Christian Benitez is backing Birmingham City to continue their rise up the Premier League

Nov 30 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

CHRISTIAN Benitez today predicted that Blues could take further strides in the right direction up the Premier League table.

The 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux yesterday hoisted Blues into 11th place.

Although they are only six points clear of the relegation zone, Blues are in good form and bubbly mood.

And Benitez – nicknamed Chucho – said he was loving every minute of the it.

“I was very happy about the performance of the team (against Wolves) and I hope it will get even better, game to game, and I think it will,’’ he said.

“It was an important win for us, and it is always good to get an away win. Winning against a local rival is nice too. They wanted it as well, it was a big game for them but we deserved it. It’s excellent to be moving more points ahead of the bottom of the table.

“There is confidence in the team and we all believe that we can do more and keep on winning to get ourselves further away from the others. That is the aim. We have to set our target on moving up. It is something we can achieve.”

On the other side of the coin, Blues are five points from sixth-placed Villa.

And success at Molineux gave Blues back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time since December 2004, when they won four straight.

Benitez’s addition as a regular to a settled team alongside Cameron Jerome has contributed in no small measure to Blues’ upsurge.

“I am very proud to be working in what’s the best league in the world,” said Benitez.

“It is very exciting playing with Cameron, he is a good player and we have been working well. We are quick together and defenders find it difficult.”

Signed from Santos Laguna on loan with a view to a club record £7.75 million deal, based on success and various conditions being met, Benitez stressed he was not pining for home country Ecuador.

“I am well settled in, I am very happy with my family here now. It is going well and I am enjoying it at Birmingham,” said the striker.

Scott Dann, meanwhile, said Blues were disappointed that they didn’t kill Wolves off yesterday.

The defender revealed: “We know we stepped off a little bit in the second half.

“We knew they were going to come at us and we had to deal with that but we wanted to go and kill the game off.

“We had a couple of chances, but we never really did that. And the way we played in the first half, the game should have been out of sight.”

Blues were prepared to fight fire with fire from the first whistle, and it was Wolves who were left whimpering.

“Obviously at home in a derby they wanted to go right for the throat, but it worked out the opposite way,’’ said Dann.

‘‘We were straight at them, got the goal, and followed on throughout the first half attacking. I don’t think they really had a chance in the first half.”