The fixture between Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town is a local football rivalry, sometimes referred to as a West Country derby or M4 Derby. The distance between Bristol to Swindon is under 35 miles, and both clubs are situated in the South West region of England.
History The first meeting between the clubs was in a friendly match held in Swindon on 24 October 1891. Swindon beat Rovers (known at the time as Eastville Rovers) 5–2, and just under two months later they met for a second time, drawing 2–2.Byrne & Jay (2003), p34
Having been in the same division in only two seasons out of 13 between 1993 and 2006, the clubs would then be in the same division for the next six consecutive seasons, even being promoted (League Two in 2007) and relegated (League One in 2011) at the same time.
Head-to-head record All-time record
CompetitionPlayedBristol Rovers winsDrawsSwindon Town winsWestern League4103Southern League3418313Football League96351943League total135542259FA Cup5302Division 3 (South) Cup1100Football League Trophy6303Totals147612264
Derby double When one team beats another in both their league meetings in a single season, this is known as a league double. It is considered to be a sign of superiority of the winning team over the losing team and seen as an impressive achievement, particularly if the losing team is generally thought of as being a strong side. Swindon Town have completed the league double over Bristol Rovers a total of thirteen times: once in the Western League, once in the Southern League and eleven times in the English Football League (EFL). Rovers meanwhile have recorded double victories over Swindon ten times: four times in the Southern League and six in the EFL.
SeasonDivisionWinnerResultsHomeAway1897–1898Western League Professional SectionSwindon Town3–01–01900–1901Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers1–01–01901–1902Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers1–01–01902–1903Southern League Division OneSwindon Town2–13–21903–1904Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers2–02–01905–1906Southern League Division OneBristol Rovers2–12–11924–1925Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town3–01–01925–1926Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town4–22–11926–1927Football League Division Three (South)Bristol Rovers3–15–31928–1929Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town2–14–11931–1932Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town2–12–01937–1938Football League Division Three (South)Swindon Town2–12–11950–1951Football League Division Three (South)Bristol Rovers1–02–11965–1966Football League Division ThreeSwindon Town4–31–01966–1967Football League Division ThreeBristol Rovers3–01–01967–1968Football League Division ThreeSwindon Town4–12–11981–1982Football League Division ThreeSwindon Town5–24–11990–1991Football League Division TwoBristol Rovers2–12–01995–1996Football League Division TwoSwindon Town2–14–12007–2008Football League OneSwindon Town1–01–02009–2010Football League OneBristol Rovers3–04–02016–2017EFL League OneBristol Rovers1–02–12020–2021EFL League OneSwindon Town1–01–0
Records
Highest aggregate score: 9 Bristol Rovers 7–2 Swindon Town, Southern League Division One, 11 November 1899 Highest Bristol Rovers score: 7 Bristol Rovers 7–2 Swindon Town, Southern League Division One, 11 November 1899 Highest Swindon Town score: 5 Swindon Town 5–0 Bristol Rovers, Southern League Division One, 26 December 1913 Swindon Town 5–2 Bristol Rovers, Football League Division Three, 6 March 1982 Biggest margin of victory: 5 Bristol Rovers 7–2 Swindon Town, Southern League Division One, 11 November 1899 Swindon Town 5–0 Bristol Rovers, Southern League Division One, 26 December 1913
Crossing the divide Players Numerous players have represented both Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town in their careers during the since both clubs have been in existence. A list of some of the most notable examples are given below. To be included in this list a player must have made at least 50 league appearances for both Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town.
NameNationBristol RoversSwindon TownYearsAppsGlsYearsAppsGlsGary Emmanuel1978–19816521981–19841118Andy Gurney1992–199710892001–20042005–200616023Sammy Igoe2006–20087222003–2005799Tim Parkin1981–1986206121986–19891106Mark Walters †1999–200282131996–199911227Steve White1977–19791983–1986135441986–199420083Andy Williams2007–20108782012–20158931Brian Williams1981–1985172211978–1981998 † Players with highlighted nationalities were capped at full international level by their countries.
Managers Three men have managed both Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town. Fred Ford was in charge of Bristol Rovers between April 1968 and July 1969, winning 26 of the 70 games played during that spell.Byrne & Jay (2003), p.480 Later in 1969 he took charge of Swindon, where he won 35 out of 83 matches in a 20-month spell at the club.
Ben Garner has also managed both teams. He was appointed manager of Bristol Rovers in December 2019 and was relieved of his duties in November 2020 after managing for 36 games. Then in July 2021, he took his next appointment as the manager of Swindon Town where he was in charge for 56 games and achieved a creditable 50 per cent win ratio before leaving the position in June 2022 to take up the managerial position at Charlton Athletic. On 2 October 2021, Ben Garner lead Swindon in a League Two fixture against Bristol Rovers and achieved a 3-1 away win. He was also in charge for the 1-1 draw between the two sides at the County Ground on 22 January 2022.
Ian Holloway managed Bristol Rovers between 1996 and 2001 initially taking over as player-manager before retiring as a player in 1999 to concentrate fully on managing the team. He left the club in January 2001. Holloway became the manager of Swindon Town in October 2024 taking over from Mark Kennedy after a run of poor form, the team slipped to the bottom of League Two before finishing 12th at the end of the season. Holloway, as of May 2025, manages the team.
See also Bristol Rovers F.C. Swindon Town F.C.
References Soccerbase
Bibliography