Rivals in this league

[Scunny Pacifist]

Does anybody have their rivals in this league? And if not what is your rivalry in this league? For example we dont have a close rivalry in this league now. It will be Mansfield now. Our rivals are Grimsby, Hull, Donny and Lincoln

 

[GTFCfish]

Don’t worry pacifist we can renew our rivalry next season in the National League.

 

[Pablosammy]

Oldham is the closest thing to a rivalry we have in this league, if you can call it a rivalry. Plenty of history between the two clubs, and reasonably local.

 

[FGR Stroud]

Can't think of a current fierce FGR rival in EFL2 after Cheltenham were promoted.
A few years ago there was a short period of FGR v Tranmere rivalry but that has of late dissipated.
Of course nearly opposition fans want to put one over on FGR, but that is par for the course.

 

[Salvador]

Depends who you ask. I’d personally consider Bury, Stockport and Halifax as our main rivals. Oldham is obviously next door and will be a big crowd (for us) and attract all the yoof types but it just doesn’t have the same edge as those three given we’ve played each other a lot less and had less meaningful games. That may change. Especially as barring our own demise it’s only really Stockport I can see returning to our fixture list any time soon.

 

[Salvador]

Of course nearly opposition fans want to put one over on FGR, but that is par for the course.

The vegan thing? I did hear some lame bantz at our game a few weeks ago. Mostly from fat gammons who could do with a change in diet.

 

[Kauto Star]

When I started watching the Bantams, Bradford Park Avenue, Halifax and Barnsley were our rivals. Cannot see us playing any of them competively anytime soon.

Despite being over the Pennines, Stockport became big rivals in the 70's and there was many a battle between fans in those games.

Huddersfield became rivals from the 80's onwards.

Despite not playing at the same level much in my time, dirty Leeds are the team that all Bantams hate with a passion though.

Don't have a rival in league 2 currently

 

[denzel ecfc]

Sadly not.
Hopefully next season.

 

[Trapdoor]

Sadly not.
Hopefully next season.

Hopefully we go up and they go down. Argyle away isn't even an enjoyable experience. Just a shithole full of wankers. Would rather not play them.

 

[MadJohn]

Clubs start to thin out a lot as you get further north, so we are never going to develop a rivalry with any club around the M62 belt, as they already have far too many rivalries of their own. Bradford are geographically closer than Carlisle, but you won't find a Pools fan who thinks of the next Bradford City match as having any more significance than a tough League Two fixture. There's something there with Carlisle. It's not a rivalry as such, as we've touched on before, but it is the closest we've got to one in the absence of our traditional rivals.

Harrogate is closer than either Bradford or Carlisle, but there's hardly any history to speak of there yet. Give it another decade or two, and maybe (though we'd have to start beating them occasionally to make it a more even contest!). But at the moment, no. I don't know if Darlington fans have developed anything with another club in our absence (Spenny maybe?) but we both miss the other really, and nothing else will replace it.

 

[Fedora Dale]

Depends who you ask. I’d personally consider Bury, Stockport and Halifax as our main rivals. Oldham is obviously next door and will be a big crowd (for us) and attract all the yoof types but it just doesn’t have the same edge as those three given we’ve played each other a lot less and had less meaningful games. That may change. Especially as barring our own demise it’s only really Stockport I can see returning to our fixture list any time soon.

Wouldn't call it a "rivalry" as such, but I always enjoy Dale games against Bradford, Port Vale and Tranmere. Three decent, old skool clubs that are reasonably local and normally have decent away followings.

 

[kieran_vale]

In this division it’d be Walsall. Some older fans would even view them as rivals on par with Stoke. I wouldn’t go that far but have to be honest it was the first one I looked for when the fixtures were announced. The DC element does add to it too.

 

[AdamStag]

Mansfield don’t have any rivals in this league as they’re both in non-league

Grimsby are in the bananarama league also, lincoln are a league above, technically the closest club to us is port vale.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Our rivals were Workington, Lancaster and more recently Fylde, but they've all gone the other way - only Morecambe are above us.

We've got some kind of rivalry with Carlisle that only really has been whipped up by Radio Cumbria into being a thing ("they get more coverage than us!" and vice versa), but they're the best part of an hour and a half away, and nobody really cares. Harrogate will probably be who we're always judged against because they got promoted alongside us. When Morecambe get relegated again, I suppose that one will reignite over time.

 

[Gassy]

Yep, Mansfield.

 

[Gassy]

Swindon is probably our 2nd biggest rivalry although the games in recent years have been pretty tame.

If we’re both pushing for promotion this season then it should be a lot fiercer

 

[E10rifle]

Nowt for us. Nice to have another London club for once, but our traditional rivals (West Ham, Brentford, Southend) are all elsewhere. Sure the club will try and make a thing about ‘the A12 derby’ with Colchester but no-one gives a shit.

 

[Chief Rocka]

Our was Darlo and only ever Darlo, then they went bust and are now kicking it around in the regional leagues, maybe one day if they ever get back to the football league I'm sure we'd get something started, but until then there is no one.

