Local lads eager for bragging rights

Martin O’Neill has revealed his players are ‘well keyed-up’ – but is confident Villa’s Brummie connection can rise above the knife-edge emotions of the Second City derby.

Villa will have two Birmingham-born players and boyhood claret and blue fans in their team in Zat Knight and Gabriel Agbonlahor for Sunday’s showdown against Blues, who have no local links.

Both played in the 2-1 win at St Andrew’s in November when Agbonlahor was the hero, heading the winner after clearing Liam Ridgewell’s header off his line at the other end. And boss O’Neill believes both players will cope with the added derby pressure at Villa Park. “This will be a big, tight game, no doubt,” said O’Neill. “They’re well keyed-up. But the lads have experience of it.

“Gabby wants to do well, as does Zat Knight, and I’ve experienced it myself and we’re desperate to win it.” O’Neill, who has placed a media gag over his players this week, trusts his players to keep their minds focused on the game.

“Everybody goes through their own preparation for the games,” he said.

“If you think they’re getting a bit on edge, then I might say something, but at the minute no. I didn’t say anything before the last game other than ‘this is a derby and there will be a bit of tension around and feelings can run a bit high, so don’t get sent off daftly, or pick up daft bookings’. Those are the kinds of things I’ll be re-iterating – but it’s nothing I wouldn’t say anyway.”

O’Neill also feels the emotion and atmosphere will see different players rise to the occasion. 

“Sometimes the players you expect to do brilliantly in matches don’t perform and you can get the other way – people who you thought were a bit more low profile, they really blossom,” he said.

And he doesn’t expect the more experienced players to control their younger team-mates.

“Sometimes the older players who lose focus and concentration in the heat of the moment as much as the younger players,” he admitted.

“Ideally it would be great, but I don’t necessarily agree that’s the way with players.”

Ideally, O’Neill is looking for a repeat of his first derby in November – a solid performance and victory for Villa.

“In the derby at Birmingham, I thought the players were terrific,” he said.

“We had a ‘spongy’ 10-minute spell then got into our stride and looked really good.

“We got the goal to go in front and, as Steve Bruce said at the time, we maybe could have put the game beyond them.

“But as they tend to do, Birmingham fought back and equalised.

“The crunch moment was Gabby’s phenomenal 60 seconds – clearing off the line at one end and scoring at the other. It was as tight as that, but it gave us a lift.

“We were the better side, but that didn’t necessarily guarantee you winning the game.”

O’Neill, meanwhile, has also issued a plea for calm after numerous arrests were made at the last derby.

“There were a number of arrests after the game in Birmingham,” said the Villa chief.

“While you wouldn’t want a number of arrests less than the previous time to be acceptable, if it’s on the decrease that can only auger well.”

But O’Neill’s not convinced the hostility has gone out of the fixture.

“I don’t know. Perhaps the timing of it, 12 noon has affected it,” he said. “But it was pretty atmospheric at Birmingham.

“I remember the first games (when Birmingham were promoted) were on a Monday night. By that time people had been looking forward to it all day and passions maybe run high.”