Monk urges Blues to keep up fine form
Garry Monk had every reason to have a wide smile on his face after guiding Birmingham City to a vital 3-0 Championship win over below-par Hull.
Although they remain in the bottom three, Blues’ prospects have greatly improved as they are now only behind Barnsley on goal difference.
Following his first victory as Blues boss, Monk was full of admiration for the impressive attacking performance of his team which produced an outstanding victory and ended a run of seven league defeats.
Jota, who had previously failed to score at St Andrew’s since his record signing at the start of the season, was twice on the mark including a 12th-minute opener which set the tone.
Che Adams was rewarded with a 48th-minute goal while a rejuvenated Jota settled the game in the 59th minute. Monk admitted: “This is a step in the right direction but it sets a minimum standard. We cannot go below this standard but we can get even better. “To get three points sends the right message to the players that the confidence level and belief is a little higher than it was before the game. “The fact we got three points, three goals, a performance and a clean sheet made me very pleased for everyone.
“It has been a difficult season for the players as they have not been at their best but you can now see their commitment. We should have been more clinical in the first half. If we had gone in two or threegoals up at half-time no-one would have said we had not deserved them.
“There is a long way to go but this win is a step forward to what we need to achieve.”