Gabriel Agbonlahor has backed Birmingham City central defender Liam Ridgewell’s decision to make the "dangerous" move across the second city from Aston Villa.

Ridgewell opted for the £2million switch from Villa Park to Blues in the summer and has been stand-in skipper during the first three months of the campaign in the absence of the injured Damien Johnson.

Now the former England Under-21 international will face his former club for the first time in Sunday’s lunchtime clash at St Andrew's.

Villa striker Agbonlahor said: "Liam has done well. I speak to him every week, keep in touch quite a lot and I’ll have a word to try to find out some team news for Sunday.

"It was a good move for him. He wasn’t getting the chances here at Villa so to play regular Premier League football, and to get the captain’s armband, you can’t ask for any more really.

"Was it a funny move by Liam? It was a bit of a dangerous move but he wanted to play football and fair play to him."

Agbonlahor will try to use his explosive pace to unhinge the Birmingham defence and add to his four league goals and exploit any weaknesses in Ridgewell’s game.

He said: "I think everyone has got weaknesses but I don’t want to talk about ’Ridge’ in that way. He is a really good defender, good at leadership skills, a good choice for Steve Bruce."

Agbonlahor could be reunited up front with John Carew who is winning his battle to be fit to face City after missing the last six games with knee ligament damage.

And winger Ashley Young is also making good progress after limping out of the weekend victory over Derby with a groin injury shortly after scoring his second goal of the campaign.