Lanarkshire derby


The Lanarkshire derby is a football rivalry based in Lanarkshire, Scotland, with matches contested between any two from Motherwell, Airdrieonians, Hamilton Academical and Albion Rovers.

Motherwell vs Airdrie

Traditionally known as the 'north-south' derby. The most recent meeting between the two teams was when they met in the Scottish Cup in 2007.
The pair memorably met in the semi-final of the 1974-75 Scottish Cup, when Motherwell were going through a golden spell under then-manager Willie McLean. Airdrie caused an upset by winning and going through to the cup final.
This match was always a regularity when the now-defunct Lanarkshire Cup was evident in Scottish football, and in some instances, this match would be the final. As of the close of the competition in 1996, Airdrie had 33 cup wins compared to Motherwell's 32 in the 127 years of the competition being in place, emphasising at the time how big the two clubs were in Lanarkshire.
Since the original Airdrieonians were dissolved in 2002 and reborn as Airdrie United, the clubs have only met once in a competitive match, the Scottish Cup Third Round tie on 7 January 2007 at New Broomfield, with Motherwell winning 1–0 and Richie Foran the scorer. The crowd that day were 5,924, a current record-attendance for a match at New Broomfield involving the new Airdrieonians.
Owen Coyle, Alan Gow, Lee Hollis and Kenny Black are examples of players that have played for both clubs. Coyle and Black are also part of only a handful of players to have played for both the original Airdrieonians as well as the new Airdrieonians.

Results table

As of: end of 2017–18 season.
Competition
League140602654242228
Scottish Cup124351919
League Cup127142814
Total164713063290261

Motherwell vs Hamilton

This match is sometimes referred to as the South Lanarkshire derby, due to both Motherwell and Hamilton both being the two most-southern clubs of the four although since the 1996 reorganisation of Scotland's Regional Councils, only Hamilton is in the South Lanarkshire Council area. This fixture was the most regular of the Lanarkshire derbies since Hamilton's promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2008, and relegation in 2011. In the 2013–14 season, Hamilton won promotion via the play-offs to the newly established Scottish Premiership, so the derby would be re-instated for the next season.
This is a modern derby which has definitely intensified and became more heated over the recent years as coins and flares have been thrown between rival supporters and policing being in large numbers and reports of police brutality have been often made with police using truncheons on some trouble making fans. Seats were ripped out seats and fireworks were thrown at police, in the Motherwell away section during Hamilton's 4–0 over Motherwell in the 2014–15 season.
Fan fights in local pubs and restaurants before and after cause police on horseback to patrol the Motherwell and Hamilton area and surround a one-mile perimeter round each host ground during and for 90 minutes after the match.
Before Hamilton's promotion in 2014, the clubs competed in the Lanarkshire Cup, often the final, and on one occasion 10 fans were taken to hospital after bottles were thrown and fights broke out in the turnstiles as policing was so light before Hamilton resurgence to the SPFL in 2014.
Since the 2008-09 season, Motherwell have enjoyed eleven wins to Hamilton's eight, with six draws.
Miodrag Krivokapic, Richard Offiong, Stuart Elliott and Simon Mensing are examples of players that have played for both clubs, with Mensing being transferred directly from Motherwell to Hamilton.

Results table

As of: 22 February 2020.
Competition
League135663039242182
Scottish Cup128222711
League Cup512245
Total152753443273198

Hamilton vs Airdrie

This fixture is also referred as the North-South Lanarkshire derby. Up until 2007, this match had been a regularity, as both clubs competed in the same division. The divisions that both clubs played in were below the SPL, so this match is not as high-profile than the occasions when one of the teams is playing Motherwell. Hamilton were relegated from the SPL and Airdrie's promotion meant that the fixture was re-instated for the 2012–13 First Division season. Ricky Waddell is an example of a player who played for both clubs.

Results table

As of: 11 January 2020.
Competition
League162533970243256
Scottish Cup62041316
League Cup523075
Challenge Cup501449
Total175574378267286

Albion Rovers vs Airdrie

Traditionally this fixture is known as the North Lanarkshire derby due to the locality between Coatbridge and Airdrie. This fixture is also sometimes referred to as the Monklands derby after the local Council area that covered both Towns between 1973 and 1994. Both clubs were located in the Monklands area until Airdrie moved into a new all-seater stadium in the Petersburn area in 1998.
Due to both clubs usually being in different divisions, this derby has never been a regularity. The teams competed in July 2010 at Cliftonhill stadium, with Airdrie winning 1–0 in front of around 1,000 fans.
Both teams competed in the Second Division in 2011–12, with Airdrie winning three times, but Albion Rovers winning the other game 7–2.
The two teams drew each other in the Third Round of the 2019–20 Scottish Cup, where Airdrie won 1–4 in Coatbridge.
Paddy Connolly is an example of a player who has played for both clubs.

Results table

As of 23 November 2019.
Competition
League43810255384
Scottish Cup420278
League Cup94052024
Challenge Cup201136
Total5814113383118

Albion Rovers vs Motherwell

Possibly the least celebrated of the Lanarkshire derbies, Rovers have only beaten Motherwell once in their existence. This was on 30 November 2013 where Albion beat Mothewell 1–0 at New Douglas Park in the 2013–14 Scottish Cup 4th round.

Results table

As of: end of 2017–18 season.
Competition
League2216606519
Scottish Cup4211113
League Cup9900367
Total35277111229

Albion Rovers vs Hamilton

Again, due to Coatbridge and Hamilton being only seven miles apart, this match is also considered a derby. This match was played as recently as 2 September 2003, when both teams played each other in the league cup at New Douglas Park. Hamilton won the match 3–2. Hamilton also groundshared with Rovers for a brief period while they were homeless from 1994 to 2001. Since then, there has been no competitive fixture between the two.

Results table

As of: end of 2017–18 season.
Competition
League79321730142141
Scottish Cup210122
League Cup116412416
Challenge Cup110020
Total93402132170159

Totals for four teams

As of: 11 January 2020.

Clyde

are sometimes considered to be a Lanarkshire club. Based in Bridgeton, Glasgow at their formation, in the late 19th century they moved to Shawfield just inside the boundaries of Rutherglen which was a burgh in Lanarkshire until 1975 before it was absorbed by Glasgow under the Strathclyde region. However, Clyde played in the Glasgow Cup and their main rivals were Third Lanark and Partick Thistle within the city rather than the town teams in Lanarkshire.
Clyde left Shawfield Stadium in 1986, playing as tenants for five seasons at Partick's Firhill Stadium followed by three at Douglas Park, home of Hamilton Academical before settling at the new Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld in 1994 – the town was assigned to the North Lanarkshire council area two years later. After several Bully Wee backroom figures including main investor Ronnie MacDonald, coach Allan Maitland and Billy Reid, as well as several players, made the switch from Clyde to Accies in the early 2000s, leading to considerable bad feeling among the fans.
For their part, one of Partick Thistle's biggest rivals are Airdrieonians.

Achievements by Lanarkshire clubs

Up to and including season 2019–20.