Delving into the EFL’s Most Intense Football Derbies
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Aston Villa supporters goad their local rivals during a match between Birmingham City and Aston Villa at St Andrews.
The derbies in the EFL are just as big and heated as the ones in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga, it’s just that they do not get many eyeballs. The games are intense, and the atmosphere during these games is rocking, to say the least.Â
Let’s look at some of the most heated rivalries and derbies in the EFL.Â
Sheffield United vs Sheffield Wednesday – Steel City Derby
The Steel City Derby takes place between the two Sheffield clubs – Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. It is one of the most heated games in English Football, especially considering both clubs are part of the same city. The bragging rights mean something in these games.
Sheffield United are currently in the Premier League, while Sheffield Wednesday play their trade in the Championship. Both are recently promoted clubs in their respective leagues. The last Steel City Derby took place in the year 2019 when both sides drew 0-0 at Hillsborough.Â
The head-to-head between the two clubs couldn’t be any closer as Sheffield United has 46 wins as compared to Sheffield Wednesday’s 42 wins. They both have drawn 43 games as well. It is one of the most competitive derbies in English football.
The most famous game between the two sides was the 1992-93 semi-final which Sheffield Wednesday won 2-1. Â
Cardiff City vs Swansea City – The South Wales Derby
An absolute blockbuster derby. The games involving Cardiff and Swansea are intense, to say the least. Currently, Swansea can claim to be the top dogs of this derby after doing a double-double over their rivals in 2021 and 2023.
Unfortunately, crowd disturbances and hooliganism has been a big part of this derby. Referee Mike Dean once got hit by a coin during the derby, and the games in the late 2000s were marred by crowd troubles and disturbances. There is genuine hatred between the two sets of supporters.
Both Swansea and Cardiff have won English honours – Cardiff won the FA Cup in 1927, while Swansea won the League Cup in 2013. Cardiff and Swansea have faced each other 115 times in all competitions. Cardiff has 45 wins as compared to Swansea’s 42 wins. Â
AFC Wimbledon vs MK Dons – The Dons Derby
This might not be a historic derby that is being played through generations, but it is every bit as heated as any other derby. There have only been 13 matches between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons, but every single game witnessed a hostile atmosphere against one another.
The rivalry started when the once FA Cup champions Wimbledon ceased to exist and relocated to Milton Keynes. Hence, it gave birth to two sides –Â AFC Wimbledon, who wanted to keep their roots, and MK Dons, who were the fresh side looking to make their own history.
There have been incidents of crowd troubles and ground disturbances over the years where both sets of supporters have been accused of causing damage to the properties of each other. EFL had to step in at one point to ask the two clubs to behave amicably towards each other.
The rivalry has been pretty one-sided. There have only been 13 matches between the two clubs, with MK Dons runnings out as winners on 10 occasions, while AFC Wimbledon only have 2 wins to their name.Â
Aston Villa vs Birmingham City – The Second City Derby
If a player gets assaulted mid-match by a fan, then one can understand the hatred between the two clubs. Jack Grealish, once of Aston Villa, was attacked by a Birmingham City fan during a game in 2019 at St Andrew’s.
It is yet another fixture that is marred by crowd trouble and hooliganism. But it is sort of a trademark for heated rivalries that both sets of supporters are hostile towards each other before, during, and after the matches.
The Second City Derby has taken place in both the Premier League and the Championship. Aston Villa is currently a well-established mid-table Premier League side, while Birmingham is floating around in the Championship, having just found some sort of settled ownership in the past year.Â
Aston Villa is the more successful out of the two, having won the European Cup on one occasion as well. As for the derby games, Villa leads the head-to-head record with 57 wins as compared to 37 wins for Birmingham City.
Other Notable Rivalries and Derbies
Cardiff City vs Bristol City
Leeds United vs Derby County
Derby County vs Nottingham Forest
Portsmouth vs Southampton
Exeter City vs Plymouth Argyle
