MX23RW : Wednesday, April 24 10:57:34| >> :120:47585:47585:

Michael Appleton not giving up hope

Appleton not giving up hope
© PA Photos
Portsmouth boss Michael Appleton still believes that his side have a chance of Championship survival, albeit a very small one.

Portsmouth manager Michael Appleton has refused to give up hope of Championship survival, but has admitted that his side's chances aren't great.

Portsmouth were seconds away from being relegated today, but a late goal gave them a dramatic 4-3 win over Doncaster Rovers, sending their opponents down instead.

Although Appleton understands that his side face an uphill struggle to survive, he is refusing to give up just yet.

"Our chances of staying up are not great," he said. "Even if we win the three games, all Bristol City have to do is look after their own ship. I think if it was a Grand National we'd be a 500-1 shot.

"What today does do though is it gives me confidence we can win three games. There's an opportunity there and we will continue to fight as hard as we possibly can.

"I'm glad we've got two home games now. The fans will hopefully push and squeeze the ball into the back of the net for us. Who knows? We live to fight another day. Let's see where we are on Tuesday."

Pompey's three remaining matches come against Crystal Palace, Derby and Nottingham Forest.

ID:23745: cacheID:23745:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2002:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Fratton Park
Read Next:
Portsmouth debt reaches £58m
>
Read more about Michael Appleton Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CPortsmouth452713576413594
2Derby CountyDerby452781076373989
3Bolton WanderersBolton452511983483586
4Peterborough UnitedPeterborough452581286582883
5Barnsley4521121281631875
6Lincoln CityLincoln4520141165382774
7Oxford UnitedOxford Utd4521111377552274
8Blackpool4521101463451873
9Stevenage4518141355451068
10Wycombe WanderersWycombe451614155955462
11Leyton Orient451711175054-462
12Exeter CityExeter451710184559-1461
13Wigan AthleticWigan451910166156559
14Northampton TownNorthampton45178205665-959
15Bristol Rovers45169205266-1457
16Charlton AthleticCharlton451120146464053
17Reading451511196568-350
18Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury45139233464-3048
19Cambridge UnitedCambridge451211223961-2247
20Burton Albion451210233964-2546
21Cheltenham TownCheltenham45128254063-2344
RFleetwood TownFleetwood45913234672-2640
RPort Vale451010254174-3340
RCarlisle UnitedCarlisle4579294179-3830


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!