3 Stephen Warnock

Villa's Mr Dependable, Stephen Warnock, has been among Martin O'Neill's best pieces of transfer business.

The reliable left-back could not have picked a bigger game to make his debut in claret and blue - the Second City derby against Birmingham City in September 2009.

But Warnock and fellow defensive recruits Richard Dunne and James Collins flourished in the pressure-cooker atmosphere as Villa emerged 1-0 winners at St Andrews.

It was a sign of things to come as the former Liverpool stopper played a huge part in establishing one of the top-flight's meanest defences.

If Warnock picked a significant occasion to make his debut, the timing of his first Villa goal was also fitting. It came in the epic 6-4 Carling Cup semi-final second leg victory against the club he signed from, Blackburn Rovers.

The Liverpool Academy graduate also managed to catch the eye of Fabio Capello, who named him in his 23-man England squad for the 2010 World Cup.

While the chance to be part of football's grandest showpiece was an undoubted highlight of Warnock's career, the Ormskirk-born star achieved one of his boyhood ambitions much earlier in his professional career.

In 2001, he was called up to train full-time with Liverpool's first-team squad and, three years later, his long-awaited debut for his hometown club came against Sturm Graz in the Champions League.

Mark Hughes swooped to sign Warnock for Blackburn in 2007 and he became a fans' favourite during two seasons at Ewood Park.