Birmingham City will have added motivation ahead of Barnsley clash involving Aston Villa | OneFootball

The ex-Villa cult hero will line up against his old rivals in the dugout at St Andrew's

The Second City Derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa has served up plenty of iconic moments and hostile atmospheres over the years.

Whilst the two bitter rivals are currently streets apart in terms of divisional status - although that will no doubt change in the coming weeks as Blues march towards the Championship under Chris Davies - the animosity between the two sets of supporters hasn't shown any signs of slowing down in the last nine months.

Of course, there was a period in the past decade where the historic clubs were on-par with each other in the second tier, as Villa endured their first spell outside the top flight since 1988, whilst Birmingham looked to end a lengthy hoodoo - in terms of league games, at least - set on them by the B6 outfit.

However, in the three-year spell of six fixtures, Villa maintained their unbeaten league record against Blues, which stretches back to March 20th 2005, which also saw them emerge victorious in all three derbies at Villa Park.

And, one man who gave the Holte End a moment to savour back in February 2018 will be returning to this part of the world on Saturday, and supporters will certainly hope to use his visit to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the opposition dugout as extra motivation to secure another three point-haul.

Despite the fact Villa are now competing regularly for European football under Unai Emery, as well as reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals, those from the Claret and Blue half of Brum continue to remember their heroes from the Championship days with great fondness.

Conor Hourihane signed for the Villans in January 2017 after a successful spell at Barnsley, where the Irishman had developed an eye for the spectacular goal, as proven by his goal for the Tykes against Leeds United prior to his switch.

The 36-time international would end up featuring 151 times for the club under Steve Bruce and Dean Smith, scoring 29 times and laying on a further 23 assists in midfield alongside current Manchester City man and boyhood Villa fan, Jack Grealish.

Hourihane, over time, became the epitome of a modern-day cult hero at Villa Park with plenty of iconic moments, which included a stunning strike against West Bromwich Albion in the 2018/19 play-off semi-final first leg and a hat-trick against Norwich City in August 2017.

However, one moment cemented his place in Villa folklore back in February 2018, with one of his many spectacular finishes coming against their arch rivals.

Bruce's side were fighting to regain their place in the Premier League at the second time of asking whilst Birmingham were looking to stave off relegation in what would prove to be a chaotic season in B9 under three different managers.

Having gone in front just after half-time through the experienced Albert Adomah's 13th goal of the season, Hourihane put the contest to bed with a looping volley which flew past David Stockdale after initially chesting down Maxime Colin's headed clearance from the edge of the box.

The Cork-born man would feature in five of the six Second City derbies during this era, which culminated in the Villans' promotion back in May 2019, with a 1-0 win at St Andrew's coming in the midst of a 10-game winning streak under Smith.

Birmingham City fans will hope to emerge victorious against Barnsley with extra incentive

Blues' main focus against the South Yorkshire side on Saturday will be to take yet another giant stride towards wrapping up the title, having gone 11 points clear of Wrexham in midweek after a record-breaking 37th win of the season in all competitions and 27th league win of the season against Bristol Rovers.

Victory against Barnsley would also break two further records - the highest-points total in club history and most home wins in a single season, with the current record of 17 previously set in both 1902/03 and 1946/47.

Despite the visitors' struggles of late, which have seen them drift away from the play-off pack and appoint Hourihane on an interim basis until the season's conclusion following Darrell Clarke's dismissal, they do boast the fourth-strongest away record in League One, with 36 of their 54 points coming on the road.

However, with Birmingham unbeaten at home in the league since 16th March 2024, further improving that record will be an ominous task for the Reds, whilst their interim boss will have to put up with plenty of stick from the Tilton, given his well-known connections and affinity with Villa.