Former Birmingham City striker Geoff Horsfield has claimed that current Blues attacker Lukas Jutkiewicz must find the net against the club's bitter rivals Aston Villa again if they are to be held in the same regard at St Andrew's.

Jutkiewicz, who initially joined Birmingham on loan from Burnley in the summer of 2016, has scored once against Villa for his current club, in a 4-2 defeat last season, having scored a total of 35 goals in 131 appearances in all competitions for the Blues.

Horsfield meanwhile spent just over three years with Birmingham between 2000 and 2003, finding the net twice against Villa during his final full season at St Andrew's.

Although the now-retired striker has been impressed with Jutkiewicz' performances for the Blues, it seems he believes the club's current leading striking option needs at least one more strike against their fiercest rivals to really etch his name in Birmingham folklore.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail about Jutkiewicz, Horsfield claimed: “I see a lot of myself in Juke - or Juke in me. He is a fantastic player and works his socks off tirelessly, as I did.

“He will appeal to the Blues fans - I think a lot of people do compare him to me because, he will admit it, he’s not the quickest, I was never the quickest. But he is a big strong lad.

“But he’s got to score against the Villa a couple of times to get into my category. And he hasn’t been in goal yet either."

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Jutkiewicz' chances of getting that particular goal this season will rely on the two sides being drawn together in the FA Cup, following Villa's promotion to the Premier League last campaign, and Birmingham's early exit from the current edition of the Carabao Cup.

The Verdict

I do agree with what Horsfield is saying to an extent here.

Goals against local rivals are the ones fans always best remember a player for, and the memory of Jutkiewicz' last strike against Villa will be somewhat dampened by the fact that it came in defeat.

Even so, there can be no doubting how useful and important a player Jutkiewicz has become for Birmingham in recent times, and that too will be recognised by the clubs fans.

Indeed, with two more seasons left on his contract at St Andrew's after the current one, it does still seem as though there could be plenty of time for Jutkiewicz to get his second goal against Villa in Birmingham colours.