Why 95th Devon derby could be biggest in memory

By Matthew Cresswell BBC Sport England

It is a local rivalry that first stems back to February 1909 when Plymouth Argyle beat Exeter City 2-0 in the second round of the English Cup.

Almost 120 years on, the two clubs renew their feud as they meet up once more for the 95th edition of the Devon Derby.

And Saturday's game at Home Park could well be one of the most important.

A win for Argyle would push the Greens into the top-six - even just momentarily - for the first time this season before Stevenage's stern test at Bradford City later in the day.

While three points for the Grecians would go a long way in their quest for League One survival with less than a month of the season remaining.

With both sides coming into the game off the back of 3-0 victories on Monday, the need for the points for entirely contrasting reasons means Saturday, 11 April 2026 could go down as a date in Devon derby history.

'You want to win this more than any other'

"You want to win this one more than any other game. There's no better feeling," Plymouth captain Joe Edwards says.

Edwards, 35, is preparing for his fifth Devon derby, having won two and lost two.

His most recent, a 2-0 defeat by Exeter in October, was a low point in his seventh season at Home Park which has included two promotions, a relegation, and even a stint as joint-caretaker manager after Wayne Rooney left in December 2024.

That defeat by Exeter left Argyle in the relegation zone, and just over a month later, they had dropped to the foot of the table with a return to the second tier in their first season back in League One looking like a distant dream.

"We never lost sight of what we wanted to do," Edwards told BBC Radio Devon.

"At times it was going to be hard, and maybe not as possible as we thought it was going to be, but the way we've stuck together as a club has been amazing.

"To come from that to where we are now shows the togetherness. I always tell the boys once you get that off the pitch here, it's a special place to be."

That togetherness has helped Argyle amass 36 points since the turn of the year - only promoted Lincoln City have picked up more since 1 January.

Their victory against Barnsley on Easter Monday, along with Reading's last-gasp defeat by Lincoln, pushed Argyle up to seventh and within touching distance of the play-off places in a dramatic turnaround in form.

Despite Exeter's precarious position at the other end of the table, Edwards says full focus is on themselves.

"It's about us, we've got stuff to play for this season," he added.

"We know what they're fighting for - which adds to the occasion - but I think going into the game it's all about us and how we can win the game."

Pilgrims boss Tom Cleverley will take charge of his 51st game since arriving last summer.

"It's obviously a huge occasion for the area, and for our city especially, and the fact that both clubs are fighting for things that are really important to each club respectfully makes for a great day," he said.

"We know we've got a wrong to put right from earlier on in the season. Losing the previous derby has not sat right for the whole season. I have no doubts - we'll be intense, we'll be energetic.

"We know what we have to do to give us the best chance."

'It's a massive, massive game'

Exeter City midfielder Ilmari Niskanen was one of the standout performers in the Grecians' 2-0 victory against Argyle in October.

Then managed by Gary Caldwell, they overcame an early flurry of Argyle pressure to come out deserved victors on the night and have the opportunity of a first derby double in a decade.

The Finnish midfielder tasted the Dundee derby when at Dundee United between 2021 and 2023 and thinks Saturday will mean more than just three points.

"Obviously [it's] a massive, massive game even in the current situation we are in. The biggest game of the season, definitely, and we will be more than ready," Niskanen told BBC Radio Devon.

"The previous derby in October we played really, really well. They are in a lot better place at the moment than what they were then, so it's going to be a different kind of challenge for us.

"It's going to demand a lot from us for sure - we need to be willing to fight and suffer at times as a group, and we need to show how much we care about this football club.

"Derbies are the best games that you play in. Those are the matches you play football for. When the pressure is high and when the atmosphere is always unbelievable. This is definitely one of the most special derbies in football."

Form book goes out the window

Back in his second spell in charge of Exeter, head coach Matt Taylor is set for his first Devon Derby since leading the Grecians to a 4-0 hammering of Argyle in October 2019.

Taylor won one and lost one derby as a player during the 2010-11 season and has not forgotten the feeling this fixture can provide.

"Massive game of football. Massive game in Devon, probably not to the outside world. I said to the players today I didn't know the magnitude of the fixture until I played in it," Taylor told BBC Radio Devon.

"I am a northern lad so the Devon derby wasn't exactly on my radar - until you are involved in one.

"And then once you're involved in one, it's all about winning. My experiences are from a long, long time ago. This group of players have got recent history of a good result earlier on in the season.

"Obviously, we feel that Plymouth were in a different place then to where they are now. They've hit form fantastically well post-Christmas.

"But I think if there is ever a game where form and league standing goes out the window, it's this one.

"Come 12:30 on Saturday, it's a game of football against your biggest rival. It's tribal, it's in our DNA. It's always a good place to play football, and we've got to make it a good place to play football for ourselves."