Kevan Broadhurst reckons that post-match tiffs will always be a part of a Second City derby. The former Birmingham centre half, now assistant manager at Bristol Rovers, watched the Birmingham-Villa derby two weeks ago with a wry smile on his face.
Mario Melchiot and Lee Hendrie had a very public difference of opinion on the pitch but Broadhurst was involved in some heated local derbies of his own, including the 1983 clash at Villa Park that was christened the 'Demolition Derby'.
In that fiery clash, Broadhurst was stretchered off after a tackle by Steve McMahon while Colin Gibson was sent off for Villa.
Players of both sides were involved in running feuds all afternoon and Noel Blake took his own form of retribution on McMahon with a head-butt after the final whistle. Villa won thanks to a Peter Withe goal but there was also a scuffle in the tunnel for good measure.
Twenty two years on there is still a strong sense of rivalry and Broadhurst reckons you will never take away the edge that exists between the two sets of players.
"The game means so much to the city that if you lose it lasts a hell of a long time," he said. "It's not as though you can play them again next week and you have to suffer for around six months before you try to make amends.
"After-match fights are nothing new. We had one in 1983. I had been stretchered off but by all accounts there was a fracas in the tunnel afterwards and I think ITV cameras picked it up. Noel Blake and Steve McMahon had their own little tussle as well, but I don't think it is a problem as it shows people care. I sometimes question how much defeats hurts players these days.
"It would have been a case of exchanging views in the tunnel and then 30 minutes after you were buying that same person a drink at the bar. It is all forgotten and that is the way it should be. It is just a storm in a tea cup.
"I have been involved in pre-match tunnel fights as well. It is all part of the psychological battle that goes on in football."
The players involved in the derby 22 years ago are vastly different from the 2005 version. Of the teams who started a fortnight ago only Darren Carter, Lee Hendrie and Luke Moore were born in the Second City. Yet Broadhurst, who originates from Yorkshire, reckons it does not take long to get caught up in the frenzied rivalry.
"The managers would certainly be winding the players up during the build-up to the game and stressing how important it is to the fans and club," he added. "Birmingham is a very cosmopolitan city now but you still live and mix with all the locals and become a part of the infrastructure.
"You are constantly surrounded by fans of both clubs and they don't like it if they have been beaten. I can't see it changing whoever plays in these games because it means so much to the fans and they won't let it."
