After missing only two league games in his first season at Villa Park, Nigel Reo-Coker had something of a low-key follow-up campaign, starting only half of the club's Barclays Premier League fixtures.

For all that, he proved invaluable on occasions, underlining his versatility by standing in at right-back whenever the need arose.

The former West Ham player, though, clearly sees midfield as his best position, having established himself as a forceful figure in the central area during his debut campaign.

Although he is generally regarded as a defensive midfielder, the former England under-21 captain likes nothing more than making runs into the heart of the opposition defence.

That was never more evident than when he arrived perfectly at the far post to score the opening goal in an early-season 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

The goal at White Hart Lane proved to be his only one in the league, although he also netted the vital equaliser away to Litex Lovech in the UEFA Cup, just after the Bulgarians had missed a chance to go two-up.