Davies used extended break as second pre-season

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has used the extended international break as a "second pre-season" and has seen it really benefit his squad. The three-week pause in the Championship campaign allowed Davies to work on how to hit the ground running after taking 11 points from their first eight games. "I used it for the players as kind of a second pre-season really," Davies told BBC Radio WM. "I think it was really important that we used it well. It wasn't just a 'nothing' waste of time. I really wanted to focus on our game, how we can improve and push them. "And I think we've had a really good few weeks. I think we've got players fitter, sharper and more ready than they were before the break. "So, I think overall, we come out of it in good shape." Part of that preparation was a friendly against Premier League Coventry City at the CBS Arena - a game in which Jay Stansfield got back among the goals, having only scored once this season and three times in his last 40 appearances. Davies hopes that will kick-start the former Fulham forward to go on a fruitful run. "Jay got a couple of good goals. I play him as a sort of a 10, or a withdrawn striker, he wants to score goals and I think it'll do his confidence good," Davies added. "There was some really encouraging parts of that game where other players that haven't played much got good minutes and made a good impact. "It was a really good exercise. We tried to make the most of the game." Blues now have seven games before the next international break in late November - starting with Saturday's derby against West Bromwich Albion (12:30 BST). "We've got 11 points after eight games, which is exactly what we had this time last year," Davies said. "We've corrected the away form, we've scored more goals, we need to keep more clean sheets but in terms of the style of the games coming up, we're going to have to be more the protagonist - take the game to the opposition more than we've done. "There's a lot we can improve. I'm content with how we've looked, but I've been trying to focus in training, and that Coventry game, on the areas we can get better. "These next seven games are important for our season. If we're going to really push on we need to make an impact." All the latest Birmingham City news