16. Port Vale and Stoke City

Less than five years ago there was speculation that these Potteries rivals would actually merge and form one club, based at the Britannia Stadium.

In late 2002 Vale went into administration, and one of the rumoured consequences was a merger with local rivals Stoke City. The letters pages of the local paper showed the depth of feeling that such a merger would have created, and the plan never got off the ground.

Remarkably, it was the second time such a merger had been mooted. Back in 1926, the Vale board considered a merger, but fan backlash put paid to the scheme.

Neither side has had much success in winning major trophies, with Stoke's single League Cup win in 1972 being the only piece of silverware they've claimed. Despite that, the clubs have still managed to avoid being in the same division for more seasons than not.

The rivals have met in the league only 44 times since 1920, and didn't meet once between 1957 and 1989. The 1990s saw regular clashes in what was then the Football League's First Division, but since 2002 Stoke have been mainstays of the Championship, while Vale have been trying to end an eight-year stay in the third tier.

In the derby games that have happened, very often the pre-match build-up - and the city centre aftermath - has been greater than the on-field action. The clashes are characterised by few goals, with an average of just two per game, and a biggest margin of 4-0 to Stoke in 1931.

Perhaps the absence of regular meetings explains why only 54 per cent of Stoke fans named Vale as their biggest foes - compared to 96 per cent of Vale fans who named Stoke - or maybe fans of the Championship side think they've 'outgrown' their League One rivals?

17. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs fans are clear on who their biggest rivals are, but Gunners fans aren't so sure. Spurs may be the nearest, and possibly the bitterest, but some sections of the Arsenal faithful see Chelsea or Manchester United as their true rivals.

Still, the North London derby remains one of the most eagerly-anticipated clashes of any Premiership season. They are two of the Premier League's ever-presents, and they have met every season bar one since 1950.

Arsenal have the better record in these derby games, winning 67 of their 156 league and cup matches, compared to Tottenham's 49. They also haven't lost to Spurs since November 1999 - an unbeaten run stretching to 20 games.

Arguably the best clash in recent memory was the nine-goal thriller at White Hart Lane in November 2004. It was only Martin Jol's second league game in charge at Spurs - and his first as permanent manager - and although he will have been delighted to see his side score four against the Gunners, he will have been as sick as the fans were at conceding five.

Seven months earlier, Arsenal had claimed their third Premiership title by taking a point in a 2-2 draw at…you guessed it…White Hart Lane.

Player transfers between the two clubs are fairly rare. In the 1970s defender Willie Young and goalkeeper Pat Jennings made the short move to Highbury, but the most controversial transfer was undoubtedly that of Sol Campbell in 2001.

After nine years and more than 250 appearances at Spurs, Campbell moved to Arsenal in 2001 under the so-called 'Bosman ruling' after failing to agree a new contract at Spurs. Having told fans he would stay at the club, and declaring publicly he would never play for Arsenal, it was hardly surprising he received a hostile reception when he returned to White Hart Lane for a derby game later that year.

18. Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United

Regardless of whether they're in North Lincolnshire or South Humberside, the proximity of the two clubs makes for an entertaining, long-standing rivalry - even though, since the early 1970s, league meetings have been few and far between.

And when the local rivals do meet, goals are at a premium - an average of just over two per game since they first met in 1951. Still, the older generation of Grimsby fans still talk about the day, in September 1966, they thrashed Scunny 7-1 at Blundell Park. Not quite a record league win for the Mariners, but not far off.

The Iron, of course, can take solace from the fact they're now two divisions ahead of Town - something neither club has ever achieved before.

Town, on the other hand, do have the edge when it comes to silverware, with a collection of title wins from the lower divisions sat alongside an Auto Windscreen Shield trophy from 1998. Scunthorpe, on the other hand, have only a single honour to their name: a Division Three (North) title from 1958.

Among recent encounters, perhaps the most memorable came in the 1982-83 season, when Grimsby were in Division Two and Scunthorpe in Division Four.

The sides met in the first round of the League Cup, with the Mariners winning the first leg 2-1 at the Old Showground, and then hanging on for a 0-0 draw in the return at Blundell Park.

Four months later they met in the third round of the FA Cup, and again the Second Division side came out on top, winning 2-0 at home in a replay after a 0-0 draw.

In the six domestic cup games between the rivals to date, the Iron have scored just one goal and failed to win a game. It's a dominance reflected in their League encounters, with Grimsby winning almost half the 53 games, and Scunthorpe just 13.

19. Everton and Liverpool

Manchester United may have eclipsed the Toffees as Liverpool's biggest adversaries (only four per cent of Liverpool fans named Everton as their biggest rivals), but the rivalry between the Reds and Blues still has plenty of passion locally.

It's known as one of the friendliest rivalries in football, with banter flowing on a daily basis through every home, office and factory in the city. It's a rivalry that splits the city in two - you're either Red or Blue, simple as that - and it's one that dates back to the birth of Liverpool FC in 1892.

Everton had existed since 1878, and from 1884 were playing home games at Anfield, renting the ground from owner John Houlding. But after a dispute about the rent, Everton moved to Goodison Park and Houlding decided to form his own football club, Liverpool FC.

Some fans stayed loyal to Everton, while others began to support the fledgling club, plying their trade in the Lancashire League, and so one of football's most famous rivalries was born.

Since 1894 there have been 201 league and cup matches played between them, with Liverpool winning 77 and Everton 63. Of the last 20 games - all in the Premiership - Everton have taken 16 points to Liverpool's 37.

The most recent Merseyside derby certainly had all the drama you could want: two sent off, an own goal and a last-minute penalty. Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1, thanks to two Kuyt penalties, both of which had followed dismissals for offences by Everton defenders Hibbert and Neville.

20. Leeds United and Manchester United

Manchester United have many rivals, but the bitter relationship between their fans and those of Leeds United is so intense that it merits a position ahead of even that of the Reds' rivalry with that of near neighbours City.

The two major industrial and business centres of the north have an economic and social rivalry that dates back to the industrial revolution, but the football rivalry goes back only to the days of Busby and Revie in the 1960s and early 70s.

Both called United, both chasing silverware on a regular basis. The Reds arguable had the edge over the Whites in the 1960s, but the next decade belonged to the Whites, as Manchester United struggled through the post-Busby era.

The Reds held the upper hand over Leeds throughout the 1980s, as the Elland Road club were relegated from the top flight, but the two rivals staged an epic battle for the 1991-92 League title - the last before the arrival of the Premiership. The battle was won by Leeds after a dramatic late-season stumble by United, but since then it has been the Old Trafford club's fans who have had most to celebrate.

An intense rivalry it may be but, as far as their respective records are concerned, it's not a close one. Whether measured in domestic or European trophies, or simply the meetings between the two sides, Leeds lose the argument.

But that has never prevented the fans from making their dislike of each other evident, the media from televising most of the recent meetings, or the players from producing some dramatic action.

One memorable encounter was the 4-3 win for the visitors at Elland Road in March 2002, with Leeds coming back from 4-1 down to almost snatch a point at the death.

It's a rivalry that is always guaranteed to make headlines, whether it's the spat between Roy Keane and Alfie Haaland, or the transfers of Gordon Strachan, Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand or Alan Smith.