West Yorkshire Derby
Encyclopedia
The West Yorkshire derby is a series of football matches taking place between three English football clubs from West Yorkshire
— Bradford City
, Huddersfield Town
and Leeds United
. Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignited this rivalry, although Bradford's relegation to League Two removed the possibility that the three major West Yorkshire football teams (Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds) might be in the same division for the first time since the 1980s in the 2007–08 season. In 2010–11 season all three teams involved in the West Yorkshire Derby are in different leagues, Bradford City are in League Two
, Huddersfield town are in League One
and Leeds United play in the Championship
. The rivalry goes beyond football with the three areas also having Rugby League teams that consider each other as rivals.
Bradford engage in a very fierce competition with local rivals Leeds United
: they are considered to be the club's most hated rivals in modern times, although it could be said that this is a one-way rivalry: Leeds fans are unlikely to raise the same level of emotion talking about Bradford City that a City fan would in talking of Leeds. This rivalry is mainly due to the two cities' proximity to one another, which has exacerbated in later years because there has been a large following within Bradford choosing to travel the short distance to support Leeds rather than the home town's City. There may be other reasons, including the setting alight of a chip van by Leeds fans during a game between the two sides at Odsal
perceived by some as a mockery of the Bradford City stadium fire.
The last meeting between these two sides was at Elland Road on Tuesday 2 September 2008, in the Football League Trophy
. Leeds won the game 2–1. the two rivals met again in the 2011–12 Carling Cup First Round where Leeds once again ran out 3–2 winners.
Bradford City and Huddersfield Town have had roughly the same league status for the last couple of decades and so it could be argued that they are closest rivals out of the three West Yorkshire teams.
Matches against these sides have produced both amazing spectacles and some terrible moments—the 1996–97 season providing examples of both. On 1 February 1997, Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Gray
broke the leg of Bradford City striker Gordon Watson
in two places with a horrific sliding tackle
. Watson was, at that time, the most expensive player in Bradford City's history having cost them £575,000, and was playing in only his third match for the club. He required a six-inch plate and seven screws in his leg. It took Gordon almost two years of recovery and five further operations before he was able to return to football, after which he made just a handful of appearances for City before leaving the club. At Leeds
High Court
in October 1998 he succeeded in becoming only the second player in the history of football to prove negligence by another player and was later awarded in excess of £900,000 in damages, making it "the most expensive tackle in British football and legal history".
The return fixture that season was a happier affair. It provided a spectacular display of goals in which City took a 3–0 lead, including one famous goal scored directly from a corner by ex-England
star Chris Waddle
, before the game swung in Huddersfield's favour as they fought back to the final score of 3–3.
The most recent derby with Huddersfield Town
at Galpharm Stadium
ended in a 2–2 draw with City winning the tie 4–3 on penalties on 4 October 2011 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy competition.
Leeds United have the with the biggest stadium in West Yorkshire, Elland Road
, that holds 39,460. Leeds United's best period of success was in the 1960s and 1970s under the management of the legendary Don Revie, between 1963–1975, Leeds became feared across the country and in Europe. Revie guided Leeds to two league championships, FA Cup, League Cup, two European Fairs Cups and Charity Shield. Despite the success, Leeds had many disappointments, they were runners-up 5 times in the league, FA Cup Finalists 3 Times, European Cup Winners Cup and European Cup Finalists once. In 1992 Howard Wilkinson guided Leeds to their 3rd top flight title. Huddersfield Town also have their history having won the First Division three times in a row in the 1920s, a feat only matched by Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal and they won the FA Cup and Charity Shield in this period. In recent years they have been fairly evenly matched in league status. In 2011 Leeds play in the league above Huddersfield. Bradford City's only major honour was the FA Cup in 1911. In recent years Huddersfield have had a slight edge over Leeds in the games their played in League One (whilst Leeds were at their lowest ebb historically) winning 3 of the 6 meetings between the clubs, with the remaining games finishing as two draws and one win for United when they handed out a 4–0 drubbing to the Terriers. Leeds however have been more successful over the whole series and as a whole far more dominant, outlined by the fact that Town have not finished in a higher league position than Leeds since 1962.
, which can also be considered a "West Yorkshire Derby", however this is rivalry is commonly known as the "Bradford derby
". Halifax Town
, another West Yorkshire football team, consider Huddersfield to be one of their main rivals. Before dissolving in March 2010 Farsley Celtic A.F.C.
had a 'one-way' rivalry with Leeds United.
Rugby League is also big in West Yorkshire. Rugby league teams Bradford Bulls
, Leeds Rhinos
and Huddersfield Giants
would be the big West Yorkshire Rugby Derby. Other teams such as Batley Bulldogs
, Bramley Buffaloes
, Castleford Tigers
, Dewsbury Rams
, Featherstone Rovers
, Halifax RLFC
, Hunslet Hawks
, Keighley Cougars
and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
play in West Yorkshire and any combination of them teams playing against each other would be called a West Yorkshire derby even if the rivalry is not as great as other rivalries between teams in the area.
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
— Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignited this rivalry, although Bradford's relegation to League Two removed the possibility that the three major West Yorkshire football teams (Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds) might be in the same division for the first time since the 1980s in the 2007–08 season. In 2010–11 season all three teams involved in the West Yorkshire Derby are in different leagues, Bradford City are in League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, Huddersfield town are in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
and Leeds United play in the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
. The rivalry goes beyond football with the three areas also having Rugby League teams that consider each other as rivals.
