Birmingham City boss John Eustace has conceded that his side are in a relegation battle following a disappointing 3-0 loss at Watford last night, speaking to the Irish News after the match.

The Midlands outfit secured a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory against Rotherham United at the weekend - but they were unable to take that into yesterday evening's game at Vicarage Road.

In fact, they found themselves 2-0 down within 16 minutes with Imran Louza and Keinan Davis all but sealing the game for the Hornets early on and giving the hosts' new boss Chris Wilder a chance to breathe following a disappointing defeat against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

The home side added a third to deepen Eustace's side's woes, with Britt Assombalonga's strike summing up what was a miserable night for Birmingham in Hertfordshire, with the visitors having been hoping to take advantage of the Hornets' poor form.

This defeat has taken them closer to the relegation zone, with just seven points now separating Blues and Blackpool who claimed an emphatic 6-1 victory over QPR last night and are in 22nd place at this point.

That could put Birmingham back into the relegation battle - and Eustace is one man who believes they are in that scrap right now following their latest loss - with their form in 2023 dragging them down to the bottom end of the division.

"We know we are in a fight down there – we have been all season", Eustace said.

"It's important we don't get carried away with the highs and lows and we will see where we are at the end of the season."

The Verdict:

They are still in a reasonably strong position at this stage and they may only need a few more wins to ensure they are competing in the Championship once again next season.

Considering their recent form though, you can understand why Eustace is nervous and this latest defeat wouldn't have done anything to help morale in the camp.

Blackpool will be full of confidence going into their next match following such a big win yesterday evening and that could be a turning point in what has been a woeful campaign for them so far.

Wigan Athletic, meanwhile, look as though they are in real trouble despite winning a point against Coventry City last night with a potential points deduction on the horizon for them for several delays in wage payments.

And Huddersfield Town looked doomed at this stage, although you can never write them off considering they have the experienced Neil Warnock at the helm.

In terms of Birmingham, they did win against fellow relegation candidate Rotherham at the weekend as mentioned, something that has helped to drag the Millers down again. That will only help the Midlands side's cause.