Wrexham F.C. - Rivals

Rivals

Chester FC: Wrexham's main rival was Chester City and is now Chester F.C., as the towns are just 12 miles apart on opposite sides of the England-Wales border and it is one of the most competitive derbies in the lower leagues. They met on 74 occasions in the league, Wrexham edging the head-to-head with 36 victories against Chester's 22. Wrexham had not lost to Chester at home in the league since 1977–78, when Chester were the only team to win at the Racecourse in that promotion season, with the match played in front of some 19,000 fans. Games between the two are usually moved to Sunday, with a 12:00 kick off, minimising time for the consumption of alcohol and the risk of the two sets of supporters clashing. The last meeting between the two teams was on 27 September 2009, the match played in front of almost 6,000 fans and ending in a 0–0 draw. The sides are yet to meet since Chester re-formed as a phoenix club, as the clubs are one division apart at present and are yet to meet in a cup competition.

Shrewsbury Town: Wrexham's next nearest rivals are Shrewsbury Town, who are 35 miles to the south. This rivalry is also based upon the English-Welsh divide as well as geographical proximity, as both towns are situated near the England-Wales border. The rivalry intensified when Wrexham were responsible for condemning Shrewsbury to relegation to the Conference National in the 2002–03 season, following a 2–1 at the Gay Meadow, with goals from Andy Morrell and a 90th minute winner from Lee Jones, the result also all but promoted Wrexham to Division Two (now League One). Fixtures between these two teams have also been moved to a 12:00 kick-off on a Sunday to avoid confrontation between the two sets of supporters. In recent seasons, Shrewsbury have had the better results, although Wrexham did win 1–0 in the 2006–07 season, and therefore became the last ever team to win at the Gay Meadow, including Shrewsbury, with the goal scored by Michael Proctor. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, in Wrexham's first visit to the New Meadow, Shrewsbury won 3–0 against an injury-ravaged team, with the goals coming from Kevin McIntyre, Darren Moss and James Constable this more or less confirmed Wrexham's fate of relegation to the Conference National, which was finally confirmed after losing 2–0 at Hereford United.

Tranmere Rovers: Wrexham also have a long history of rivalry with Tranmere Rovers. This is due to their proximity (only 22 miles separate the two) and a long history of antagonism between the fans. The last time these two met was in 2006. Merseyside, North Wales and Cheshire police expected trouble after a text message was tracked from one Tranmere fan to another quoting "Wrexham...they're bringing 200 or more can't wait". In all 32 Tranmere Rovers fans were charged with football hooliganism.

Welsh Derbies: Derbies with fellow Welsh teams Cardiff City and Swansea City are rare these days as they are several leagues above Wrexham, but they used to be fierce affairs due the North/South Wales divide. However, Newport County were promoted to the Conference Premier for the 2010–11 season hence providing Wrexham with a Welsh derby.

Others: Some less significant local derbies that Wrexham share are with Crewe Alexandra, Walsall and more recently Altrincham FC. Large away followings can also be expected to and from Bury F.C., Rochdale, Stockport County and Hereford United because of the geographical proximity between the clubs.