Birmingham City picked up a fine win against Preston North End yesterday, lifting themselves to ninth in the table, just four points shy of the top six.

After a tough summer, Garry Monk's side were thought to be relegation fodder, but they've become a solid side, as yet to lose at home. Their run at St Andrew's is the only unbeaten home record in all of the Championship.

Preston keeper Declan Rudd's howler helped them get off the mark, but from there they controlled the game and gave a performance one might expect from a top six contender, running out 3-0 winners.

However, Monk refused to be drawn on them being play off candidates, instead choosing to focus on how far they've come rather than where they might end up.

“It’s totally not in our thinking at all. I got asked the question in the week but we deal with reality," he told Birmingham Live.

“You think of where we have come from and what we have tried to do. Everyone understands everything that we have been working under this season from the summer onwards."

The Blues were hit be a transfer embargo in the summer and were unable to recruit as Monk may have wished, but he's moulded their current squad into an organised and effective unit.

They put the disappointment of the Second City derby behind them with two wins in the space of four days, pushing them back up the table.

The Verdict

Monk is right not to quote Birmingham as play off hopefuls because they're some way short of the level required.

With him at the helm and a summer of recruitment, anything is possible. The levels they attaining now are incredible, far better than they should be given the problems at the club.

The fear is the squad isn't strong enough to withstand injuries and suspensions, both of which are inevitable at some point.

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