What is the Birmingham City v Aston Villa flashpoint Stephen Carr will never “apologise for” | OneFootball

Stephen Carr has been speaking about a controversial flashpoint of his in the Second City derby

Former Birmingham City captain Stephen Carr has admitted he will "never apologise" for a flashpoint he was heavily involved in during a fiesty 'Second City derby' against Aston Villa over 15 years ago.

As has been well-documented, the bitter feud between these two local rivals is as - if not, more - passionately contested as any other 'derby' or 'rivalry' across English and British football as a whole.

The two clubs may not meet as other rival clubs across the pyramid, but that element only adds to the drama and animosity showcased at either St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park or Villa Park when these clashes are played out in league and cup meetings.

Carr was no stranger to local derbies, having played for Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal in the North London affair after coming through the academy ranks at White Hart Lane.

However, whilst he is best known in the West Midlands as being the man who lifted the EFL Cup following Blues' underdog triumph against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in February 2011, the Republic of Ireland international defender also endeared himself more to those in B9 for his actions in B6 in April 2010 as a Premier League encounter ended in controversial fashion back in April 2010.

What is the Aston Villa, Birmingham City flashpoint Stephen Carr will "never apologise" for

The 2000s and early 2010s were, for the first time in a generation, periods in which Second City derbies were regularly on the agenda for both Villa and Birmingham, with the first Premier League meeting - a 3-0 win for Blues in September 2002 - a first league encounter between the two sides since December 1987.

During said timeframe, 14 league games were played between the two, with Blues enjoying a strong run of initial form against their bitter rivals, before the roles were reversed later in the period.

Birmingham endured a handful of seasons back in the Championship amongst those too, but were back in the top-flight for the 2009/10 season under Alex McLeish, whilst their neighbours remained hopeful of eventually achieving a place in the UEFA Champions League under Martin O'Neill.

After Gabby Agbonlahor - unsurprisingly - netted a late winner at St. Andrew's in September 2009, Blues were hoping to exact revenge in Aston in April 2010 en route to a respectable ninth-place finish.

Yet, with seven minutes to go, their hosts were controversially awarded a penalty after Agbonlahor fell under pressure from Roger Johnson, who appeared to win the ball first, before the spot-kick was converted by James Milner.

Post-match, Carr was seen making his feelings known to those in Villa Park's North Stand as home supporters taunted their rival players who were left enraged by Martin Atkinson's decision - a flashpoint that the right-back has no regrets over, albeit he was handed a one-match ban just days later.

“That's the passion of football. Unfortunately I then missed a game over it, which I was a bit gutted about. But that's football, sometimes there's not enough passion out there. at the end of the day. I'm never going to apologise for that," the Irishman told the Birmingham Mail's Keep Right On Podcast.

“Is it the right way to go about things at times? No, but you're passionate, I thought we got done over, and I was angry. Sometimes you overstep the mark.

"To me, it is what it is. I know it meant a lot to the Blues fans but it was done like that, it was done purely through passion and I'd had enough. I thought we got robbed there that day, we played well and got a penalty given against us," he added.

“Unfortunately I then missed a game over it, which I was a bit gutted about. But that's football, sometimes there's not enough passion out there.”

Stephen Carr will hope to see Birmingham City competing with Aston Villa in the Premier League soon

Unfortunately for those associated with Blues, their club hasn't been able to compete with Villa on somewhat of an even keel for many years. However, they believe that is certainly set to change in the years to come.

The last encounter in this fixture was also full of controversy, as Jack Grealish responded to a first-half punch from a Birmingham supporter by netting a 67th-minute winner, which was part of a 10-game winning streak for Villa that set them up for promotion in May 2019.

Since then, they have become European regulars under Unai Emery, whilst Blues are looking to eventually end a Premier League hiatus under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management.

After a record-breaking season in League One, Tom Wagner is hoping a second promotion isn't too far away after continuing to back Chris Davies in the transfer market.

Both clubs are also undergoing major off-pitch transformations, with Birmingham set to move into a 62,000-seater stadium by 2030, whilst the Villans have also seen expansion plans for their current and historic home approved ahead of being a host venue at UEFA Euro 2028.