Former Blues defender Richard Dryden represented 12 different clubs during his 16-year professional career but he has no doubt where he enjoyed his best times.
The amiable West Countryman was part of the Blues side that avoided relegation on the final day of the 1992/93.
Dryden's career started in the rather less salubrious surroundings of Twerton Park where his first club Bristol Rovers were ground-sharing with non-league Bath City.
But he believes that he benefited from starting in the lower leagues as it gave him exposure to first team football from an early age.
"I had a year as a YTS then went straight into a pro contract, making my debut when I was 17 so I was quite lucky really," he says.
"A lot of players in the Premiership now are making their debuts when they're 22 or 23 but I played a lot of first team games for Rovers when I was still a teenager because they didn't have a lot of money so they only had a small squad.
"I remember my debut, it was three days after Christmas 1986 and I'd just had my first suit bought for me!
"We won 2-1 away at Brentford and then my second game was the Bristol derby which we won 1-0 at Ashton Gate."
Dryden was sidelined by a long-term injury during his second season with Rovers and when he returned to fitness he was sent out on loan to Exeter City, a move that was made permanent later that season.
And it was at St James' Park where his career really blossomed under the guidance of manager Terry Cooper, a man who was to play an integral role throughout his career.
Dryden was turned from a winger into a left-sided or central defender during his time on the South West coast and he helped the Grecians claim a league championship for the first time in their history.
"We won the old Division Four as it was then and we finished 10 points clear," he recalls.
"We went unbeaten at home all season and only dropped six points but we weren't too great away from St. James Park, I think that had a lot to do with the travelling that was involved.
"We had a small squad and only used 18 or 19 players so we were pretty lucky with injuries but we had a good team.
"Scott Hiley, Kevin Miller and Trevor Morgan were there who all went on to play for Blues.
"Terry got a lot of young players that weren't wanted at other clubs and we ended up with a great side."
His performances as a regular in the Exeter defence earned Dryden a move to Notts County in the summer of 1991.
Whilst a move to Meadow Lane may not sound like an enticing prospect now, in those days the Magpies had just been promoted to the top flight.
"There were a few clubs interested including Derby and Manchester City and, of course, they were both big clubs," he explains.
"But I had the opportunity to play in the old First Division with Notts County and that swung it for me.
"For a young lad who was used to playing in Division Four and Division Three all of a sudden I was up against the likes of Ian Rush and Mark Hughes which was great.
"We had a good bunch of lads but the average age was about 21 or 22 and that was probably was our downfall and we went straight back down."
After nearly two seasons alongside the River Trent, which included a loan stint at Plymouth, came the SOS call from his old Exeter boss Cooper who was now in charge at St. Andrew's.
Blues were languishing second from bottom of the now-Championship and looked set for a return to the third echelon of English football.
"Terry Cooper was a big factor in my decision to join Blues," admits Dryden.
"He had looked after me well at Exeter, his man-management was second to none and I wanted to come and work for him again.
"When I came down to Birmingham and saw the size of the fan base and the ground, it was awesome really compared to what I had been used to."
Blues' form improved as the season drew to a close and a final day victory over Charlton secured safety.
"I remember that last game. It was one of the most nerve-wracking matches I have ever been involved in," he says.
"We knew if we won we would stay up because two other teams were playing each other.
"The relief when the final whistle went was unbelievable."
Another highlight of his time at St. Andrew's came in his second season and a two-legged League Cup tie against Second City rivals Aston Villa.
"We lost both games 1-0 but we were expecting to get spanked by five or six," he remembers.
"And John Frain missed a penalty in the first game which would have put us 1-0 up.
"That was the spirit at Birmingham, it was never-say-die, we would always have a go no matter who we played and we were unlucky to get knocked out."
Dryden's stay at Blues lasted almost two years and also took in a spell under the helm of Barry Fry.
He continues: "Barry got a certain amount of stick for the amount of players he signed but he made a lot of money for the club as well.
"And he is a character in football and there aren't many of those around nowadays which I think is pretty sad."
Dryden played a handful of games for Blues' during the start of the double-winning season of 1994/95 but the arrival of Liam Daish was to ultimately spell the end of his St. Andrew's career and he was transferred to Bristol City in December 1994.
At the time it appeared a good move with the Robins playing in the league above but his short time with their city rivals at the start of his career was to come back to haunt him.
"I remember warming up for the first game when I was sub and I got hammered by one section of the fans and it went from bad to worse for 18 months," he recalls.
"It was almost 10 years on from my time at Bristol Rovers and I didn't play lots of games for them but the City fans didn't let me forget it!
"I'd bring my wife down to a game and every time my name was read out or I touched the ball I was getting booed - it was horrible!"
Dryden couldn't wait to move away from Ashton Gate and his get-out came in August 1996 courtesy of Southampton and another reunion with Cooper.
He explains: "I was about to sign for Dundee United but I got a phone call from Terry, who was working with Graeme Souness at Southampton, and he asked me to join them at their training camp in Ireland.
"I played a couple of games and I had to wait for about a week to see if they were going to sign me and at the time that felt like about three months!
"But I eventually signed and it was probably the best move of my life!
"I'll never ever forget the first game was on a Sunday live on Sky against Chelsea, who had just signed Gianluca Vialli.
"Four months earlier I had been playing down at Clevedon for Bristol City Reserves! My world had turned upside down.
"We drew 0-0 and I went on to enjoy two really good seasons there."
Unfortunately a serious knee injury during the 1998/99 season marked the beginning of the end for Dryden's time on the South coast and also his career as a whole.
Loan spells at Stoke, Northampton and Swindon followed although his time in the Potteries does bring back some good memories for the defender.
Dryden was part of the side that won the Auto Windscreens Shield at Wembley in 2000 - and who did they beat in the final? None other than Bristol City!
"It was the season before the stadium was knocked down and it was played in front of a full house," he recalls.
"I was being cheered by one half and jeered by the other half! It was a weird experience.
"We won 2-1 and it was made all the sweeter by the fact that we beat Bristol City!"
Dryden went on to play for Luton Town and Scarborough before calling time on his professional career.
But he stayed in full-time football and up to recently was assistant to Mark Cooper at local Conference club Tamworth before the pair were sacked after two-and-a-half years at the helm.
"I think we were pretty unlucky to lose our jobs at Tamworth," says Dryden.
"We had a few good FA Cup runs and made the club a lot of money in the last couple of seasons, especially the televised match against Norwich back in January.
"But this season's cup run obviously affected our league campaign."
Dryden, a qualified B licence coach, is now keen to get back into full-time football as quickly as possible.
"I enjoyed the management side and it was a good experience at Tamworth," he says.
"Nottingham Forest have asked me to run one of their Academy sides next season which I am thinking about but that would only be a few nights a week and weekend games.
"I would prefer a full-time position, either as an assistant to Mark or as a manager in my own right."
