It has been a solid, if unspectacular, return to the Championship for Birmingham City.

Under normal circumstances, any promoted team that found themselves comfortably in mid-table after eight games of a new season would be delighted.

But Chris Davies knows it is his job to balance realism with expectation.

"We have competed really well," the Blues boss tells Sky Sports. "The first step was to prove we could earn points because we are not entitled to anything. We are a promoted team from League One. The last time the club was in the Championship it finished 22nd and I think it had lost more games in five years than any other team in England.

Friday 3rd October 7:30pm Kick off 8:00pm

"It is a tough league full of ambitious, well-resourced clubs. But we have shown we can compete, pick up wins, score late goals and keep clean sheets. Now we need consistency. The Championship is possibly the hardest league in the world because the gap between teams is so small. You could throw a blanket over...