 A South Wales derby in 2013, the first top tier meeting between the sides | |
| Location | South Wales |
|---|---|
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 7 September 1912 Swansea Town 1–1 Cardiff City |
| Latest meeting | 25 August 2024 Championship Swansea City 1–1 Cardiff City |
| Next meeting | 18 January 2025 at Cardiff City Stadium |
| Stadiums | Cardiff City Stadium (Cardiff City) Swansea.com Stadium (Swansea City) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 118 |
| Most wins | Cardiff City (46) |
| Most player appearances | Roger Freestone (19) |
| Top scorer | Brayley Reynolds (8) |
| All-time series | Cardiff: 46 Draw: 29 Swansea: 43 |
| Largest victory | Cardiff City 5–0 Swansea Town (6 April 1965) |
The South Wales derby is a local derby between Welsh association football clubs Cardiff City and Swansea City. The fixture has been described by The Independent as one of the fiercest rivalries in British football.[1] Although based in Wales, both clubs play in the English football league system and have won English honours: Cardiff the FA Cup in 1927 and Swansea the Football League Cup in 2013.
The first meeting between the two sides took place in 1912, in Swansea's first competitive fixture, and ended in a draw. In the pre-war era, the derby was played infrequently, particularly in the league with only eight meetings between the sides from 1912 to 1945 as the clubs were rarely in the same division. After the Second World War, football attendances rose significantly and the first derby attracted a record crowd of more than 57,000 in 1949. These high attendances continued through the 1950s, including the first derby played in a Welsh Cup final in 1956 which set a record attendance for a match in the competition. Attendances began to fall at the start of the 1960s following a downturn in the fortunes of both teams.
The 1970s saw only five derby matches, all in the Welsh Cup, before Swansea enjoyed a resurgence under the management of John Toshack in the early 1980s. However, by the end of the decade and the early 1990s, the derby became blighted by hooliganism which led to the fixture becoming the first in Britain to ban away fans from attending. The derby experienced a resurgence at the start of the 21st century, with both teams reaching the Championship before eventually meeting in the top tier of English football in the Premier League for the first time in 2013 which Cardiff went on to win.
The clubs have played each other more than 110 times in all competitions. Having begun as a friendly rivalry, the relationship between the two sides deteriorated after the 1960s which led to several high profile, violent clashes between supporters that gained the fixture a reputation as one of Britain's fiercest rivalries. Goalkeeper Roger Freestone has appeared in more derbies between the two sides than any other player, making 19 appearances for Swansea in the fixture during his career. Brayley Reynolds scored eight times for Swansea in derby matches, more than any other player. The most recent South Wales derby took place on 16 March 2024 in the EFL Championship, ending in a 2–0 win for Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
- ^ Liew, Jonathan (31 October 2014). "20 of the fiercest rivalries in English football". The Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2019.