Birmingham City support will always be underwhelmed by £250k transfer for ex-Aston Villa star | OneFootball

Dwight Yorke didn't have the greatest impact during his time at St Andrew's

Despite the fiercly contested rivalry which exists between Birmingham City and Aston Villa, there are numerous examples of players who have donned both the Royal Blue and Claret and Blue across the course of their careers.

More recent examples of this include current Cambridge United midfielder Gary Gardner and his brother - current Blues sporting director - Craig, as well as the likes of Scott Hogan, Jota, Curtis Davies, Liam Ridgewell and Championship icon, Kevin Phillips.

All of the above had endured varying levels of success at either or both Second City clubs, but one particular player who crossed the divide in 2004 after previous history with the Villa Park outfit, didn't exactly do much to endear himself to supporters at St Andrew's.

Dwight Yorke was initially spotted by then-Villa boss Graham Taylor in the West Indies as a youngster, before going on to make his bow for the B6 outfit in March 1990 in a 1-0 away defeat to Crystal Palace, with his first goal for the club coming against Derby County in February 1991.

However, the 1991/92 season saw the Trinidad and Tobago-born forward fully assert himself, with 16 goals in all competitions, including a run of four goals in as many games against Wimbledon, Notts County, QPR and Leeds United.

Villa then came runners-up in the inaugural Premier League season, with Yorke netting six goals in 27 appearances, before rarely featuring in the 1993/94 season under Ron Atkinson, in which the club defeated Manchester United in the EFL Cup Final.

The 1994/95 campaign saw Villa appoint Brian Little in the early stages of the season and narrowly avoid relegation into Division 1, before Yorke's career fully took flight in 1995/96.

The striker registered 17 goals and 10 assists as Villa came fourth in the top flight, as well as scoring six goals in another EFL Cup-winning season, including one in a dominant 3-0 success over Leeds at Wembley.

Yorke would then score 32 goals in his final two seasons at Villa Park before joining Manchester United in the summer of 1998 for £12.6m, with Villans boss John Gregory stating, "If I'd had a gun at the time, I think I'd have shot him."

Dwight Yorke's underwhelming stint at Birmingham City

Yorke then went on to score 66 times in 152 appearances at Old Trafford, which included 29 goals in all competitions across his first campaign - the famous treble-winning season of 1998/99.

The striker would then have a mixed stint at Blackburn Rovers between 2002 and 2004 after an initial £2m move, scoring 19 goals in 74 appearances, before revealing years later that a training-ground bust up with Graeme Souness meant he had to get away from Ewood Park.

"I have never experienced anything like it in my career before or after," Yorke told the Lancashire Telegraph.

At the time, Birmingham were about to embark on just their third-ever Premier League season after following up their promotion under Steve Bruce in 2002 with respective 13th and 10th-place finishes.

Yorke then opted to snub SPFL giants Celtic for a move to B9 in September 2004, stating Blues' progression at the time as a key reason behind his thought process in the reported £250,000 switch.

"I greatly admire what Steve Bruce has achieved in his time at Birmingham," the striker stated.

"I believe it is a club which is going places and I very much look forward to being part of it."

Despite the initial personal optimism which surrounded the signing of an initial 12-month contract with the option of a further year, Yorke rarely showcased his previous talents to the Bluenoses.

Yorke was only involved in 16 Premier League games for Birmingham after signing, with his only goals for the club coming in home outings against Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.

However, just eight months into his deal, the two parties opted to terminate the striker's contract ahead of a one-year stint with Sydney FC.

"Both parties have agreed to terminate the contract so that Dwight can pursue a career in Australia," a club statement read at the time.

Yorke would eventually return to the UK with Sunderland and aid their Championship-winning exploits of 2006/07 and subsequent Premier League consolidation with six goals in 62 appearances.