Chris Davies issues brutally honest Birmingham City claim - Championship promotion hopes may be over | OneFootball

The Blues have suffered back-to-back defeats and are now eight points removed from the top six

Birmingham City were beaten at home for just the second time in league action under Chris Davies on Monday night, as Middlesbrough left St Andrew's 3-1 victors.

A first-half double from former Aston Villa man Matt Targett gave Kim Hellberg's side a healthy lead.

And despite Birmingham rallying at the start of the second half and halving the deficit through Marvin Ducksch, Middlesbrough regained control, and David Strelec's fourth of the campaign ensured a return to winning ways for the away side.

This past week has proven how ruthless the Championship can be as we head into the final months of the campaign, as back-to-back defeats have seen the Blues fall to 12th, with their once two-point gap to the top six being extended to eight.

The defeats against Millwall and Boro, two of the league's top three, have given a rather damning indication that Birmingham may not be ready just yet for the Premier League, and with now just 11 games remaining, their chances of creeping into the play-offs are becoming rather slim, too.

Chris Davies gives damning assessment of Birmingham City's play-off chances

Speaking after the game, via Birmingham Live, Chris Davies stated that he feels that the play-off picture will be clearer when the final round of international fixtures this season comes around at the end of March. Then, there'll be seven games remaining.

However, he admitted that his side will need to be near-perfect for those top-six dreams to be realised, after the points gap between themselves and Wrexham increased to eight over the weekend.

"It'll be a bit clearer by the time we get into the international break, I would say. To get into the play-offs, we would need something pretty special now in terms of a run and a points return," he said.

"We're capable, but it's game by game; we need to see where we are. By the time we get to the international break there'll be seven games to go, 21 points to play for.

"[Monday night] felt like an opportunity against one of the best teams to make a statement or get a win. Unfortunately, we didn't do enough."

There have been multiple chances over the last two games to really stake a claim for a play-off position, but against Millwall and Middlesbrough, the Blues haven't stepped up to the task.

Now, they face a big four-game spell before the international break. If Davies is right, those games could define their season.

Birmingham City need to make a statement before the international break

As is usually the case following a two-game stretch against two of the top three, the schedule eases slightly for Birmingham before the international break at the end of March.

However, the enormity of these games will mean that they'll be as important as the Millwall and Boro battles over the past week.

The Blues travel to the Valley to take on Charlton Athletic at the weekend, before back-to-back home games against QPR and Sheffield United lead into an away game at Derby County before the break comes.

It's vital that Birmingham take points in all of those games to maintain their play-off push, but especially in the latter two, as both Sheffield United and Derby are in the mix alongside Chris Davies' side.

10 to12 points would likely shave the points tally between themselves and Wrexham, and put the Blues in a good place heading into the run-in. They'll have to be "pretty special" to do so, as Davies said, but they've shown on numerous occasions this term that they can be just that.