South Wales derby

The South Wales derby is the name of the football local derby between Welsh clubs Cardiff City and Swansea City and is regarded as one of the most fierce rivalries in British football. [ [http://www.footballderbies.com/honours/index.php?id=20 "Cardiff City vs Swansea City"] Footballderbies.com Retrieved on 28 January, 2008] [ [http://www.oleole.org.uk/blogs/twohundredpercent/posts/the-top-ten-british-rivalries "The Top Ten British Rivalries"] oleole.com Retrieved on 28 January, 2008,] The South Wales derby can also include Newport County.

The last South Wales derby to be played featuring Swansea and Cardiff took place on 23 September, 2008 in the Carling Cup third round, which ended with a 1-0 win for Swansea.

History

The first match between the two sides took place on 7 September, 1912 at Swansea's Vetch Field, the match ending in a 1-1 draw. Over the next two decades the clubs met frequently not only in league competition but also in the Welsh Cup as at the time they were two of the best Welsh teams and as such often progressed further into the tournament.

During the last few decades both clubs have been plagued by football hooliganism, notably Cardiff who's Soul Crew became notorious through their actions [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hooligans/1993938.stm "Cardiff and the hooligan element"] BBC Retrieved on 28 January, 2008] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1997991.stm "Hammam calls for anti-thug summit"] BBC Sport Retrieved on 14 May, 2008] , and matches between the sides have often been marred by violence between the rival sets of supporters.

In September 1988, after seeing their side win in Swansea, a small group of young Cardiff fans were forced to run into Swansea bay after being attacked. Swansea City fans refer to this as the 'swim away' event [ [http://www.geocities.com/cymrukasuals/swimaway.html "News paper report on 'The Night In Swansea Bay'"] Geocities Retrieved on 14 May, 2008]

On 23 December 1993 a match between the two sides was dubbed 'The Battle Of Ninian Park' as Swansea fans were placed in the grandstand for the game. As Cardiff went up 1-0, fans invaded the pitch, before Swansea fans bgan to tear out seats from the grandstand and use them as missiles. The following day national news showing pictures of the violence shocked the nation, forcing the FAW to ban away fans from this fixture for several years, the first fixture in Britain to do so.

Although in recent years the hooligan violence of both sides has sharply decreased matches between the two sides can still see serious trouble, as such any games between the two teams are normally subject to a much higher level of policing than normal matches(bubble matches). A heavy police presence was also required when Swansea fans travelled to Cardiff when they played at the Millennium Stadium in the Football League Trophy final in 2006. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4818032.stm "Police ready for Swans invasion"] BBC Retrieved on 28 January, 2008]

In recent years the South Wales derby has taken place less frequently as both sides have found themselves moving around the various divisions and have avoided each other. The first derby to take place in just under a decade took place in the Carling Cup on 23 September, 2008 with Swansea winning 1-0. The match saw sets of supporters from both clubs clash with police after the match. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7632872.stm "Fans clash with police at Derby"] BBC Sport Retrieved on 24 September, 2008]

Newport rivalry

While both clubs still regard Newport County as a local rival their struggles in the league have meant that they rarely face off against Cardiff or Swansea.

A recent survey carried out by Planetfootball.com saw Cardiff fans vote that they considered Bristol City, known as the Severnside Derby, to be more of a rivalry than Newport. Swansea fans did not even vote Newport into their top three rivalries, instead finishing behnd Cardiff, Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. [ [http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s120/st44186.htm "Football rivalries: The complete results"] Planetfootball.com Retrieved on 28 January, 2008]

Record

As of 23 September, 2008

0* - Excluding wartime fixtures.

Crossing the South Wales divide

A number of players who have played for both clubs during their career

*Ivor Allchurch
*Terry Boyle
*Mel Charles
*Alan Curtis
*George Edwards
*Warren Feeney
*Jimmy Gilligan
*Mark Harris
*Barrie Hole
*Robbie James
*Leslie James
* Jason Bowen
*Andy Legg
*Don Murray
*Brayley Reynolds
*Nigel Stevenson
*John Toshack

References

Dean Hayes: "The South Wales Derbies: A History of Cardiff City versus Swansea City"