Overview: The Western Rising

Football in the south-west has never had the status and importance of that in other parts of the country. The Westcountry has eight professional football teams, yet none has ever won a major honour. The most successful, Bristol City, experienced their heyday a century ago with runners-up medals in League and Cup, but as recently as 2004 only they and my beloved Plymouth Argyle could even boast third-tier status.

Now things are changing. Argyle won the old Division Two that year and were finally followed into the Championship last season by City. The Ashton Gate outfit have been a revelation, with quick passing football and a formidable home record propelling them to the league’s summit. Most pundits seemed sure they would fall away eventually, but Gary Johnson has made remarkable consistency the trademark of a club which always used to choke when it really mattered. Argyle, much to my delight, are pushing hard for a playoff spot and it is not inconceivable that the Match of the Day cameras could be covering a pair of Westcountry derbies next season.

For Plymouth, the second-largest city in Europe (after Hull) never to have a top-flight team, it’d be a first. Of course, for those raised on the self-preserving Premier League elite, this seems absurd. But Bristol is the seventh-largest city in England, and Plymouth has a larger population than Derby, Portsmouth, and Blackburn to name just three. Both have huge catchment areas which could clearly support top clubs.

And these are not the only two south-western teams on the up. Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers both won promotion last season to join Yeovil Town, and of course Cheltenham Town, in League One. All four should retain their status this year, enabling them to push on afterwards. Cheltenham have risen from utter obscurity a decade ago to challenge Gloucester Rugby for public and media attention in this area.

Rovers have delighted football romantics nation-wide with their FA Cup adventure, with giant-slaying wins over Fulham and Southampton giving them a quarter-final clash with West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. It’ll be tough – the Baggies are the best side I’ve seen in the Championship this term – but with a raucous Memorial Stadium behind them and goalscoring threats Ricky Lambert and Craig Disley in the side, they have a real chance.

Further down, Exeter City, Forest Green Rovers and Torquay United are all vying for elevation from the Blue Square Premier, the Devon sides hoping for a return to their traditional fourth-tier level, and Rovers aiming to become the smallest club ever to play in the football league. Anomaly of the season, though, must be the fact that promotion could actually impact negatively on the finances of these clubs. Fifth-tier sides, now given ample television coverage by Setanta, receive excellent broadcast revenue, and greater media exposure than those in League Two. Added to the dent in attendance figures from a likely season in the middle or the lower reaches of the table, as opposed to a play-off race, and you can see why some have darkly suggested it might be better if Torquay and co remain where they are.

Look out, too, for Truro City. The ‘White Tigers’ from the Cornish capital are backed by millionaire property developer Kevin Heaney, who aims to give the peninsula a league side by 2017. They won the FA Vase at Wembley in May in front of an astonishing crowd of 27,754, and stormed Western League Division One last year, winning 37 of their 42 games and scoring 185 goals. Striker Stewart Yetton (formerly of Plymouth) bagged 72 himself, as well as 36 so far this season, and is a prime example of City’s successful policy of cherry-picking the best players from non-league and professional reserve sides in the area. Truro were installed as 2-7 favourites to win the 2007-8 Western Premier and have not disappointed, currently sitting five points clear. Next season they should go up to Southern League Division One, with four additional promotions needed to realise Heaney’s dream.

RICH PARTINGTON

Mackie signing emphasise gulf between Devon 'rivals'

This morning, after weeks of protracted negotiations, Plymouth Argyle finally completed the signing of Exeter City striker Jamie Mackie, for £145,000.

Less than eight years ago, on March 11 2000, Argyle had struggled to a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park in a LEAGUE fixture – now, three divisions above, we are buying the Grecians’ best player to bolster our reserves.

