It's only 19 months since Aston Villa won the honour of being top dog in the Second City when they beat Birmingham City 3-1.

Yet such is the turnover of players at both clubs that only three players likely to start this weekend's latest meeting at St Andrew's also started at Villa Park on Easter Sunday last year.

One of them, Maik Taylor, will be in the Blues goal. The other two are respective captains Liam Ridgewell and Gareth Barry, who will no doubt be reminding each other that they were on the same side, the winning side, when they last met.

Although Ridgewell is now part of the less successful of the city's two sides following his £2 million summer move from Villa Park, he has no regrets about moving on.

Not only has he nailed down a regular starting place, he has also been handed the extra responsibility of the captaincy, following the hamstring injury that has kept Damien Johnson out all season. And he certainly has no worries about how to handle the extra pressures of derby week.

"I don't think I've got a point to prove to Villa," said Ridgewell. "I came here to play football and get on and that's what I'm doing.

"I've had no bad reaction from Villa fans. I don't think there is a lot of baggage in moving from Villa. I go about my business, do what I've got to do and stay quiet about it. I stay in with the family, with the little one, keep myself to myself and get on with my football."

After all, it's not as if the young Londoner has swapped life at one end of the Premier League table for the harsher reality of a relegation dog-fight with Blues. That was pretty much all he was used to in his Villa days, particularly his one season as a regular two years ago when David O'Leary's side were very much part of the private relegation fight also involving Blues and West Bromwich Albion.

Having eventually been relegated, largely as a result of losing that six-pointer at Villa Park, Blues scrapped their way back to the top flight 12 months later. Now, his team rebuilt twice inside a year, manager Steve Bruce is simply seeking to establish his side in the top flight again.

It is with that in mind that he repeated his late-January deadline bid for Ridgewell. He finally got his man less than a fortnight before the start of this season. When Ridgewell leads out Blues on Sunday, he sees the game as simply being one piece of a 38-part battle to stay up.

"It was fantastic to get the armband and to still have it is fantastic," he said. "To captain the club to staying up would be a dream come true.

"Villa seem to have started well and I am sure they'll be hoping for a good season. But I'm proud of every game that I've led the team to victory in and this Villa game is just the same. Hopefully I can lead us to victory in that one."

Bearing in mind that the three points for Villa two seasons ago were inspired by a stunning strike from his centre-half partner Gary Cahill, it is also worth remembering that Ridgewell knows where the back of the net is. He scored his first goal for Blues in their last home game, against Wigan Athletic, just ten days ago.

With the derby just around the corner, Ridgewell admitted: "It was my first goal at St Andrew's and it was a special moment. Hopefully, it's good timing and maybe I can go on to stick a few more in.

"I didn't put a cross on the calendar but you do look out for the derby game, any derby, whoever you're playing for.

"It is one of those things moving across the city, but hopefully I can show to the fans my heart is in it.

"I play for the team, I've been doing it every week and hopefully that goal might convince a few more."