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Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 2222
I know this a contentious topic across the fanbase. With some seeing Woking as rivals whilst others see it being Luton etc.
Personally for me it’s Luton, Cambridge and Barnet. All fairly local and had some decent matches in last 5/10 years.
Luton is a certain rivalry. 15 miles away. Played each other numerous times in past 15 years. And the closest geographically we will ever get to a local derby unless Welwyn, Hertford and Hitchin miraculously rise or we fall.
I’m curious as to those who don’t view Luton as a rivalry. Why not?
Watford - Luton is a definite rivalry however they've only played each other 5 times competitively in 25 years.
Rivalry’s imo make football. Increased emotions, animosity etc. whilst we don’t have the history of Watford Luton. It’s still close game geographically which imo makes it a local derby/rivalry.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1224
I'm late to this one but realistically do we have one right now? I can remember the 'we hate Woking' days (may they never fade) but as some have pointed out, it's been far too long since we've played them for there to be anymore relevance than there would be with the Hitchin rivalry.
We've had a bit of needle with Cambridge Utd but whenever I see them discussing rivalry on their boards they see Peterborough Utd as theirs. Same with Luton and Watford.
We've had a bit of history with Barnet but it's been forever since we've played them and with Orient that has never felt like a rivalry.
There are teams plenty of us dislike (for me I especially cannot stand the Mansfield or Blackpool fans), but that's different to an actual rivalry.
We've got to accept we have geographical derbies but, for now at least, we don't have any 'rivals'.
We're surrounded by plenty of teams that are all looking in other directions.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Luton wouldn’t view us as a rival.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Woking Cambridge Barnet.
I see Accrington as more of a rival than Luton.
Edited by Paulio at 17:03:13 on 19th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Personally I couldn't care less about Barnet or Cambridge.
Luton won't see us as rivals but I can't stand them.
Edited by RockyBottom at 16:54:33 on 19th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1660
All down to age, I am 45 grew up loving the Woking, Barnet, Rushden and Diamonds, Kettering and Macclesfield games, since we have been in the football league i honestly don’t think I have experienced ‘’rivalry games’ with the exception of Barnet and Orient as it’s been a fixture over the years, the rest we have gone our separate ways.
My son on the other hand 21, can’t stand Luton and has never witnessed a Woking game. That said I am sure if we got Woking in the FA cup he would be all over it as i have told him from a young age we all hate Woking!!!
Up the boro, great start to the season 🔴⚪️
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1579
I've been to Orient away a few times. That doesn't really feel like a rivalry, except hating on Richie Bellend
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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That's why I don't like them once he goes rhwyll drop back to being just another London club.
Fans generally been OK Home and Away in my experience.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Odd bunch of fans, the only ones who regularly fill the away end and all sit down
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1693
In recent years, I'd say Cambridge and Orient.
Obviously Barnet and Woking are the big two, but we've not played a competitive fixture against either in a while. Plus Barnet tend to scoop up our former players, so makes them difficult to hate.
Luton is a local derby but no real history there. (But I'd love it if we beat them).
I'd also say, we are a small and (mostly) friendly club which I think means other fan bases don't really see us as rivals.
Edited by SFC Jonny at 18:42:11 on 18th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Our only rivalry is with Woking. That will never change.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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And Hitchin scum
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1608
The current Hitchin scum is down to a hard core of around 300, many old boys who also volunteer around ground, not exactly Inter City Firm material..On plus side nice bar and beer Inc Mad Squirrel.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1651
Easy
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Luton isn’t a rivalry. Both sides have to care about it for it to be a rivalry. Local derby sure, but not a rivalry.
Edited by Tucks at 16:27:10 on 18th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1851
Seems daft to consider Luton a rival when they wouldn’t even give us a 2nd thought.
It’s been Barnet and Woking for ages but unfortunately they are massive basket cases so we don’t play them anymore.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1820
I don't really see us as having many these days.
Woking historically was because we were often battling with them in non-league, but it's been years since we played them and they're so far below us it's lost it's status and sort of an expired one. A section of the current fan base won't have ever seen us play each other.
Cambridge, Wycombe and Barnet are more modern rivalries due to their relatively closeness and frequency with which we play them.
Luton were rivals for one season when we were in the conference and that's about it. We are relatively local so it is a bit of derby match but not a huge rivalry.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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We will always be the "Woking Haters!"
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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We haven't played Woking for 6,385 days and counting.
17 ½ years ago almost.
