Steve Sidwell was snapped up from Chelsea in July 2008 - and Villa fans needed no reminding about his capabilities.

Sidwell had made it an afternoon of misery for the claret and blue army at the Madejski Stadium in February 2007, scoring both goals in a 2-0 Reading victory and generally causing all sorts of problems for Villa with his strong runs from midfield.

His form for the Berkshire club that season was so impressive that it earned him a move to Chelsea.

Unfortunately, he had few opportunities to shine at Stamford Bridge, and he welcomed the opportunity to get his career back on track at Villa Park.

He first made an impression in the Arsenal side who won the FA Youth Cup in 2000 and 2001 and later had spells on loans with Brentford and Brighton before joining Reading in 2003.

After helping Reading to the Championship title in 2005-06 he was named in that division's Team of the Year by the PFA for the second consecutive season.

2008-09

Sidwell made his competitive debut in the first leg of the UEFA Cup clash with Odense. Unfortunately, he scored an own goal in the 2-2 draw at Fionia Park.

A week later, he made his home bow in the return leg of the fixture, with Villa winning 1-0 on the day and 3-2 on aggregate.

Sidwell scored on his Barclays Premier League debut for Villa against Wigan Athletic after coming on as a late substitute. It was a fantastic driven strike in the 4-0 win.

He played a vital role in the 1-0 victory over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup clash, biting into challenges and seeing his neat shot deflected in by John Carew to earn the victory.

He scored his first goal at Villa Park against Middlesbrough in November 2008 but unfortunately, his misplaced pass let in Tuncay for the winner.

The terrific central star bounced back quickly after that error and put in two impressive performances in his next two games - against Arsenal and Manchester United as Villa earned four points.

He scored his third goal of the season just 34 seconds into the famous match against Everton in December 2008. Villa won the match 3-2.