The Second City Derby

Lore & Background

The clubs first met on 27 September 1879, when Birmingham City were called Small Heath Alliance. The game finished 1–0 to the home side. Villa won the first competitive game between the clubs, in the Second Round of the FA Cup at Wellington Road in 1887, by four goals to nil. The first league encounter, in the First Division in the 1894–95 season, saw Villa win 2–1. The most significant clash was the final of the 1963 League Cup, which Blues won 3–1 on aggregate to claim their first major domestic honour. In 1980–81 Villa did the double over Blues and went on to win the First Division title. Blues scored a memorable 3–0 victory at St Andrew's in the first meeting following Villa's European Cup triumph in 1982. In the Premier League era, Blues won both derbies in 2002–03, including a goal scored by Geoff Horsfield after a throw-in from Olof Mellberg. Villa won their third consecutive derby match in April 2008 with a 5–1 victory at St Andrew's. The derby on 20 April 2008 ended in a 5–1 win for Aston Villa, the biggest winning margin for either side in a league match for 40 years.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicks the terraces at Villa Park as the floodlights cut through the grey Birmingham evening. The air hums with a nervous energy that only this specific fixture can generate. In the stands, generations of families sing in unison, their voices rising above the roar of the crowd. On the pitch, the claret and blue shirts stand stark against the green grass, while the opposing blues wait to spring forward. It is not just ninety minutes; it is a test of pride for two cities within one.

Reader's Guide

The teams have not met since Villa's promotion to the Premier League in 2019. The two grounds are roughly 2.4 miles apart. Both sides have affiliated women's sides, Aston Villa and Birmingham City.

Did You Know?

• The first meeting in 1879 was on a pitch described by Villa players as 'only suitable for pot-holing'.
• In 1925, Villa led 3–0 with eleven minutes to go, but Blues scored three times to draw the match.
• Tom 'Pongo' Waring's first appearance for Villa was for the reserves against Birmingham City's reserves, drawing a crowd of 23,000.
• In 2002–03, Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman made errors in both derbies, including a goal from a throw-in; Blues fans sarcastically named him runner-up in their player of the year vote.
• Villa hold a record of six straight league wins from 2005 to 2010, ended by a 0–0 draw on 31 October 2010.