Ciaran Clark insists Villa’s kids can cope with the white-hot atmosphere  in tomorrow’s eagerly-anticipated derby duel with Blues.

The 21-year-old scored both of injury-hit Villa’s goals in Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at home to Arsenal, a result which left them with just two wins from Gerard Houllier’s first 10 Premier League games and 15th in the table.

Although boss Gerard Houllier hasn’t given up hope of a top-six finish, the Carling Cup now looks their best hope of success this season, raising the stakes for tomorrow’s St Andrews showdown against their biggest rivals even higher.

Arguably it will be the biggest game of young midfield duo Clark and Barry Bannan’s short careers with a place in the last four of the competition on the line as well as the usual local bragging rights.

But Clark, Villa’s man-of-the-match in the recent league stalemate against Alex McLeish’s men, is adamant Houllier’s claret and blue fledglings won’t be fazed by the occasion.

“In the second half on Saturday (when Villa came back from 2-0 downto trail 2-1 and 3-2) the young players showed we can cope with a top drawer team like Arsenal and I think we’ll be able to cope with Birmingham,  he said.

“We just need to be able to start the way we ended Saturday’s game. We have to take the second half against Arsenal and put that into effect for the whole game at Birmingham. I think if we do that we will have a good chance. I have been to a Second City game before. I was there last season and the atmosphere is really amazing.

Clark got a taste for what awaits when he was part of Villa’s travelling squad in last year’s thrilling 1-0 win at St Andrew’s.

“It has got to the stage where I really understand what is means,”  he added.

Having deputised for James Collins in defence at Blackburn the previous week, Clark found himself back in the midfield position he has recently been deployed in. And he showed he can be just as effective in the other box at the weekend with two goals against the Gunners, the first a sweetly-struck volley.

“The ball came down and I just hit it,”  said Clark with more than a touch of modesty.

“It fell nicely for me and luckily enough it went in. I could have had a hat-trick when I tried to slide it in at the near post and hit the side-netting which was a shame.

“Sid (Gordan Cowans) and all the coaches have believed in me. I have never thought about playing in there apart from before I signed for Villa I played there a couple of times when I was 14 or15.

“We are short in the midfield because of injuries. My main position is at the back, I have always been a defender, but I’ll happily play in midfield when asked to do so.”