Fife derby


The Fife derby is a football rivalry that is based in Fife, Scotland. Matches are contested between any two SPFL clubs from Dunfermline Athletic, Raith Rovers, East Fife and Cowdenbeath.

Overview

The two best-supported clubs in the region are Dunfermline and Raith Rovers, and in general their meetings attract the most interest, however any match between the four clubs is referred to as a 'Fife derby'. A fifth local club, Lochgelly United, competed in the Scottish Football League for five seasons.
None of the clubs have won the Scottish League title or finished runners-up. All have played in the top division at one point in their history. East Fife were Scottish League Cup winners three times in six years between 1947 and 1953, while Dunfermline won the Scottish Cup twice in the 1960s; The only occasion when two clubs from the region met in a major cup final was in October 1949, when East Fife defeated Dunfermline 3–0 at Hampden Park to win the 1949–50 League Cup; the crowd of 39,744 is a record for a Fife derby match.
Raith Rovers are the only Fife team to have won the Scottish Challenge Cup, achieving this in 2014 with a win over Rangers. Perhaps the most important Fife derby meeting of the early 21st century came a month after the Raith cup win, when Cowdenbeath overcame Dunfermline 4–1 on aggregate in the 2013–14 Championship play-off final to preserve their status in Scotland's second tier at their neighbours' expense.
Dunfermline Athletic had their first sellout crowd in 15 years for a Fife derby played against First Division title rivals Raith Rovers in April 2011. East Fife's record attendance at their old Bayview Park ground was also against Raith, attracting a 22,515 crowd in 1950.

Senior non-league and Juniors

Prior to 2017, most of the other Fife clubs played in the Junior setup's East Region, with both Kelty Hearts and Tayport having won the East Superleague on two occasions. Burntisland Shipyard were the sole senior team, playing in the East of Scotland Football League.
In 2017 Kelty left the Juniors and joined the East of Scotland League with the aim of rising through the divisions and becoming an SPFL club. A year later several other teams from Fife followed suit, including Kelty's local rivals Hill of Beath Hawthorn, plus Crossgates Primrose, Dundonald Bluebell, Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts, Oakley United, and St Andrews United. In 2019 Glenrothes made the same switch.
With the exception of Tayport who compete against teams in the Tayside area due to their proximity to Dundee, the remainder of the Fife Junior clubs—Kennoway Star Hearts, Kirkcaldy & Dysart, Lochgelly Albert, Lochore Welfare, Newburgh, Rosyth, and Thornton Hibs—moved across to the East of Scotland League for the 2020–21 season.

Results tables

Dunfermline v Raith Rovers

As of: 28 December 2019.
Competition
League98412433151143
Scottish Cup630369
League Cup83231214
Challenge Cup210112
Total114482640170168

Dunfermline v East Fife

As of: end of 2017–18 season.
Competition
League5217122391105
Scottish Cup411259
League Cup102261427
Total66201531110141

East Fife v Raith Rovers

As of: 28 December 2019.
Competition
League74291431126133
Scottish Cup431094
League Cup207493939
Challenge Cup100123
Total99391941176179

Cowdenbeath v Dunfermline

As of: end of 2017–18 season.
Competition
League80281636118137
Scottish Cup61141116
League Cup8017723
Challenge Cup200226
Total96291849138182

Cowdenbeath v East Fife

As of: 28 December 2019.
Competition
League105362940170175
Scottish Cup100112
League Cup5401136
Challenge Cup421173
Total115423043191186

Cowdenbeath v Raith Rovers

As of: 28 December 2019.
Competition
League94292342137171
Scottish Cup100102
League Cup106131619
Challenge Cup310223
Total108362448155195

Totals for four clubs

As of: end of 28 December 2019.

Achievements by Fife clubs

Up to and including season 2017–18.