Bradford City and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
: they are considered to be the club's most hated rivals in modern times, although it could be said that this is a one-way rivalry: Leeds fans are unlikely to raise the same level of emotion talking about Bradford City that a City fan would in talking of Leeds. This rivalry is mainly due to the two cities' proximity to one another, which has exacerbated in later years because there has been a large following within Bradford choosing to travel the short distance to support Leeds rather than the home town's City. There may be other reasons, including the setting alight of a chip van by Leeds fans during a game between the two sides at Odsal
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in Odsal, Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The venue is used for rugby league and has been the home ground of Bradford Bulls/Bradford Northern since 1934...
perceived by some as a mockery of the Bradford City stadium fire.
The last meeting between these two sides was at Elland Road on Tuesday 2 September 2008, in the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
. Leeds won the game 2–1. the two rivals met again in the 2011–12 Carling Cup First Round where Leeds once again ran out 3–2 winners.
Bradford City and Huddersfield Town
Matches against these sides have produced both amazing spectacles and some terrible moments—the 1996–97 season providing examples of both. On 1 February 1997, Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Gray
Kevin Gray
Kevin John Gray is an English footballer, playing as a defender for Workington.-Football career:He started his career at Mansfield Town signing as a trainee in July 1990 and had a successful four year period at Mansfiled...
broke the leg of Bradford City striker Gordon Watson
Gordon Watson
Gordon William George Watson is a retired English football player whose career was almost ended when he suffered a double fracture in the right leg in a tackle with Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Gray on 1 February 1997....
in two places with a horrific sliding tackle
Sliding tackle
A sliding tackle or slide tackle is a tackle in soccer in which a player attempts to take the ball away from an opposing player by deliberately leaving his feet and sliding along the ground with one leg extended to push the ball away from the opposing player.Sliding tackles can often be sources of...
. Watson was, at that time, the most expensive player in Bradford City's history having cost them £575,000, and was playing in only his third match for the club. He required a six-inch plate and seven screws in his leg. It took Gordon almost two years of recovery and five further operations before he was able to return to football, after which he made just a handful of appearances for City before leaving the club. At Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
in October 1998 he succeeded in becoming only the second player in the history of football to prove negligence by another player and was later awarded in excess of £900,000 in damages, making it "the most expensive tackle in British football and legal history".
The return fixture that season was a happier affair. It provided a spectacular display of goals in which City took a 3–0 lead, including one famous goal scored directly from a corner by ex-England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
star Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
, before the game swung in Huddersfield's favour as they fought back to the final score of 3–3.
The most recent derby with Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
at Galpharm Stadium
Galpharm Stadium
The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...
ended in a 2–2 draw with City winning the tie 4–3 on penalties on 4 October 2011 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy competition.
Leeds United and Huddersfield Town
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
, that holds 39,460. Leeds United's best period of success was in the 1960s and 1970s under the management of the legendary Don Revie, between 1963–1975, Leeds became feared across the country and in Europe. Revie guided Leeds to two league championships, FA Cup, League Cup, two European Fairs Cups and Charity Shield. Despite the success, Leeds had many disappointments, they were runners-up 5 times in the league, FA Cup Finalists 3 Times, European Cup Winners Cup and European Cup Finalists once. In 1992 Howard Wilkinson guided Leeds to their 3rd top flight title. Huddersfield Town also have their history having won the First Division three times in a row in the 1920s, a feat only matched by Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal and they won the FA Cup and Charity Shield in this period. In recent years they have been fairly evenly matched in league status. In 2011 Leeds play in the league above Huddersfield. Bradford City's only major honour was the FA Cup in 1911. In recent years Huddersfield have had a slight edge over Leeds in the games their played in League One (whilst Leeds were at their lowest ebb historically) winning 3 of the 6 meetings between the clubs, with the remaining games finishing as two draws and one win for United when they handed out a 4–0 drubbing to the Terriers. Leeds however have been more successful over the whole series and as a whole far more dominant, outlined by the fact that Town have not finished in a higher league position than Leeds since 1962.
Other rivalries in West Yorkshire
Bradford City historically have a fierce rivalry with other Bradfordian team Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...
, which can also be considered a "West Yorkshire Derby", however this is rivalry is commonly known as the "Bradford derby
Bradford derby
The Bradford derby is a football derby match played between Bradford City and Bradford Park Avenue.The derby has also been called the Wool City derby, referring to Bradford's history with the wool trade...
". Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
, another West Yorkshire football team, consider Huddersfield to be one of their main rivals. Before dissolving in March 2010 Farsley Celtic A.F.C.
Farsley Celtic A.F.C.
Farsley Celtic Association Football Club was an English football club based in Farsley, in the City of Leeds. The club was known by the nicknames of the Villagers and the Celts; their colours were blue and white. Founded in 1908, the club spent their entire existence in non-league football, winning...
had a 'one-way' rivalry with Leeds United.
Rugby League is also big in West Yorkshire. Rugby league teams Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
, Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
and Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
would be the big West Yorkshire Rugby Derby. Other teams such as Batley Bulldogs
Batley Bulldogs
Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895...
, Bramley Buffaloes
Bramley Buffaloes
Bramley Buffaloes is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Previously known simply as Bramley RLFC, the club is a famous name in rugby league, having existed prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895...
, Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
, Dewsbury Rams
Dewsbury Rams
Dewsbury Rams RLFC is a professional rugby league club based in the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury. They are arguably most famous for becoming Champions in 1972-73 after finishing the regular season in 8th place. In the playoffs they beat Featherstone away, Warrington away, and then Leeds in the...
, Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
, Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
, Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...
, Keighley Cougars
Keighley Cougars
Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...
and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
play in West Yorkshire and any combination of them teams playing against each other would be called a West Yorkshire derby even if the rivalry is not as great as other rivalries between teams in the area.