Millwall hosts West Ham United in long-awaited derby clash

Football rivalries don’t expire. They just hibernate. And after more than 14 years without a competitive meeting, Millwall and West Ham United are about to remind everyone why the Dockers derby is one of English football’s most intense fixtures. The two clubs will face off at The Den on Saturday, September 19, their first competitive clash since February 4, 2012. It also happens to be their 100th competitive meeting, a milestone that stretches back to 1899 when both clubs were rooted in London’s shipping industry along the Thames. A rivalry forged on the docks The nickname tells you everything. The “Dockers derby” exists because both Millwall and West Ham were literally born from the labor of London’s waterfront. Thames Ironworks FC, which became West Ham, and Millwall Rovers emerged from competing workforces on opposite sides of the river in the late 19th century. Their 14-year separation wasn’t by choice. It was a product of the clubs occupying different tiers of the English football pyramid. West Ham spent much of that period in the Premier League, while Millwall ground through the Championship and League One. The two simply never landed in the same division long enough for the ...