Pitch battle all in the past for Walsall's Kevin Toner
He's been brought in to add some extra steel to Walsall's defence.
But while Saddlers fans got a first glimpse of new recruit Kevin Toner against Bury, there is one squad member who was already well acquainted with the 20-year-old.
Fellow loanee George Dobson was part of the West Ham under-21 side that played Toner's Villa back in April.
And after a series of robust challenges from the centre-back – including one on Dobson himself – the midfielder was quick to let Toner know what he thought of him.
That prompted a mass brawl with 18 players getting involved before the referee was to able to restore order.
Now Toner and Dobson look set to start for Walsall tonight as they host Grimsby in the Checkatrade Trophy – with the defender insisting their previous spat is long forgotten.
"As soon as I came in, everyone was talking about it," Toner said when asked about the incident.
"But it is football. If you go and scrap with someone on the pitch, as soon as the whistle blows you are friends. On and off the pitch is a different story and now we are absolutely fine with each other – 100 per cent.
"George is a funny lad, I have known him for a while. He's sound.
"And we're both looking forward to tonight's game."
The Banks's is set for one of its lowest ever attendances tonight with fans set to stay away due to controversial changes made to the EFL Trophy.
For the first time in the tournament's history, under-23 sides from the Premier League and Championship are able to compete. But while there is set to be a host of empty seats, Toner believes it's vital Walsall use the game to get over the disappointment of Saturday – where the Saddlers let a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3.
"I was absolutely gutted after Bury," he said. "You don't expect that to happen when you are 3-0 up at half-time. You know they are going to come out and the next 10 minutes are the ones that count.
"They scored two goals and the momentum swung completely. You know the momentum is shifting but you just have to try and dig in, which I thought we did a bit.
"Some teams might properly crumble and go out and lose 4-3 but we should not be hanging on to a point after being 3-0 up. It was one of those games which happens in football. It is about how you bounce back from it and that starts tonight."
