As his side look to continue their recent resurgence by making progress in the FA Cup with Budweiser on Saturday, the message from City boss Nigel Pearson could not have been more straightforward: More of the same please.

The Foxes manager admits his side's last two performances - a 4-0 thumping of local rivals Nottingham Forest and a 2-0 win at promotion-chasing Southampton - have been the most impressive since his return to the Club in November.

And as City prepare to do battle with League 2 Swindon Town - conquerors of Premier League Wigan in round three - for a place in the FA Cup's last 16, Pearson wants his team to continue with their recent improvement.

"We need to make sure our performances continue in the same vein as the last two, because that would make us a difficult proposition for any team," Pearson told the media ahead of Saturday's visit of the Robins.

"I think they'll be confident and come and play their own game. They had a really good result in the third round against Wigan and we know every cup round will always have upsets.

"But we've got to make sure, first and foremost, that the side that goes out tomorrow is capable of replicating the last two performances. That's the benchmark for how we move forward."

Another victory on Saturday would put the swagger firmly back into the Foxes' stride ahead of an important league game against Middlesbrough at King Power Stadium next Wednesday.

And Pearson says the confidence generated by good performances has had a positive impact on a group of players that have worked hard to address their faults in recent weeks.

"There has been hard work, discipline and then, because we've worked very hard, the players' ability has been able to shine through.

"A bit of confidence [has helped] as well, I think - it's been a frustrating season for everyone at the Club in terms of not achieving the goals we set out to do, but we've still got a lot of points to play for in the league and the opportunity to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup, which is important to us.

"The players want to keep their places in the side now. Our next game after Swindon is a league game against Middlesbrough and I think it's important that the players are starting to feel a lot better about themselves and they know they have to maintain this level of performance.

"We have to get a run going and that breeds confidence. Saturday is a break from the league, but it's a game that we want to win."