Albert Adomah aiming to bring Aston Villa victory against Birmingham City

Adomah has quickly become a smash hit in the claret and blue dressing room, where his pre-game dance routines have raised spirits and recently become something of a lucky charm.

"Has it gone down well? Well, yes, we've got two victories recently!" he laughs. "It's usually African songs. Sometimes we play music in the changing room. If it's on and I happen to pop in at the right time then I just dance to it."

This is not, he insists, an early audition for a future series of Strictly Come Dancing. "That's a bit out of my league," he says. "It's just a bit of excitement. The lads just laugh at me most of the time."

Never mind dancing, one conversation with Adomah is enough to leave you feeling better about the world. With his easy-going, friendly nature and infectious laugh the 28-year-old is simply a breath of fresh air.

"Crazy" is how some team-mates have affectionately described him, yet the man who became Villa's final signing of the summer transfer window when he joined from Middlesbrough is certainly no fool. Beneath the broad smile there is a confident, intelligent player who has earned his crust the hard way.

The London-native, who lived in Ghana for much of his early childhood, didn't turn professional until the age of 20 and for a long time expected a paintbrush to be the tool of his trade rather than a football.

"When I was playing in the park with my friends, I never thought I would be a footballer," he says. "But it happened the right way. The right path. A few of my friends were joining academies and I thought it might have been a bit too late for me.

"I got scouted by Harrow Borough, semi-professional, but I was still doing a painting and decorating apprenticeship while I was there.

"My route was different, not joining an academy. A lot of my friends were younger so it was easier for them.

"A good friend of mine, who took the same route, was Yannick Bolasie. He started in non-league as well and now he is playing in the Premier League. It's a good thing to see."

Slowly, the offers began to arrive for Adomah. John Still was keen to take him to Dagenham and Redbridge but after being shown around the club, he turned the move down.

"It didn't feel the right fit for me," he says. "I remember going home that night and thinking 'well, that's my professional career finished!'.

"The next day I got a call from Barnet and I never looked back."

Adomah spent two seasons at the Beehive, where his kit was sponsored by legendary BBC commentator John Motson. From there his career has been one steady upward journey through the divisions, taking in stops at Bristol City and Middlesbrough prior to Villa Park. Indeed, last month's £6million switch from the Riverside could be seen as his first backward step, particularly as it came just weeks after making his Premier League debut.

"That was a big decision, a massive one, obviously," he says. "Getting promoted to the Premier League but knowing there is another team interested in you in the Championship, in football you never know.

"This decision was made solely on what was going to benefit me in the future. Ultimately I know I got promoted and I played two games in the Premier League, so whatever happens I can say I have played there! But joining Villa it's a massive club and we have a real chance to be promoted here.

"When I was younger it was different. It was down to me. I could just say yes or no. Now, as a grown-man I have a family and I have to take them into consideration as well.

"Everything I decide is down to my family and this move will benefit them in the long-run. I know for a fact one day we will get promotion with Villa."

Such a statement can be proclaimed with a little more conviction of late, at least since the arrival of Steve Bruce reignited Villa's campaign. A run of seven points from the 55-year-old's first three games after replacing Roberto Di Matteo means Villa are heading into the derby with considerable momentum.

"It is still the same players," says Adomah when asked about the change in form. "I have been at clubs where you get managers sacked and the new manager comes in and things start to change and I think that is what happened.

"It is a breath of fresh air with a new person coming in and everything starts to change step by step going in the right path. Hopefully we can keep it up.

"I have to say thank you to Roberto Di Matteo because obviously he signed me and if it wasn't for him obviously I wouldn't be here. I have to say a massive thank you to him and I thought he was a great manager. It just didn't work."

Gary Rowett's Blues, six points ahead in the Championship table, will pose by far the toughest test of Bruce's short-reign to date. Adomah can't wait for his first taste of the rivalry.

"This is my first big massive derby," he said. "People say it is one of the biggest in the country.

"I am looking forward to the sound of it, everyone says the sound is out of the league. The main priority is three points and trying to win. If you win the game you have the bragging rights to say we are the biggest team, the best team, in the city."

Should Villa triumph, you can expect to see Adomah dancing.

"The manager hasn't seen it yet," he smiles. "Hopefully, if we get the victory or I score a goal then I will definitely throw some shapes."

The question bears asking again, does he really have no designs on Strictly?

"I think, after I retire, I might have to work on my tango," he says, before letting out a loud laugh. "When I retire, then maybe," he adds. "Who knows?"