There is no friendly rivalry in Birmingham. Supporters of Aston Villa and Birmingham City absolutely detest one another, and this combined with the relative sparcity of derbies over the years means that the clashes since Birmingham’s rise back to being a yo-yo club and then beyond have been ugly, hate-filled affairs with violence, controversy and even death sadly punctuating the narrative. After Blues controlled the early games upon their return, Villa have responded in emphatic fashion by winning the last six in a row (home and away). This weekend, that could all change.
The games at Villa Park have been among the most dramatic and eventful since Steve Bruce first guided Birmingham into the top flight. This is our run-down of the last five.
Aston Villa 1-0 Birmingham City, 25.4.2010
The last time these two sides met, the match was tense and tight, only settled by a late penalty that was wrongly considered controversial. The fact that our press and pundits either disregard or don’t understand the rules was highlighted by the uproar when Roger Johnson, who fouled Gabriel Agbonlahor, was punished with the award of a penalty by referee Martin Atkinson. Johnson’s nick on the ball led to both him and the media proclaiming his innocence. The idea that he won the ball was as ludicrous as Stephen Carr’s incendiary gestures towards Villa supporters at full time. In the meantime, James Milner buried the penalty to earn Villa three points.
Aston Villa 5-1 Birmingham City, 20.4.2008
Birmingham were propelled towards relegation on an afternoon which will be remembered at both ends of the city for generations. On the pitch, Villa demolished their hated rivals thanks to a brace apiece by John Carew and Ashley Young and a fifth from Gabriel Agbonlahor, whose record in the Second City Derby is remarkable. Mikael Forssell grabbed Birmingham’s only goal of the game with his side already 4-0 down.
Aston Villa 3-1 Birmingham City, 16.4.2006
Villa had also left Birmingham in dire straits two years earlier, when a 3-1 win helped to secure David O’Leary’s team’s safety from relegation. Milan Baros gave Villa the lead only for Chris Sutton, who would later have a spell at Villa Park under Martin O’Neill, to equalise for the visitors. The goal that put Villa back in front was arguably the derby’s greatest ever, Gary Cahill’s astonishing acrobatic volley prompting the Match of the Day commentator to point out that the defender, now at Bolton Wanderers, does not carry a Brazilian passport. Czech striker Baros gave Villa a two-goal cushion and eased them towards survival with his second of the match.
Aston Villa 1-2 Birmingham City, 12.12.2004
Birmingham’s most recent win at Villa Park came back in 2004. Blues rammed some ill-informed pre-match comments by Villa skipper Olof Mellberg back down his throat, earning the first half of a league double over their rivals with a 2-1 win. Thomas Sorensen spilled Clinton Morrison’s shot to put the visitors ahead and David Dunn scored from a Damien Johnson centre to put the game beyond the home team. Gareth Barry found the net twice for Villa, but his first was a poorly disguised slap and he was booked for his efforts. The players engaged in an ugly mass confrontation in front of the dugouts after Johnson’s bad challenge on Barry, Mellberg and Robbie Savage being the inevitable protagonists.
Aston Villa 2-2 Birmingham City, 22.2.2004
Earlier that year, Birmingham had frustrated Villa with a ballsy comeback from 2-0 down. Barry and Darius Vassell linked up well to create the England striker’s opening goal, and German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger doubled Villa’s advantage with a stunning long range strike. The home side should have seen off their rivals but were extremely wasteful in front of goal, allowed Forssell to make it 2-1 against the run of play to set up a frantic finale. Stern John was the hero for Birmingham, tapping in the equaliser deep into injury time to extend Villa’s winless run against Blues.
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Tags: Aston Villa, Birmingham City