‘Blues are real contenders’ – Daviespublished at 19:39 GMT
Birmingham v Watford (20:00 GMT)
There were many whispers about how good a season Birmingham City could have as they returned to the Championship after a record-breaking season in League One.
Early doors, though, the side didn’t really meet those lofty expectations. Sure, they managed to win games here and there but seemed destined for the mediocrity of mid-table.
There was even some suspicion boss Chris Davies was under real pressure but as if by magic, the 40-year-old appears to have found the solution.
After scoring just seven league goals in the season’s opening two months, Blues have netted seven in their past three games – while each of their past three league matches at St Andrew’s has featured the hosts finding the net four times (two 4-0 wins and a 4-1).
They aren’t infallible at home, defeat by Hull City not all that long ago proves that, but right now they look like the most dangerous side to visit on their own soil.
“If you look at the underlying numbers, we’ve improved at almost everything in the last six, seven, eight games,” Davies told BBC Radio WM.
“Now I have a lot more belief, looking at us, that we can be a real contender.
“I think early season, we were finding our feet. Some players were finding their feet, their own confidence in their levels, some of them had never played in the Championship. But I look at some of those same players now, I see a belief in them.”
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