After a slow start to the season, Birmingham City have picked up in the past six weeks and they seem capable of pushing for a play-off spot.

That's remarkable when you consider that Garry Monk's men only won their first game of the season in late September.

However, the former Leeds boss has done a fine job with limited resources and has formed a side that are usually a tough game for any in the Championship.

Obviously, that lack of depth and quality in key areas is a concern over the length of the season, whilst their FFP issues could catch up with them too.

But, with the way Blues are playing now there is no reason why they can't push for the top six if they don't get a points deduction.

Here we look at FOUR things that could see them in the promotion hunt come May...

For a long time the issue with Blues was scoring goals, however that has dramatically changed in the past month or so.

That's because Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz are forming a magnificent partnership that has brought 17 league goals already between them.

As a pairing they have it all, with Adams providing the pace and power and Jutkiewicz with the hold-up play, and importantly they are both scoring.

Few in the league have two strikers in such good form and it bodes well for Monk.

Prior to the last two games, Birmingham had conceded once or less in 11 of their 13 games, which shows they are resolute defensively.

Obviously, a 3-1 defeat to Derby and a 3-3 draw with Hull are concerning, but on the whole Blues have proven they can defend.

Monk sets his side up well and they are very good out of possession. It's an important quality to have and they are capable of nicking games which could be vital.

Given the FFP troubles that engulfed the club all summer, it's fair to say nobody really expected Blues to be competing for promotion.

Excluding left-back Kristian Pedersen, Monk was restricted to loans and free agents and many thought they'd have a battle to stay up.

But, the manager can use that to his advantage and if Blues remain in contention towards the end of the season, the lack of expectancy will help their players compete against those under real pressure to deliver promotion.

St. Andrew's has been a very hard place for any visiting side to go to since Monk took over, with his side even beating Fulham on the last day of last season when a win would've taken the Cottagers up automatically.

That's continued in this campaign with Blues unbeaten at home.

The obvious issue is that they've drawn six of their nine games but it's a base to build on and they will feel confident of beating anyone on their own patch.

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