For a man who scored an own goal against his old team and had a potential winner cleared off the line - all in a local derby - Liam Ridgewell was equability personified.

In the build up to this game the Birmingham City captain had been the central character after his summer move across the city from Blues' most bitter rivals Aston Villa.

Having not played for Villa since last February he therefore began the game with points to prove to manager Martin O'Neill and the centre backs who had kept him out of the starting line up for so long.

So if deflecting Stiliyan Petrov's tenth minute cross into his own net wasn't enough to bear, Ridgewell could have been forgiven a grumble or two when his goal-bound header was hacked away by Gabriel Agbonlahor with just six minutes to go.

To make matters worse, two minutes later Agbonlahor escaped his former team-mate's clutches to head past Maik Taylor and give the visitors the victory.

Given Birmingham's conviction they were denied two penalties by the referee it was all a bit soul destroying.

Not that Ridgewell showed it: "It was a fantastic atmosphere and an enjoyable game to play in," he maintained. "The gaffer said before the game when you are retired these are the games you miss and he's right.

"They have only had two proper shots on goal all game and while we've not bombarded their goal we have piled pressure on - at the time they scored we were doing well.

"We were on the front foot. I had one cleared off the line and they end up scoring. It's hard to put your finger on it."

He was, however, rather more irritated by the refusal of Steve Bennett to grant either of Birmingham two penalty appeals and light-heartedly vexed by Agbonlahor's contribution.

"The referee didn't explain a lot to me, all game long there were things going on. We were disappointed not to get those penalties. Maybe he will look back on that and see that he [Laursen] has caught De Ridder.

"What did I say to Gabby? I just swore at him, asked him what he thought he was doing and told him not to do it again.

"He has done really well. I am sure he will have an international future one day."

Meanwhile Cameron Jerome has withdrawn from the England Under-21 squad to have surgery on a hernia. The striker, who also thought he had scored the winner late in the game when he smashed a piledriver that Scott Carson did well to turn away, has been in discomfort since the start of the season.