Bristol Rovers F.C.–Swindon Town F.C. rivalry
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (April 2011) |
| Other names | West Country Derby, M4 Derby |
|---|---|
| Location | South West England |
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 24 October 1891 |
| Latest meeting | Swindon Town 1–1 Bristol Rovers (22 January 2022) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 142 |
| Most wins | Swindon Town (62) |
| All-time record | Bristol Rovers: 60 Draw: 20 Swindon Town: 62 |
| Largest victory | Bristol Rovers 5–0 Swindon Town (25 March 1939) |
| Current win streak | None |
The locations of the teams shown in southern England | |
The fixture between Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town is a local football rivalry, sometimes referred to as a West Country derby or M4 Derby.[1][2] The distance between Bristol to Swindon is just under 35 miles,[3] and both clubs are situated in the South West region of England.
History
The first meeting between the clubs was in a friendly match held in Swindon on 24 October 1891. Swindon beat Rovers (known at the time as Eastville Rovers) 5–2, and just under two months later they met for a second time, drawing 2–2.[4]
Having been in the same division in only two seasons out of 13 between 1993 and 2006, the clubs would then be in the same division for the next six seasons in a row, even being promoted (League Two in 2007) and relegated (League One in 2011) at the same time.
Head-to-head record
All-time record
| Competition | Played | Bristol Rovers wins | Draws | Swindon Town wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Southern League | 34 | 18 | 3 | 13 |
| Football League | 94 | 35 | 17 | 42 |
| League total | 132 | 54 | 20 | 58 |
| FA Cup | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Division 3 (South) Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Football League Trophy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 142 | 60 | 20 | 62 |
Last meeting
| Swindon Town | 1–1 | Bristol Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Derby double
When one team beats another in both their league meetings in a single season, this is known as a league double. It is considered to be a sign of superiority of the winning team over the losing team and seen as an impressive achievement, particularly if the losing team is generally thought of as being a strong side. Swindon Town have completed the league double over Bristol Rovers a total of thirteen times: once in the Western League, once in the Southern League and eleven times in the English Football League (EFL). Rovers meanwhile have recorded double victories over Swindon ten times: four times in the Southern League and six in the EFL.
| Season | Division | Winner | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | |||
| 1897–1898 | Western League Professional Section | Swindon Town | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| 1900–1901 | Southern League Division One | Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 1901–1902 | Southern League Division One | Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 1902–1903 | Southern League Division One | Swindon Town | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| 1903–1904 | Southern League Division One | Bristol Rovers | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| 1905–1906 | Southern League Division One | Bristol Rovers | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| 1924–1925 | Football League Division Three (South) | Swindon Town | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| 1925–1926 | Football League Division Three (South) | Swindon Town | 4–2 | 2–1 |
| 1926–1927 | Football League Division Three (South) | Bristol Rovers | 3–1 | 5–3 |
| 1928–1929 | Football League Division Three (South) | Swindon Town | 2–1 | 4–1 |
| 1931–1932 | Football League Division Three (South) | Swindon Town | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 1937–1938 | Football League Division Three (South) | Swindon Town | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| 1950–1951 | Football League Division Three (South) | Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 1965–1966 | Football League Division Three | Swindon Town | 4–3 | 1–0 |
| 1966–1967 | Football League Division Three | Bristol Rovers | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| 1967–1968 | Football League Division Three | Swindon Town | 4–1 | 2–1 |
| 1981–1982 | Football League Division Three | Swindon Town | 5–2 | 4–1 |
| 1990–1991 | Football League Division Two | Bristol Rovers | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 1995–1996 | Football League Division Two | Swindon Town | 2–1 | 4–1 |
| 2007–2008 | Football League One | Swindon Town | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 2009–2010 | Football League One | Bristol Rovers | 3–0 | 4–0 |
| 2016–2017 | EFL League One | Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 2020–2021 | EFL League One | Swindon Town | 1–0 | 1–0 |
Records
- Highest aggregate score: 9
- Bristol Rovers 7–2 Swindon Town, Southern League Division One, 11 November 1899
- Highest Bristol Rovers score: 7
- Bristol Rovers 7–2 Swindon Town, Southern League Division One, 11 November 1899
- Highest Swindon Town score: 5
- Swindon Town 5–0 Bristol Rovers, Southern League Division One, 26 December 1913
- Swindon Town 5–2 Bristol Rovers, Football League Division Three, 6 March 1982
- Biggest margin of victory: 5
- Bristol Rovers 7–2 Swindon Town, Southern League Division One, 11 November 1899
- Swindon Town 5–0 Bristol Rovers, Southern League Division One, 26 December 1913
Crossing the divide
Players
Numerous players have represented both Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town in their careers during the 136 years since both clubs have been in existence. A list of some of the most notable examples are given below. To be included in this list a player must have made at least 50 league appearances for both Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town.
| Name | Nation | Bristol Rovers | Swindon Town | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Apps | Gls | Years | Apps | Gls | ||
| Gary Emmanuel |  Wales |
1978–1981 | 65 | 2 | 1981–1984 | 111 | 8 |
| Andy Gurney |  England |
1992–1997 | 108 | 9 | 2001–2004 2005–2006 |
160 | 23 |
| Sammy Igoe | England |
2006–2008 | 72 | 2 | 2003–2005 | 79 | 9 |
| Tim Parkin | England |
1981–1986 | 206 | 12 | 1986–1989 | 110 | 6 |
| Mark Walters | England † |
1999–2002 | 82 | 13 | 1996–1999 | 112 | 27 |
| Steve White | England |
1977–1979 1983–1986 |
135 | 44 | 1986–1994 | 200 | 83 |
| Andy Williams | England |
2007–2010 | 87 | 8 | 2012–2015 | 89 | 31 |
| Brian Williams | England |
1981–1985 | 172 | 21 | 1978–1981 | 99 | 8 |
† Players with highlighted nationalities were capped at full international level by their countries.
Managers
Only two men have managed both Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town. Fred Ford was in charge of Bristol Rovers between April 1968 and July 1969, winning 26 of the 70 games played during that spell.[7] Later in 1969 he took charge of Swindon, where he won 35 out of 83 matches in a 20-month spell at the club.[8]
Ben Garner has also managed both teams. He was appointed manager of Bristol Rovers in December 2019 and was relieved of his duties in November 2020 after managing for 36 games. Then in July 2021, he took his next appointment as the manager of Swindon Town where he was in charge for 56 games and achieved a creditable 50% win ratio before leaving the position in June 2022 to take up the managerial position at Charlton Athletic. On 02 October 2021, Ben Garner lead Swindon in a League Two fixture against Bristol Rovers and achieved a 3-1 away win. He was also in charge for the 1-1 draw between the two sides at the County Ground on 22 January 2022.
See also
References
- ^ "Go For Goals in M4 Derby". Betrescue. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ "EDL Supprters [sic] Try to Gain Ground with Bristol Rovers". Independent Media Center. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ "Distance between Bristol united kingdom and Swindon united kingdom". mapcrow.info. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ Byrne & Jay (2003), p34
- ^ Byrne & Jay (2003)
- ^ "Bristol Rovers football club: record v Swindon Town". 11v11.com. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ Byrne & Jay (2003), p.480
- ^ Fred Ford management career statistics at Soccerbase
Bibliography
- Byrne, Stephen; Jay, Mike (2003). Bristol Rovers Football Club: The Definitive History 1883–2003. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2717-2.