Birmingham City: Despite 69 Blues appearances, David Dunn is remembered for Aston Villa fail only - View | OneFootball

Dunn played at St. Andrew's between 2003 and 2007, but is best remembered for his failed rabona attempt.

Highlights

Birmingham City have a rich history of "streets won't forget" footballers from the early 2000s in the Premier League, but, one of the staples of their team during this time is most well-remembered for a botched skill.

Having spent the early part of his career at Blackburn Rovers, David Dunn made the switch to Birmingham as a 23-year-old, signing a four-year contract with the club in a deal worth £5.5 million.

Dunn made 169 appearances for Rovers in his first stint at the club before moving to the West Midlands, leaving Ewood Park despite helping the team to a 6th place finish in the Premier League the season before.

Nevertheless, the promise of a fresh start at St. Andrew's paved the way for the former England international to move, yet it was not his weekly performances that most fans associate the player and club with nowadays.

Dunn's failed rabona has gone down in history

In just his ninth appearance as a Birmingham player, the then 23-year-old got the opportunity to play in his first Second City Derby, against Aston Villa.

With the game poised at 0-0, Dunn received the ball on the right-hand side before dribbling towards the centre of the pitch, 25 yards from goal.

As he shaped up to put in a cross or shot, he planted his left foot before swooping his right foot behind him, attempting a rabona. But, in true "Barclays" fashion, Dunn fell flat on his face, with the ball escaping to his opponents.

Villa attacked straight from the mistake. However, fortunately for the midfielder, the ball was passed out of play before any real danger formed.

21 years on from what is possibly one of the most forgettable Birmingham vs Aston Villa fixtures, Dunn's failed samba skill is still spoken about, and will always live on in infamy in the West Midlands.

Dunn made 68 other appearances for Birmingham but never lived up to the hype

Contrary to the start of his career in blue, the former Blackburn wonderkid struggled to hit the heights that he had done at Ewood Park, scoring just twice and picking up only one assist in his first season, before an injury ruled him out from January to the end of the campaign.

Dunn failed to become a regular starter in B9, instead playing his part from the bench when he was fit. He went on to make just 26 more Premier League appearances for Birmingham, with the side ultimately being relegated at the end of a bitterly disappointing 2005/06.

The eventual ex-Barrow manager was given his first taste of second division football for five years at the start of the following campaign. However, by January, he had returned to his boyhood club after failing to cement his place in the first-team across his three and a half seasons in Birmingham.

Dunn became an integral part of the Blackburn team over the course of the next eight years, before joining Oldham Athletic in League One during his farewell season.

After making 376 appearances for Rovers and 69 for Birmingham, it can be said that the shirt he is most commonly associated with is that of Blues, and that iconic moment against Aston Villa that has provided laughs for over two decades.