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 derby
Somerset_Flag
Somerset
Teams
First meetingYeovil 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 winsYeovil
Largest victoryYeovil Town 9–0 Bath City (26 December 1946[1])

History

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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]

 
Weston Super Mare vs Bath City at The Woodsrping Stadium in 2018

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

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Bath City vs Yeovil Town results since 1984
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

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  1. ^ "YTFC vs Bath City Historic Results". Gloverscast. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Yeovil Town Football Club - Honours and Records". Yeovil Town Football Club. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Yeovil to meet old rivals Bath". Somerset County Gazette. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Old Rivals Clash". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 16 October 1948. p. 10.
  5. ^ "Rivals have a lot of cup history between them". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via PressReader.
  6. ^ "Bath City miss a penalty". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. p. 14. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Weston-super-Mare AFC". Gloverscast. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  8. ^ Tanner, Mark (7 May 2015). "75 years at Twerton Park". M Tanner Sports. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Taunton Town Club History". Taunton Town Football Club. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Football Club History Database - Bath City". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Football Club History Database - Weston super Mare". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Taunton Town FC". Gloverscast. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Bath City FC". Gloverscast. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Yeovil Town vs Taunton Town". Taunton Town Football Club. Retrieved 19 April 2024.