Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is proud of his side's success this term

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has admitted that, although his team defeated Portsmouth 2-1 at Fratton Park on Tuesday night, his side have little chance of finishing in seventh place this term.

Striker Cameron Jerome’s brace left the Blues in eighth position, only two points behind Aston Villa, although the Villans have two games in hand.

When asked if Birmingham can make it to seventh this season, McLeish told Sky Sports: "I don't think seventh place is realistic.

"You'll see sides that get to Europe usually have a striker who scores around 16 goals."

The top scorer’s for Birmingham and Jerome and Lee Bowyer, who both have just five strikes this term making their squads hold on eighth place an impressive feat.

After avenging their FA Cup elimination at the hands of Pompey this past weekend, McLeish acknowledged that his side are proud of its achievements in the Premier League this season.

"With each victory we get, we set new targets. But there are some fantastic challenges ahead of us.

 "But we can be proud of the season we have had so far, we just weren't quite up to it in the second half at the weekend. It is a learning process for these players."