ALBION completed the signing of their first-choice goalkeeping target, Ben Foster, on a season-long loan from Blues on July 29, 2011.

His arrival followed the departure of his former England international colleague Scott Carson, who joined Turkish team Bursaspor earlier that month.

Boaz Myhill moved in the opposite direction on a season-long loan to City. Neither club have the option to recall their keeper.

Foster was Blues' Player of the Season last term.

He moved to St Andrew's from Manchester United in summer 2010 and started all 38 of City's Barclays Premier League games.

He was named man of the match as he helped City clinch their first major trophy in 48 years by beating Arsenal 2-1 in February's Carling Cup Final.

It was the third time in as many seasons the Leamington-born keeper has earned a League Cup winner's medal.

Foster was an unused substitute with United in the previous year's final.

But, in the 2009 showpiece, he memorably viewed iPod clips moments before saving Jamie O'Hara's spot-kick in a penalty shoot-out with Tottenham - a day when he was also named man of the match.

A month later, Foster made his second appearance for England as a half-time substitute in a 4-0 win over Slovakia - two years after making his debut against Spain.

In May 2010, and with five caps to his name, Foster declared he was putting his international ambitions on hold in a bid to prolong his club career.

The left-footed Foster started out at local club Racing Club Warwick and was plucked from non-league football by Stoke as an 18-year-old in April 2001.

He spent four years with the Potters, during which time he had loan spells at Bristol City, Kidderminster and Wrexham, where he won the 2005 Football League Trophy and was first spotted by Sir Alex Ferguson.

In July 2005, he made a dream £1million switch to United and was sent out on loan to Watford to gain first-team experience.

He spent two years at Vicarage Road, helping the Hornets seal promotion to the Barclays Premier League via the play-offs in his first season, keeping a clean sheet in the 3-0 final victory over Leeds at the Millennium Stadium.

Foster's star continued to rise the following term when his performances earned him Watford's 2006/07 Player-of-the-Season Award.

His form convinced Sir Alex to take him back to Old Trafford where he impressed in a 1-0 Barclays Premier League win over Derby on his Red Devils debut in March 2008.

His second competitive outing for United came in a Champions League Group draw at Celtic the following November.

Injury to Edwin Van der Sar during the first two months of the 2009/10 season saw Foster make eight successive top-flight starts.

But the Dutch legend's return to fitness meant he had to play second fiddle again and at the end of the campaign, he made a permanent switch to the second city to become Blues' No.1.

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(LAST UPDATED AUGUST 25, 2011)