucestershire Cup. This time Rovers, who had the home advantage at their Ridgeway ground, were the victors with an emphatic 4–0 defeat of South End, in what was reported to have been a very physical encounter:

The following season the teams met in league competition for the first time when South End joined the Western League, winning 2–0 away to Rovers on 26 September 1896. In 1897 South End renamed themselves Bristol City and played in both the Southern League and the now-professional Western League, but opted to leave the Western League a year later. Rovers meanwhile split their seasons between the Birmingham & District League and Western League, not joining the Southern League until 1899, meaning there were no league matches played between the clubs during the 1898–99 season.

In the summer of 1900, City merged with local rivals Bedminster F.C., with the new club retaining the name and identity of the original Bristol City. Rovers and City spent just two seasons together in the Southern League before City successfully applied for election to The Football League in 1901, leading to a 21-year gap before they would play in the same division again.

Games between the two teams, like the majority of local derbies in English football, have resulted in a number of football hooliganism incidents. In a match between the clubs in December 1996, pitch invasions by both sets of fans culminated in reports of Rovers players being "assaulted" by City fans. Some fans of both teams have even been known to avoid attending derby matches because of fears of violence.

The most recent match between the two sides came on 4 September 2013 in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy first round at City's Ashton Gate Stadium. The game finished 2–1 to City. The match, which was broadcast live on Sky Sports, was overshadowed by a post match pitch invasion by a number of Bristol City supporters, leading to 60 arrests being made and three police officers injured.

All-time results

The table below shows the results of all competitive matches between Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. The teams have faced each other in The Football League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, Football League Trophy (formerly known as the Associate Members' Cup), Gloucestershire Cup, Third Division South Cup, Southern Football League and Western Football League, as well as in a number of wartime competitions held while normal League football was suspended.

References

1. "Rivalry uncovered". Football fans census.
2. (2008). "Rivalries League". Football Pools.
3. Byrne, Stephen. (2003). "Bristol Rovers Football Club – The Definitive History 1883–2003". [[Tempus Publishing.
4. (27 January 1896). "Athletics". Bristol Mercury.
5. (12 April 1900). "Sporting Gossip". [[Gloucestershire Echo]].
6. Tongue, Steve. (1996-12-16). "FA to probe fury that shamed Bristol derby Late equaliser then mounted police called to restore order". The Herald.
7. Neil Palmer. (2011). "Bristol Derby Days".
8. (2013-09-04). "Bristol City 2–1 Bristol Rovers". BBC.
9. (30 August 2013). "Bristol football derby: 28 arrests made in dawn raids". BBC News.
10. "Bristol Rovers football club: record v Bristol City". Association of Football Statisticians.
11. (2017-01-31). "Bristol City sign Matty Taylor from Bristol Rovers and Birmingham's David Cotterill". BBC Sport.