KEVIN Keegan believes the Blues are beginning to show signs of the consistency required to mount a challenge for automatic promotion.

City's season has been marred by heavy losses immediately after an encouraging result and, while the team's goalscoring capabilities have never been in doubt, question marks have remained over the defence. However, after conceding just three goals in the last five league outings, the Blues finally appear to have stemmed the tide.

Even after a promising run of three games without defeat, Keegan is honest enough to know that there is still a long way to go before he can be satisfied and admits there remains room for improvement.

He said: "That's our first run of the season - three games - when we should be going on runs of 10 and 15 games at least once or twice."

Keegan has promised more of the same after starting with both Eyal Berkovic and Ali Benarbia for the first time.

The midfield duo were the architects of City's 3-0 victory at Barnsley and gave a glimpse of what they could deliver this season.

Critics have sniped that the pair would be a liability if they lined up in the same side, but Keegan insists there is room for both talents in The Blues' first XI. The boss hailed the efforts of the Israeli and Algerian, and confirmed he remains on the lookout for more of the same.