Sports – Birmingham Derby
The Birmingham Derby refers to the football matches between the Aston Villa and Birmingham City football clubs. It is also known as the Second City Derby.
The clubs had their first game in 1879 with City, then known as Small Heath, winning the game. Villa went on to win their first game in 1887. This is regarded as one of the most highly rated and most passionate derbies in the country. Their matches are usually very hotly contested, with one of the most dramatic games being the 1925 league game played at Villa Park where the home side was ahead with three goals to nil and eleven minutes on the clock - and City went on to draw the matches in the last few minutes.
Usually, violent clashes between angry fans have taken place at matches between the two clubs due to the intense rivalry. Late kickoffs have often resulted in drunken fans starting fights. In the April 20, 2008 match between the two where Villa won the game five to one, a fan named Christopher Priest was killed when he was hit by a van outside the stadium. This game had the largest margin for the winning team in almost forty years. Before this, in 2007, riots outside the game resulted in injuries to twenty police officers. Since games often result in injuries to fans and security personnel; the security is usually very high to prevent any untoward incidents. However with thousands of fans coming in to watch the games, these cannot be completely prevented.
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