It was September 1879 when Aston Villa's footballers first made the short journey to play a friendly game against Small Heath Alliance - the club that later became Birmingham City. They lost one nil to a disputed goal, Villa's players called the Muntz Street pitch "only suitable for pot holing". And there has never been a game that could be described as a friendly since. This book tells the story of one of football's most fierce and bitter rivalries, a fixture that never fails to inflame passions and create debate in England's second city. Packed with memorable quotes, facts and trivia, there are statistics that should settle many an argument. On the other hand, they might just provoke some more ...