The clash known as the Severnside derby takes place on Friday evening with tensions set to run high in the Welsh capital.
Cardiff City’s Aron Gunnarsson in action with Bristol City’s Korey Smith
Both Cardiff City and Bristol City have other rivalries to concern themselves with. Cardiff have a notorious conflict with near neighbours Swansea, while the Robins contest bitter battles with their cross-city foes Bristol Rovers.
Yet that takes nothing away from the seething mutual dislike between the Bluebirds and the Robins. Yes, they each have different rivals, but when they play each other there is something else at stake – national pride. The game almost becomes England v Wales, with both sets of fans goading the other with passionate and patriotic songs about the countries in which their respective clubs are based.
Ahead of their latest meeting at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday evening, here are five facts about the rivalry to whet the appetite ahead of the clash.
1) The rivalry is over a century old
The first recorded meeting between the Bluebirds and the Robins came in January 1915, with Bristol City coming out on top by two goals to nil at Ashton Gate.
An estimated 15,000 fans were in attendance, a figure that more than doubled for the next match between the two. 32,000 people crammed into Ashton Gate in 1920 as Bristol City again triumphed in the FA Cup at Cardiff’s expense.
A general view inside Ashton Gate
2) Bristol City once went more than two decades unbeaten in the fixture
Between 1971 and 1992, the English club were a bogey side for their Welsh counterparts. Of the 17 meetings that took place in all competitions across that period, Bristol City won 14, with the points shared on three occasions.
That is not the only impressive unbeaten record in the fixture, however – Cardiff went without defeat in the derby for a decade from 1958.
3) The biggest ever victory came in 2010
Football fans like nothing better than winning on enemy turf, and Cardiff did so emphatically in January 2010. The Bluebirds thumped Bristol City 6-0 at Ashton Gate, a record victory margin in the Severnside derby, thanks to braces from Michael Chopra and Ross McCormack, one from Peter Whittingham and a Liam Fontaine own goal.
Ross McCormack in action for Cardiff
The result capped a nightmare season in the fixture for Bristol City, who had been comfortably beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture and also been knocked out the FA Cup by their delighted Welsh rivals.
4) It is not uncommon to play for both
Unlike some rivalries, players are not particularly frowned upon for playing for the other side. Nicky Maynard, Adam Matthews and Christian Roberts are examples of those who have done so in recent years, while Russell Osman has played for and managed both.
Bristol City’s Adam Matthews (L) is an example of someone who has played for both sides
Where players attract the ire of fans is when they have represented more than one rival side. Lee Trundle, for instance, is a Swansea legend who never tired of winding up Cardiff fans while playing for Bristol City; similarly, Rickie Lambert will make himself yet more unpopular with Robins fans if he nets against them this weekend given his successful past with Bristol Rovers.
5) It has never been a top flight fixture
Both Bristol City and Cardiff City have played in the top flight – the Robins for spells in the 1900s and late 1970s, the Bluebirds most recently in 2013/14 – but never at the same time, meaning the Severnside derby has never graced English football’s top division.
Of the two, Bristol City look the more likely to launch a promotion challenge this season; the Robins go into Friday’s clash in the play-off places, with Cardiff in the relegation zone. Both sets of fans would love to see this fixture in the Premier League one day, though it may be a long wait before that dream becomes a reality.
Who do you think will come out on top in the latest Severnside derby? Leave your predictions below.
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