Somerset derby explained

Somerset derby
First Contested: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)
Most Wins:Yeovil
Largestvictory:Yeovil Town 9–0 Bath City (26 December 1946[1])
Map Location:Somerset
Map Label1 Position:right
Map Mark1:Black pog.svg
Coordinates1:51.3791°N -2.3902°W
Map Label2 Position:right
Map Mark2:Green pog.svg
Coordinates2:50.9484°N -2.6693°W
Map Label3 Position:top
Map Mark3:Red pog.svg
Coordinates3:51.0161°N -3.0918°W
Map Label4 Position:left
Map Mark4:White pog.svg
Coordinates4:51.3462°N -2.9372°W

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.

History

The 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

Bath City vs Yeovil Town results since 1984!Meeting!Season!Date!Competition!Home team!Score!Away team!Stadium!Attendance
2742023–246 January 2024National League SouthYeovil2–0BathHuish Park5,032
2736 December 2023National League SouthBath0–1YeovilTwerton Park3,639
2722021–224 May 2022Somerset CupYeovil3–0BathHuish Park1,016
2712006–071 April 2008Somerset CupYeovil0–2BathHuish Park376
2702002–0329 October 2002FA CupYeovil3–1BathHuish Park4,393
26927 October 2002FA CupBath1–1YeovilTwerton Park3,470
2682000–0113 January 2001FA TrophyYeovil2–1BathHuish Park3,507
2671995–9623 January 1996FA TrophyYeovil2–3BathHuish Park2,700
26621 January 1996FA TrophyBath1–1YeovilTwerton Park2,225
2651994–9517 April 1995ConferenceBath3–0YeovilTwerton Park1,184
2646 September 1994ConferenceYeovil1–2BathHuish Park2,351
2631993–9415 March 1994Somerset CupBath1–0YeovilTwerton Park322
26225 January 1994FA TrophyBath4–0YeovilTwerton Park1,148
26122 January 1994FA TrophyYeovil3–3BathHuish Park2,611
2603 January 1994ConferenceBath3–0YeovilTwerton Park1,518
25927 December 1993ConferenceBath0–3YeovilTwerton Park3,371
2582 November 1993Conference CupBath0–1YeovilTwerton Park584
2571992–9312 April 1993ConferenceBath0–0YeovilTwerton Park1,331
25628 December 1993ConferenceYeovil2–1BathHuish Park6,488
25517 November 1993Conference CupYeovil1–0BathHuish Park2,090
25420 October 1993Conference CupBath0–0YeovilTwerton Park520
2531 January 1993ConferenceYeovil1–1Bath Huish Park3,340
25226 December 1993ConferenceBath3–1YeovilTwerton Park1,504
2511990–911 January 1991ConferenceYeovil3–2BathHuish Park3,335
25126 December 1990ConferenceBath2–1YeovilTwerton Park1,479
2501987–884 November 1987Somerset CupYeovil2–1BathHuish Park1,124
24920 October 1987Somerset CupBath2–2YeovilTwerton Park450
2481986–8726 April 1987Somerset CupBath1–2YeovilTwerton Park638
24715 April 1987Somerset CupBath1–1YeovilTwerton Park577
24625 February 1987Somerset CupYeovil1–1BathHuish Park1,051
24525 October 1986FA CupBath2–1YeovilTwerton Park2,201
2441985–8629 April 1986Somerset CupYeovil0–2BathHuish Park1,320
2432 April 1986Somerset CupBath1–0YeovilTwerton Park779
2421984–8523 April 1985Alliance Premier LeagueBath1–0YeovilTwerton Park808

References

  1. Web site: YTFC vs Bath City Historic Results . 2024-01-11 . Gloverscast . en-GB.
  2. Web site: Yeovil Town Football Club - Honours and Records . 2024-04-20 . Yeovil Town Football Club.
  3. Web site: Yeovil to meet old rivals Bath . 2022-11-03 . Somerset County Gazette . 17 October 2002 . en.
  4. Web site: 16 October 1948 . Old Rivals Clash . subscription . . . 10.
  5. Web site: Rivals have a lot of cup history between them . 2023-02-21 . PressReader.
  6. Web site: Bath City miss a penalty . subscription . 2 November 2022 . . . 14.
  7. Web site: Weston-super-Mare AFC . 2024-04-20 . Gloverscast . en-US.
  8. Web site: Tanner . Mark . 2015-05-07 . 75 years at Twerton Park . 2023-01-22 . M Tanner Sports . en-GB.
  9. Web site: Taunton Town Club History . 2024-04-19 . Taunton Town Football Club . en-GB.
  10. Web site: Football Club History Database - Bath City . 2024-04-20 . Football Club History Database.
  11. Web site: Football Club History Database - Weston super Mare . 2024-04-20 . Football Club History Database.
  12. Web site: Taunton Town FC . 2024-04-19 . Gloverscast . en-US.
  13. Web site: Bath City FC . 2024-04-19 . Gloverscast . en-US.
  14. Web site: Yeovil Town vs Taunton Town . 2024-04-19 . Taunton Town Football Club . en-GB.