 

[Agombar stool]

Swindon is probably our 2nd biggest rivalry although the games in recent years have been pretty tame.

If we’re both pushing for promotion this season then it should be a lot fiercer

I think given the Garner factor as well as the fact you have Pitman and Clarke playing for you I reckon this season's games are going to be feisty. And that's even before we take Joey Barton into consideration.

I imagine the police will move our games to a less social time slot.

 

[SELatic]

Depends on what generation of fan you ask. Those who watched us in the 70s/80s would say Blackburn/Bolton. Those who watched us in the 00s would probably say Huddersfield or Tranmere. The yoof of today would probably say Rochdale.

There is a universal dislike of Man U and, to a lesser extent, Man City but it would clearly be a stretch to call that a rivalry given the majority of their fans won’t have even heard of Oldham.

Tranmere and Rochdale are the two I looked out for on the fixture list at the start of the season but I wouldn’t say we have a proper ‘rival’ as such.

 

[FGR Stroud]

The vegan thing? I did hear some lame bantz at our game a few weeks ago. Mostly from fat gammons who could do with a change in diet.

That is normal football banter.
Nobody would call Rochdale a 'Rival' of FGR , an opponent yes but rival not.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

None unfortunately which is crap in football, very uninspiring division from our point of view. Harrogate is our closest game. But if we were forced to make a rivalry at this level then we’d probably have to go for an Oldham or Port Vale due to how close they are and how much we play each other

 

[Myblueheaven04]

Without sounding special which we certainly aren't just now, our rivals have changed so much over my time supporting since 1976.

My memories of the 70s & 80s, we had rivals which I would say were, Bolton, Blackburn, Burnley, Preston, leeds & City.

90s saw us have Tranmere, Stockport, Bury, Wigan, Huddersfield and some great games with Man Utd also a local derby.

2000s on has seen Rochdale on our playlist and due to the proximaty its a local derby. The younger fans will see this as a rival.


Also Bradford and especially Salford are very close games but never seen as a rival really.

 

[Sydney Posse]

Only Plymouth for us. Others don’t come anywhere near. Torquay seem to consider us a big rival but not really reciprocated by most of our support. Like most clubs we develop short lived ones from unlikely places which always fall away in the medium term. Aldershot in our conference days seemed to be a tad more tasty than other games, but only a tad !

 

[Salvador]

That is normal football banter.
Nobody would call Rochdale a 'Rival' of FGR , an opponent yes but rival not.

Oh no, of course, no rivarlry. I was just wondering why the “everyone wants to beat FGR”? I can only guess it’s the vegan thing. Which is ridiculous but people are strange.

 

[MadJohn]

Oh no, of course, no rivarlry. I was just wondering why the “everyone wants to beat FGR”? I can only guess it’s the vegan thing. Which is ridiculous but people are strange.

They are, and I reckon you have a point. Sadly, many people will have a beef* with FGR simply because they are different.

*sorry

 

[BarraMatt]

Bolton.

 

[FGR Stroud]

They are, and I reckon you have a point. Sadly, many people will have a beef* with FGR simply because they are different.

*sorry

Records show that FGR have never played Hartlepool, so unlikely you've ever seen FGR play live.
Sorry but your opinions are therefore 2nd hand and must be dismissed.

Most FGR fans are looking forward to our visit up North to play proud historic Hartlepool [distance excepted].
Be sure most of us will be buying a burger from the snack store.
It is our Chairman who insists of Vegan policy for club but by golly it is working. FGR probably have better sponsorship deals than any other EFL2 club, partly because of that policy.
So call us Vegans and watch the cash roll in.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Unsurprisingly we have none at this level. Geographically the closest teams to us our Leyton Orient and Crawley. And we’ve never played a league game against Crawley (the pre-2004 non-league structure in Southern England was messy)

Our traditional local rivals carshalton athletic and Kingstonian are both in the Isthmian league system and we’ve not played either in a decade.

For our younger and newer fans (our attendances have more than tripled in the last 6 years) Bromley were our rivals, however we’re a league above them and tbh most Sutton fans over the age of 20 weren’t really bothered.

It’s sad in a way when you leave your rivals behind. Time to build rivalries with Crawley and Wimbledon I guess.

 

[MadJohn]

Records show that FGR have never played Hartlepool, so unlikely you've ever seen FGR play live.
Sorry but your opinions are therefore 2nd hand and must be dismissed.

Most FGR fans are looking forward to our visit up North to play proud historic Hartlepool [distance excepted].
Be sure most of us will be buying a burger from the snack store.
It is our Chairman who insists of Vegan policy for club but by golly it is working. FGR probably have better sponsorship deals than any other EFL2 club, partly because of that policy.
So call us Vegans and watch the cash roll in.

I don't have to have attended a FGR game to know what people are like. I've read and heard plenty of derogatory comments from our fans aimed at your club, seemingly based on nothing more than their perception of what your club stands for. What can I say, some people are just twats.