Appleton expects "Championship" clash (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

SWINDON TOWN: Appleton expects "Championship" clash

6:00am Tuesday 18th September 2012 in Sport By Andy Warren

PORTSMOUTH boss Michael Appleton is expecting a game worthy of the Championship when his side take on Swindon at Fratton Park this evening.

Both sides have ambitions of making it back into English football’s second tier, with Pompey hoping to bounce back at the first opportunity following relegation last season while Town have been exiled from the Championship since the year 2000.

While Town boss Paolo Di Canio has been backed to assemble an impressive League One squad, his counterpart Appleton has built a team of players on one-month deals and knows exactly what he is up against.

“They have some dangerous players. The front two are dangerous and Benson when he comes off the bench is dangerous,” he said.

“We all know about Matt Ritchie’s qualities on that right-hand side coming in on his left foot.

“They have two strong centre-halves in terms of McCormack, who is a midfielder who they put back there, and Ward and Flint. I know Gary Roberts is back from injury, too.

“They have some good options. You only have to look at the players they leave on the bench and in the stand to see how strong they are.

“They have a lot of quality and it will be a good game.

“It will almost be, dare I say it, a Championship game in a way. We see it as that type of game, and hopefully it will suit our players.”