Tomorrow at noon, in the realms of Witton, Harry Redknapp will take charge of his new Blues side for the first time.

It has been one of the most highly anticipated matches for some time in the city, Blues, with just two wins since mid-December, will look to upset the odds – which they are more than capable of doing.

13 years it has been since Bluenoses have seen their side win at Villa Park, and what a time it would be to end that hoodoo with Blues only being two points clear of the drop-zone.  It will be fascinating to see what Redknapp goes with; will he be reluctant to change the system completely or will he go with a system with the inclusion of wingers, which he has been known to favour in the past. We could see Kerim Frei start, Jacques Maghoma or even Che Adams could be used as a wing-man.

Villa, on the other hand, are likely to go with the treble in the midfield made up of Lansbury, Hourihane and Jedinak. However, Bluenoses know full well that three central-midfielders isn’t the most effective component at the best of times. Not to mention who could start up-front, the forgotten footballer, Gabby Agbonlahor. Bruce will be without star-man Jonathan Kodjia for the clash, but does have Scott Hogan at his disposal.

There’s no doubt whatsoever that Villa fans are expecting their side to win tomorrow, having spent more than £80 million in addition to Blues’ poor form, they expect nothing less than a win. If Blues can keep them quiet, frustrate them for half an hour, the groans will become more evident around Villa Park, and Redknapp’s men can grow stronger into the game.

The bluenose mind-set could be a key-factor in this one. Effort, passion and a bit of enthusiasm, regardless of the result, is appreciated. With this in mind, the players will need us tomorrow, outnumbered by 40,000, the 2,000 Blues must let them known of the enormity of the occasion.

Win, lose or draw, lets do the club proud. We win this, we stay up with two games to spare, we have bigger bragging rights than ever before and prove we don’t have to spend close to £100 million to win a derby.

In the name of Harry Redknapp, Nikola Zigic, Geoff Horsfield, Stern John and Peter Enckelman – let’s carry the name of the city with pride tomorrow. Keep Right On.