3 Unusual English Football Rivalries — Not Derbies, but Plenty of Needle
This weekend is chock full of proper local derbies. Brentford host Fulham at the Gtech in the oldest rivalry in West London. Everton host Liverpool at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Friendly Derby — name subject to dispute. Oldham Athletic take on Salford City in a relatively newer North West derby, and Millwall vs QPR rounds out another all-London clash.
Plenty of rivalry in those fixtures, and all of it driven by proximity. But not all of the needle in English football comes from being geographic neighbours. Some of the nastiest feuds in the pyramid are between clubs who share nothing — not a county, not a region, not even a motorway — just a grudge that refuses to die.
Here are three of English football's strangest rivalries, ordered by our rivalry score — the one with the deepest needle first. Hundreds of miles apart, zero geographic claim, genuine grudge. Let's look at when and why these remote footballing feuds came to be.
1. Huddersfield Town vs Peterborough United
Yorkshire vs Cambridgeshire, 98 miles apart. On paper, a fixture nobody outside the two clubs would categorise as a rivalry — and that's exactly what makes it one. What sets this one apart from the others on this list is that it isn't rooted in a single afternoon of controversy. It's three separate matches, each with genuinely profound outcomes, stretched across two decades.
It began in the 1991/92 Division Three play-off semi-finals. Huddersfield dominated both legs but somehow lost 4-3 on aggregate, conceding late equalisers and late winners. Peterborough went up. Huddersfield stewed.
The rematch came nearly two decades later in the 2010/11 League One play-off final at Old Trafford. Jordan Rhodes — 22 goals that season — was controversially benched. Peterborough scored three goals in seven minutes late in the game to go up again. Same opponent, same destination, same outcome.
Then the twist. On the final day of 2012/13, Huddersfield drew a dead-rubber at Barnsley while Peterborough lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace. Posh were relegated with 54 points — a record total for a relegated side. Two Peterborough promotions at Huddersfield's expense, one Peterborough relegation that Huddersfield's results helped engineer. Three collision points, three gut-punches, one very unusual rivalry.
2. Gillingham vs Swindon Town
Kent vs Wiltshire, 100 miles apart. There is no geographical story to tell here. The grudge is entirely home-grown, and it dates to March 1979 at Priestfield.
Gillingham's Danny Westwood was sent off for foul and abusive language after a wild tackle. A supporter struck the referee. The 2-2 draw was the calm bit. The return fixture at the County Ground later that season ended with a 3-1 Swindon win and a tunnel brawl that sent a Swindon coach to hospital.
The fire was re-lit in the inaugural 1986/87 Football League play-offs. It hasn't gone out since. To this day, police routinely separate supporters on matchday and the fixture is taken seriously by both fanbases — a "performative, panto" rivalry, maybe, but one with real teeth. Zero geography, all grudge.
3. Coventry City vs Sunderland
170 miles apart on opposite ends of England, Coventry and Sunderland should have no business with each other. And in fairness to Coventry fans — most of them don't. This is a deeply one-sided rivalry: Sunderland supporters have carried the grudge for half a century, while Cov fans are, broadly, bemused by the whole thing. That's why the rivalry score sits slightly lower here than the two above.
The grudge dates back to the final day of the 1976/77 season. Coventry's managing director Jimmy Hill had the kick-off against Bristol City delayed, citing traffic congestion outside Highfield Road. By the time the match was deep into the second half, news arrived that Sunderland had lost 2-0 at Everton. A draw would keep both Coventry and Bristol City up — at Sunderland's expense.
The last fifteen minutes were played out at walking pace. The final score: 2-2. Sunderland were down. An FA inquiry cleared Hill of wrongdoing. Sunderland fans cleared him of nothing. Decades later, they were still booing him at Fulham when he returned as a guest of honour.
Then the twist. On the final day of 2012/13, Huddersfield drew a dead-rubber at Barnsley while Peterborough lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace. Posh were relegated with 54 points — a record total for a relegated side. Three collision points, three gut-punches, one very unusual rivalry.
Rivalry Isn't Always About Geography
Proper local derbies — Everton vs Liverpool, Brentford vs Fulham, Oldham vs Salford — score high on our algorithm for the obvious reason: they're local. Two grounds a short walk or a short train ride apart. Families split. Pubs divided. Bragging rights on the commute to work.
But English football has these other rivalries too. Feuds built on a single afternoon of controversy, or a relegation settled by events elsewhere, or a referee attacked in the tunnel. They don't need geography. They just need one moment that nobody forgets.
Wondering if your team has a proper local derby coming up — or just a long-distance grudge match? Settle it here.