Simon Atkins: Disgraceful. Ban for life, and a nice little prison sentence. I'm a Blues fan, but that was needless and abhorrent.

Kyle: Disgusting behaviour. That guy is an idiot. What a moronic thing to do. Well done Grealish great reaction if someone had done that to me I think I would have reacted even though I hate violence. Shocking to see.

Stu Thompson: How can a ref let a game continue when fans are endangering the safety of players!?!? Surely that's the referee's primary role. Game should be abandoned and forfeit.

As I said earlier, let's hope this match is remembered for reasons other than that unsavoury incident earlier in the half.

Tammy Abraham is adjudged to foul Jacques Maghoma in his own half and Tim Robinson again has to intervene and tell the players to keep things under wraps.

An update on the earlier attack on Villa midfielder Jack Grealish by a fan who came from the Birmingham end.

Che Adams tries to slot a ball into Lukas Jutkiewicz's path as he runs into the Villa area.

Jutkiewicz unable to get there as he seems to have Kortney Hause permanently attached to him as a man marker.

Villa nearly in again as Birmingham fail to deal with a spinning ball in their own half.

Conor Hourihane hooks the ball back towards Tammy Abraham, but he can't keep the ball under the crossbar and the chance is spurned.

Image source, PA

More scrappy stuff as neither side really settles.

Villa getting a few niggly free-kicks down the Birmingham City left side.

Che Adams almost in on goal for Birmingham from a neat ball over the top, but Tyrone Mings does well to close down the angle.

Bit hard to see where the actual match ball was in all that as a couple of claret and white balloons were still drifting across the Villa penalty area.

Thankfully no Sunderland v Liverpool beach ball-esque incident from years gone by.

Wes Harding and Anwar El Ghazi get a bit of a telling off from Tim Robinson as they tussle with each other a bit too keenly off the ball.

Back to your corners for the next round he says, or something to that effect....

Great chance for Villa and Anwar El Ghazi is in on goal from Jack Grealish's through ball.

Lee Camp alert to block El Ghazi's shot and it's away for a corner that Villa fail to make more of.

Villa's best chance of the game so far.

Jutkiewicz back in the action now sporting some rather natty dark blue bandaging.

Game has just broken up a bit in the past few minutes after a decent start.

Postpublished at 20 mins

20 mins

Birmingham City 0-0 Aston Villa

Break in play for a few moments as Blues striker Lukas Jutkiewicz gets some treatment after an accidental clash with Tammy Abraham.

Looks like Abraham's arm caught him in the head as they both jumped to compete at a Birmingham corner.

Image source, Reuters

If you've only just joined us, here's more detail on that rather unsavoury incident a few moments ago...

Hopefully we'll have plenty of goals to talk about come full-time rather than those shocking scenes of a few moments ago.

Apart from that Grealish chance, Birmingham have looked the more likely so far.

Right, back to the game....

There's been plenty more pressure from Birmingham as they've forced a couple more corners.

Michael Morrison was left unmarked at the near post from the second one and he should've done better to direct that shot towards target.

A bit of an escape for Villa there.

Image source, Reuters

Absolutely shocking scenes there as that man is led away very swiftly to be dealt with by the authorities. Absolutely no need for that.

Meanwhile, Villa nearly opened the scoring as Grealish jinked his way into the box from the left and then had a half-volley that somehow Birmingham cleared fora corner.

The resulting set piece then got headed clear.

Darren Carter
Ex-Birmingham midfielder on BBC WM 95.6

It is a rivalry and you get passionate but you should never come on to the pitch. That is diobolical behaviour.

Jack Grealish shaking off those boos as he goes close to an opener but then, something we definitely don't want to see on a football field....

A supporter runs on from the stand behind and attacks Grealish from behind with a swinging arm. Idiot.

Great move from Birmingham involving Lukas Jutkiewicz on the edge of the Villa box.

He rolls a ball across to the left for the on-running Jacques Maghoma, but he opts for more of a side-foot than power finish and it's straight at Jed Steer.

Image source, Rex Features

Maikel Keiftenbeld goes into Mr Robinson's notebook for that.

Will be walking a tight rope for the remainder of this game, the Blues midfielder.

Loud boos ring out as Villa get their first real spell of possession. Jack Grealish the man receiving most decibels it seems!

Referee Tim Robinson then intervenes to stop the play as there's a bit too much enthusiasm in one challenge from Maikel Keiftenbeld on the Villa captain.