Stoke City manager Alex Neil says his side must break through a "glass ceiling" to become regular challengers in the top half of the Championship.
The Potters have failed to finish in the division's top 12 since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018.
They managed 16th last season in Neil's first term in charge and currently sit 14th.
"We need consistency," Neil told BBC Radio Stoke.
"We want to be hard to play against and hard to beat and put a good sequence of games together so we continually pick points up."
That is exactly what Stoke have been doing in the past month, putting together an impressive five-match unbeaten run that has seen them beat promotion contenders Sunderland, Leeds and Middlesbrough and earn back-to-back draws against Cardiff and Coventry.