Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town rivalry
Other namesWest Country Derby, M4 Derby
LocationSouth West England
Teams
First meeting24 October 1891
Latest meetingSwindon Town 1–1 Bristol Rovers
(22 January 2022)
Statistics
Meetings total142
Most winsSwindon Town (62)
All-time recordBristol Rovers: 60
Draw: 20
Swindon Town: 62
Largest victoryBristol Rovers 5–0 Swindon Town
(25 March 1939)
Current win streakNone
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

As of match played 2 October 2021[5][6]
Competition Played Bristol Rovers wins Draws Swindon Town wins
Western League 4103
Southern League 3418313
Football League 94351742
League total132542058
FA Cup 5302
Division 3 (South) Cup 1100
Football League Trophy 4202
Totals 142602062

Last meeting

Swindon Town1–1Bristol Rovers
  • Simpson 16'
  • Iandolo Yellow card 57'
 Report
Attendance: 12,695
Referee: Tom Nield

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.

SeasonDivisionWinnerResults
HomeAway
1897–1898Western League Professional SectionSwindon Town3–01–0
1900–1901Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers1–01–0
1901–1902Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers1–01–0
1902–1903Southern League Division OneSwindon Town2–13–2
1903–1904Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers2–02–0
1905–1906Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers2–12–1
1924–1925Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town3–01–0
1925–1926Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town4–22–1
1926–1927Football League Division Three (South)Bristol Rovers3–15–3
1928–1929Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town2–14–1
1931–1932Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town2–12–0
1937–1938Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town2–12–1
1950–1951Football League Division Three (South)Bristol Rovers1–02–1
1965–1966Football League Division ThreeSwindon Town4–31–0
1966–1967Football League Division ThreeBristol Rovers3–01–0
1967–1968Football League Division ThreeSwindon Town4–12–1
1981–1982Football League Division ThreeSwindon Town5–24–1
1990–1991Football League Division TwoBristol Rovers2–12–0
1995–1996Football League Division TwoSwindon Town2–14–1
2007–2008Football League OneSwindon Town1–01–0
2009–2010Football League OneBristol Rovers3–04–0
2016–2017EFL League OneBristol Rovers1–02–1
2020–2021EFL League OneSwindon Town1–01–0

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.

NameNationBristol RoversSwindon Town
YearsAppsGlsYearsAppsGls
Gary Emmanuel Wales1978–19816521981–19841118
Andy Gurney England1992–199710892001–2004
2005–2006		16023
Sammy Igoe England2006–20087222003–2005799
Tim Parkin England1981–1986206121986–19891106
Mark Walters England †1999–200282131996–199911227
Steve White England1977–1979
1983–1986		135441986–199420083
Andy Williams England2007–20108782012–20158931
Brian Williams England1981–1985172211978–1981998

† 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

  1. ↑ "Go For Goals in M4 Derby". Betrescue. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "Distance between Bristol united kingdom and Swindon united kingdom". mapcrow.info. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  4. ↑ Byrne & Jay (2003), p34
  5. ↑ Byrne & Jay (2003)
  6. ↑ "Bristol Rovers football club: record v Swindon Town". 11v11.com. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Byrne & Jay (2003), p.480
  8. ↑ 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.
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