He lived four miles away from Villa Park as a child and attended the last two Second City derbies as a fan, so Dean Smith needs no pointers on the importance of Sunday’s date with Birmingham City.

Smith’s emotional homecoming to Aston Villa has already delivered the anticipated impact and he will face Garry Monk’s team with the goodwill of 40,000 supporters behind him.

The 29th manager in the club’s history is undoubtedly “one of their own” – his father, Ron, was also a match-day steward for 25 years - and this weekend’s bitter local argument represents another chance to extend the feel-good factor.

“The last time I came here I had to be quite impartial because I was head coach of Brentford at the time and preparing to play Birmingham in a few weeks,” he said.

“I had my coaching head on while my daughter was jumping and dancing around me when Villa scored twice.

Smith has enjoyed a strong start to his role credit: Getty Images

“It’s always hard to keep the emotions in when you have an affinity for the club. But the scouting went well because we beat Blues 5-1 a few weeks later…”

Smith’s appointment in October has galvanised players and supporters, and those dark days over the summer when the club was on the brink of financial disaster feel like a long time ago.

The atmosphere now is also drastically different to those dour final months under Steve Bruce and Villa’s squad appear far more comfortable playing Smith’s style of football.

They will head into Sunday’s game on the back of a hugely impressive 3-0 victory over Derby two weeks ago, the transition in style underlined by 21 shots on goal.

Smith deserves this opportunity, diligently working his way up the football ladder at Walsall and Brentford, and Villa's new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens cannot have failed to notice the nightmare start made by Thierry Henry at Monaco.

Henry did initially emerge as the leading contender to replace Bruce but, despite a round of talks, Villa withdrew their interest amid fears the former Arsenal forward was not in tune with the project.

Formerly tipped for the Villa job, Thierry Henry's abysmal start at Monaco will not have gone unnoticed credit: Getty Images

Smith, meanwhile, ticked every box for the board and chief executive Christian Purslow; he is renowned for an attractive style of football, was comfortable working within a director of football structure and clearly inspired by the prospect of managing Villa.

The 47-year-old, and his team, are now looking up and optimism continues to build over a return to the Premier League.

“I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t feel we had a team capable of challenging,” said Smith. “It’s not changed dramatically from a team that finished fourth in the league last year and amassed 83 points [losing in the play-off final to Fulham].

“Before we played Derby everyone was really fearing the fixtures. Now we win against Derby and everyone is really excited.

“I’m not obsessed with beating Birmingham City, I’m obsessed with winning every game I go into.”

Jack Grealish says the derby is his favourite fixture credit: Getty Images

Villa have not lost a league game against their rivals since March 2005 and Smith’s affinity with this game is shared by Jack Grealish.

He joined the club at the age of six and still lives in Solihull with his Villa mad family, and the 23-year-old has given a revealing insight into the pressures of facing Villa’s bitter enemies as a local lad.

“I've been fortunate enough to play in an FA Cup Final and a semi-final at Wembley and games in the Premier League, but the Blues game will always be my favourite,” he said, earlier this year in a Telegraph interview.

"A lot of my friends from school were Birmingham fans so I guess that makes it extra special.

"In the build-up to the game it’s just crazy – I get old women coming up to me in the city saying “make sure you beat Birmingham this weekend. It’s definitely the big one.”