Birmingham boss Chris Davies details Bristol City play-off presumption after defeat to Robins | Bristol Live

Gerhard Struber's Bristol City secured a third Championship win in a row as they beat Birmingham City and Chris Davies at Ashton Gate

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has offered his verdict on Bristol City's chances of securing a top six place this season, admitting he presumes the Robins "will be one of the contenders" again this term after his side's defeat at Ashton Gate.

Gerhard Struber's Reds stretched their winning run after the October international break to three matches, as they beat Blues 1-0 on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of Sinclair Armstrong's first goal of the season. The 22-year-old scored what proved to be the winner after 42 minutes when he calmly slotted past James Beadle.

Armstrong, who was starting his first league game under Struber, was unleashed behind Birmingham's backline by a smart Rob Atkinson through ball. Having sprinted beyond his marker, the Ireland international touched into the penalty area before opening his body and rolling a low right-footed shot into the bottom right corner.

Though City had one or two openings in which they could have extended their advantage, it was Blues who dominated possession in the second half, albeit without creating an awful lot in the way of scoring opportunities. That lack of chance creation and the manner of the goal conceded was a source of frustration for both the travelling supporters and Davies after the full-time whistle.

"I think it's a game that really got away from us because I felt we'd probably have some of the ball today, but not probably as much as we ended up having," the Birmingham boss explained post-match. "75 per cent of possession or whatever it was, and we just didn't do enough with it, essentially, to create the clear openings and the chances that we needed to.

"In some ways, it felt like we were the home team, but the danger was always the counter-attack, the danger was always a fast break, and we didn't suffer many of them at all.

"I think that one goal was the big one; they broke away and scored it, so, for us, it is something that we have been working on and paying attention to is stopping those counter-attacks from this team, but we couldn't do it, and then you've obviously got a bit to do away from home."

With their third win in as many matches, the Robins currently find themselves fourth in the Championship after 12 games, 11 places and seven points clear of Birmingham.

Before a ball had been kicked this term, Blues were viewed by many as one of the teams expected to push for promotion to the Premier League this term, having spent well in the transfer window following their record-breaking promotion as League One champions last season.

The Reds, on the other hand, have made no secret of their desire to build on last term's top six finish - their first in 17 years - under Struber's stewardship. Obviously, with 34 games still to be played and plenty more points up for grabs between now and May, nothing is close to being decided, but Davies is expecting City to be there or thereabouts again this year.

When asked if he could take confidence from his side's showing at Ashton Gate, the Blues boss said, "Bristol, I presume, will be one of the contenders this season again for the play-off spots as they were last season when they got in there, so they're a very solid team, especially at home.

"I knew it would be a difficult match, but you can say it's encouraging that we were able to compete and dominate large periods. I don't think we've had a game where anyone's looked miles ahead of us, which is a good sign, because we can always compete and be in games.

"We've just got to try and turn all of that dominance and possession into something a bit more dangerous that we can hurt them with."