Chris Davies focuses on next game as Birmingham edge towards play-offs

Birmingham manager Chris Davies will not pay too much attention to the Championship table after watching his side move to within five points of the top six following a hard-fought 1-0 win over QPR.

Blues scored the only goal of the game in the sixth minute at St Andrew’s when January signing Ibrahim Osman carved out an opening for fellow winger Patrick Roberts, who duly converted his fifth goal for the club.

They might have extended their lead at various intervals throughout a dominant first-half performance, but QPR did remain in touch and eventually threw more caution to the wind in the latter stages of the contest.

Roberts’ early strike proved decisive and earned Blues a welcome victory after they had suffered three-consecutive defeats prior to this success.

It also moved them to within five points of the play-offs, but for Davies there are already reasons for optimism and pride.

“We’ve got 52 points now, the last time the team was in this league it got 50 points,” Davies said. “For the last decade the team has been fighting relegation in this league.

“I think we’re making great strides. I’m not thinking about anything other than the next game, I’m not thinking about play-offs, what I am thinking about is the strides we’re making.

“As I’ve said all along and I will continue to say it, it was never going to be a stroll up to the Premier League.

“It’s about competing in this division, making our mark, growing and with continuity and time we will get better and better. There’s no doubt about it and that’s what you have to do.

“If you look at all the teams at the top of the league they’ve been together for a few years and built. That’s what we need to continue to do.

“If anything, tonight has been a big step forward because we’re looking like a team that’s going to be in this league next season.”

QPR boss Julien Stephan, meanwhile, did not hold back in his assessment of his side’s performance – their fourth-straight Championship defeat – and demanded a response in the remaining weeks of this season.

Dissatisfied by his side’s showing in the opening 45 minutes, Stephan did acknowledge an improved display in the second period, despite leaving Birmingham empty handed, but he understands the need for an upturn in form.

“Very embarrassing in the first half,” he summarised. “There was no quality, no intensity.

“In the first three minutes I think we lost the first seven aerial duels. It’s impossible to play football if you don’t win your duels and we concede the early goal.

“It was better in the second half, but it’s very difficult to get a result if you only play for 45 minutes in this league, especially away from home. We need to learn from this.

“We are completely aware of the situation. It’s not time to panic. We know why, but we cannot complain.

“Some players will come back soon, but we have the same group until perhaps the international break.

“We must quickly find the solution, the personality on the pitch – when we do, we are able to do some good things on the pitch but we must do that from the first second.”