Aston Villa's new central defensive pairing insist they've done nothing differently since arriving at Villa Park.

Richard Dunne and James Collins are playing like they've known eachother for years, rather than weeks.

Dunne told the Daily Mail: "I don't think either of us has changed our game since we arrived at Villa. I'm trying to do here what I did for Manchester City and James is just doing what he did for West Ham. Luckily for the pair of us it's working. If I go for a ball, then I'm going at it 100 per cent. If I miss it, I know he'll be there for me."

Collins also said: "It's the same for me. That's the thing - you must have trust as a centre half. We hit it off straight away. I know the big man will be backing me up. And, I have to say that Carlos Cuellar and Stephen Warnock have been first-class too. As has Brad Friedel. It's not just about us. As for Dunny, I speak to Craig Bellamy a lot and he told me that we were getting a defender and fella in the dressing room who was first-class."