And Pilgrims fans have actually been generally split about whether Mackie is a worthwhile signing. Many don’t feel that 11 goals in the Blue Square Premier this season (14 in all competitions) are ample enough proof of Championship-level potential. But the pursuit of Mackie by Argyle boss Paul Sturrock has been dogged, with a series of bids, and the manager clearly rates him. At the moment, the price looks a touch on the steep side, but if the 21-year-old Blue Square December player of the month can score goals in the second tier it will look a snip.

It seems unlikely he will get his chance immediately. Steve McLean has just been signed for a club record fee and looks likely to shine. Rory Fallon shows signs of becoming a useful target man. Jermaine Easter has performed well and, you feel just needs a few goals to boost his confidence. And Lukas Jutkiewicz, on loan from Everton, is a top prospect who has come to Argyle for first-team football.

The primary impression created by the signing saga, though, is a huge reminder of the differences between these clubs who, at times during their histories, could have been described as rivals. Argyle have always been the bigger club – their crowds, fanbase, and legacy of success have always dwarfed City’s, unsurprsing given that the city of Plymouth is more than twice the size of its neighbour up the A38. But there is still a real hatred between the two sets of fans, particularly the younger element, who grew up with Plymouth having only a marginally better team.

Certainly, though, the hatred comes a lot stronger from one way – every Exeter fan I have ever met loathes Argyle with a passion. Once, at Exeter bus station, I came very close to a kicking from a pair of City lads returning from their Conference fixture, simply for wearing an Argyle shirt. We weren’t even playing them! I was only 16, not exactly threatening in appearance, and quietly minding my own business. But that’s to be expected. It’s not uncommon to see red-and-white striped shirts with ‘WE 8 ARGYLE’ printed on the back – I’ve witnessed them all over the country, and it always makes me chuckle. Sure, the Zoo Corner still sings of their mothers’ apparent order to ‘shoot the City scum’, but it’s more out of having no-one else to replace them with – Bristol City are more bothered about Rovers and Cardiff, and Torquay are essentially an irrelevance, who many Argyle fans support as a second team.

For many, of course – the old Navy boys, the Marines, and the dockyard workers, who once comprised the majority of Argyle’s fanbase, and still make up a decent chunk of present and exiled support – the big rivals are Saturday’s FA Cup Third Round opponents, Portsmouth.

The two south coast port currently host the south coast’s two best teams, and although Pompey fans are largely more bothered with Southampton, this match will be the main one for all men of sea and dock. In 1983, the enmity reached its peak when Portsmouth came to Argyle on the final day of the season, needing a win to seal the old Third Division Championship. They won 1-0, but the match was marred by hundreds of Pompey hooligans breaking through the barriers and charging through the Lyndhurst, causing many injuries among the Green Army.

Under Harry Redknapp, and backed by Alexandre Gaydamak’s shady millions, the Hampshire club are at their peak, European challengers for the past few seasons and currently sitting 8th in the Premiership. Despite the fantastic television spectacle and atmosphere Fratton Park’s ‘Battle of the Dockyards’ will surely provide, the BBC and Sky have yet again plumped for such irritating yawn-fests as Wigan v Chelsea, likely to be played in a half-empty stadium.

However, after requests from Navy and Marine personnel across the world, the match will be fed live to the forces, giving them a rare and welcome chance to watch their teams. This is a gesture which must be strongly applauded – but the question remains, why couldn’t ordinary British people have the same privilege? Portsmouth versus Plymouth has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

With Pompey having the noisiest fans in the Premiership and a full ground every week, and Argyle arguably the best travelling support in the football league, this promises to be a cracker – in the stands, at least. On the pitch, the Pilgrims may struggle to deal with stars like Nico Kranjcar and Benjani Mwaruwari – unless all even are at the top of their game, or the hosts field an under-strength side. Argyle’s cause has been somewhat aided with several Pompey players, including Sulley Muntari, away at the African Cup of Nations. If David Norris for the visitors, it is likely to be his swansong in green. Hopefully he’ll want to go out with a banging cup upset.

RICH PARTINGTON