Should probably pop them in the bin of footie relevence now.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1492
Jesus that makes me feel old!
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Can anyone remember the beginning of saint Woking day? When did it last begin?
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Luton is not a rivalry. A local derby, sure, but not a rivalry in any way for me.
We simply haven't played them often enough or regularly enough for it to be a rivalry, a rivalry takes years to develop, plus I don't get any extra enjoyment out of beating them than anybody else.
Wycombe is more of a rivalry than Luton, but I don't see that as one either.
Woking and Barnet for me. Cambridge to a lesser extent.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1800
When Phil gave them half the ET that stirred things up and showed them to be a nasty fan base which fuelled a dislike.
I'm over that now. They're a smallish club, with some idiotic fans who've had a good few years followed by a poor couple of seasons.
I don't like playing them mostly because it brings out all the swaggering Stone Island idiots amongst our own fan base and makes us as a club look bad.
Beyond that, I'm like Chuds, don't much care. But I guess it is a derby geographically.
I dislike Notts County, Orient, Wycombe and Mansfield far more than Luton.
Edited by BALDOCKBORO at 13:31:47 on 18th August 2025
Edited by BALDOCKBORO at 13:32:20 on 18th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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When does it become a rivalry? When we stuff luton twice this season and relish in seeing them below us after failing in the premier league. Surely that becomes a rivalry?
Plus if your like me you just have always had a natural hatred of luton as a whole. That slum town over a few hills away. Horrible place
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1796
I already answered that, if we play them regularly and meaningfully. Which we haven't yet done so. Playing them a couple of seasons every decade is not conducive to forming a rivalry, unless you already have a long historic rivalry against them, and so that is a refreshing of it. They have spent far too much of our existence as a club well above us, and played us far too infrequently in league games to have formed any rivalry for me. Playing them this season and maybe next isn't enough to change that. Give it five or so years and maybe we might be getting somewhere. Wycombe or Northampton are far more of a rivalry than Luton.
And as I said, I wouldn't relish in finishing above them any more than finishing above anybody else in the league (Orient aside), because I have no bad view against them and don't view them as a rival. They are just another team we are playing. And I have no view like you have about it as a place either, same as I have no view of Dunstable or any other local town I have hardly ever been to. Maybe that is because I have grown up and lived in Bedfordshire my whole life, bar a few years in Bristol, and would be different had I lived in Stevenage.
Edited by Chuds at 13:15:04 on 18th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Don't know about rivalry, but it's the Luton games that Stevenage folks I know are looking forward to. They'll be our biggest crowds and the atmosphere (unless we get stuffed!) will be buzzing. Unfortunately I reckon there's potential for mischief - hopefully at a low level.
I hope Luton fans stay out of the terrace, but I don't know how that could be assured?
Edited by Clogger at 14:47:09 on 18th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1677
Home ticket sales can be restricted to those with a purchase history as one measure, either in-person or online before the day of the game.
I don't know if giving Luton extra allocation in the south end of the west stand (up to ~400 seats) will be considered for the league game. It was considered for the game against Leyton Orient a couple of years ago but that was before the incident against Bradford.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1683
400 odd seats might earn us £8-9K.
Extra stewarding and policing will take a chunk of that.
And given our budget now, I really don't see it being worthwhile. It'll pay for Pidge for about 2 weeks. Hardly season changing money.
Half the ET however, 2,000+ extra fans.... £40k +
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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We're also more likely to sell more of our home allocation anyway for a big game, so no real need to do it
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Yep, pretty sure we'll get almost a sell out for the Luton home game.
My son is already asking when the away game is and can we go
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Why the buzz about Luton? Simple. We all know lots of Luton fans from work, school and home life!
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Yep, recently met an ex colleague who's now a client and it was the first thing he said to me that he's looking forward to our games
Edited by AndyC at 23:05:29 on 18th August 2025
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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I never new any until i lived in leighton buzzard for a few years
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Tottenham, Arsenal and apathy
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1797
Add to that ok in Hitchin today 3 bods with Leeds shirts and 3 with Liverpool chatting about the teams and PL.All sound locals to hear to me.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Boyce, his wife and Worrier in the Leeds shirts no doubt 😉
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
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Along with cost of living, newish EFL TV deal and dodgy Fire Sticks.
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Re: Lunchtime Debate: Who are our rivals?
Views: 1629
Throw school holidays and England home games in Birmingham on a Saturday into that one too for current barriers to attendance
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