Even Chris Hughton now feels that Birmingham City are emerging as strong promotion candidates following their conclusive npower Championship success over struggling Watford.
The Birmingham manager, who has produced a winning formula against all the odds, was delighted with the 3-0 win which lifts the Midlands club into the top six for the first time this season.
Birmingham, now unbeaten in seven games, were indebted to their latest success to centre-back Curtis Davies, who scored the opening two goals to take his tally to five for the season and three in the last three games.
But Hughton is not getting carried away and said: "There are going to be a lot of twists and turns before the end of the season.
Any team in this division is capable of winning against the top opposition."
After watching Birmingham maintain their record as the only Championship side unbeaten at home this season, Hughton added: "It is a nice feeling to be in the top six.
"It is even nicer we now have no midweek games and we no longer have to catch up.
"We now want to enjoy being in the top six and we want to stay there.
"There are a lot of good teams who are underneath us at the moment and close to us points-wise. We know everything can change and you have to be wary of in this division.
"We are where we are on merit and deserve to be in this position."
Hughton was full of praise for the performance of Davies.
He said: "Davies will attract the headlines but I am more concerned about his overall play, which at the moment is very good.
"We needed his goals but his real quality was at the other end. He is defending really well and Marvin Sordell is a very good player and we defended extremely well against him."
Davies was excellently placed to head home a swinging cross from Keith Fahey to open the scoring in the 35th minute and again demonstrated his heading ability to notch his second goal on the hour, when he jumped high at the back post to convert a right-wing corner from Jordon Mutch.
Woeful Watford defending led to Birmingham's third goal. Another Mutch corner was nudged on by Nikola Zigic and Loach pushed the ball out to the ever-alert Chris Burke, who hammered home a low angled shot through a sea of legs.
Watford's beleaguered boss Sean Dyche admitted: "I thought we were unlucky to go in one goal down at half-time after a good performance.
"By the time they scored the second it was a scrappy, even game. But when they scored the second it was very difficult playing a powerful side full of experience.
"I've seen the DVD and you do not need a decision to go against you like it did for their first goal. It was a throw-in which wasn't a throw-in and that is where it started, which was unfortunate.
"They are a very strong side and I am not taking anything away from them. There were certain disappointments but some real positives at other times.
"It is about learning for my players because they are young and not experienced as the Birmingham side. It was a good learning curve.
"We are still without a point in 2012 but it can happen in this division. Barnsley won five on the trot and lost five on the trot.
"You see it every week in this division. It is a tough division and so topsy-turvy."
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