Millwall F.C.–West Ham United F.C. rivalry
Rivalry between two London football teams / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The rivalry between Millwall and West Ham United is one of the longest-standing and most bitter in English football. The two teams, then known as Millwall Athletic and Thames Ironworks, both originated in the East End of London, and were located less than three miles apart. They first played each other in the 1899–1900 FA Cup. The match was historically known as the Dockers derby, as both sets of supporters were predominantly dockers at shipyards on the River Thames. Consequently, each set of fans worked for rival firms who were competing for the same business; this intensified the tension between the teams. In 1904, West Ham moved to the Boleyn Ground which was then part of Essex until a London boundary change in 1965. In 1910, Millwall moved across the River Thames to New Cross in South East London and the teams were no longer East London neighbours. Both sides have relocated since, but remain just under four miles apart. Millwall moved to The Den in Bermondsey in 1993 and West Ham to the London Stadium in Stratford in 2016.
Location | London (East and South) |
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Teams | |
First meeting |
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Latest meeting |
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Stadiums |
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Statistics | |
Meetings total | 99 |
Most wins | Millwall (38) |
Top scorer | Alf Twigg (10) |
All-time series |
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Largest victory |
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Millwall and West Ham have played each other 99 times competitively: Millwall have won 38, West Ham 34 and 27 have ended in a draw. Before the First World War the teams met 60 times in just 16 years, mostly in the Southern and Western Football Leagues. They have played a total of 39 times in league and cup competitions since 1916. The teams have usually competed in different divisions, spending only 12 seasons in the same tier of the Football League. Even so, the derbies have retained their passion and both sets of supporters still consider the other club their main rival. They last played against each other in the 2011–12 Championship. As of the 2023–24 season, West Ham play in the Premier League and Millwall play in the Championship, the tier below.
The rivalry between the teams is deeply embedded in British football hooliganism lore and culture, and has been depicted in books and films that focus specifically on the animosity between the clubs' two hooligan firms, the Inter City Firm and the Millwall Bushwackers. Violence has occurred sporadically between the fans, resulting in the death of a Millwall supporter in 1976, and the murder of a West Ham fan in 1986. Most recently in the 2009 Upton Park riot, widespread disorder between supporters in and around West Ham's Upton Park ground led to numerous injuries and a Millwall fan being stabbed before the match began. In the last two games between the sides in the 2011–12 season, the Metropolitan Police implemented London-wide operations to ensure the games were trouble-free.