Ayrshire derby
The Ayrshire Derby refers to football matches between the two professional Scottish football sides based in Ayrshire: Ayr United and Kilmarnock. Ayr United play at Somerset Park, whilst Kilmarnock play at Rugby Park. The first match was held on 14 September 1910, in the same year that Ayr United were formed. This game was the final of the Ayrshire League in the 1909–10 season, and finished in a 4–4 draw. Ayr United were the first of the clubs to record a win the following season.
Both sets of fans hold up card displays as the teams line up before the 2012 Scottish League Cup Semi-final at Hampden Park | |
| Location | Ayrshire |
|---|---|
| Teams | Ayr United, Kilmarnock |
| First meeting | 14 September 1910 |
| Latest meeting | Ayr United 1–3 Kilmarnock 2021–22 Scottish Championship (11 March 2022) |
| Next meeting | To be confirmed |
| Stadiums | Rugby Park (Kilmarnock), Somerset Park (Ayr) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 142 |
| Most wins | Kilmarnock (59) |
| Largest victory | Kilmarnock 7–2 Ayr United (1935) |
| Largest goal scoring | Ayr United 3–5 Kilmarnock (1932) |
| Longest win streak | 4 games Kilmarnock (2021–2022) |
| Longest unbeaten streak | 9 games Kilmarnock (2021–2022) |
Rugby Park Somerset Park Location of the two teams' stadia | |
Ayr United
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Kilmarnock
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The six most recent meetings took place in national cup competitions because Kilmarnock have played in a higher division than Ayr since 1993. Up until 1998, both clubs competed in a local cup competition, the Ayrshire Cup, which also involved local junior sides.
The current record for Ayrshire derby games in major competitions stands at 56 wins for Kilmarnock and 48 for Ayr United. The term Ayrshire Derby has also been used to refer to Scottish Cup matches involving two teams from the county, most recently in the 2018–19 fourth round when Auchinleck Talbot beat Ayr United.