Appleton wants one last Pompey push

Michael Appleton has challenged his weary troops to pick themselves up for a last-gasp attempt at staying in the Championship.

The Blues head to Doncaster on Saturday for a fixture which could well end with them relegated.

Should Bristol City achieve a result better than Pompey, Appleton’s men will go down to League One.

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In fact, both Pompey and Doncaster will be relegated if they draw and the Robins win their clash at Birmingham.

The Blues certainly look down and out, as many fans will agree. But Appleton will urge his side on at the Keepmoat on Saturday for a final push.

He said: ‘At the end of the day you have got to keep picking yourselves up and it is difficult to keep doing that.

‘That is what myself and the staff are certainly doing regarding the players.

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‘You can see in the second half against Millwall, the confidence was oozing away from the players.

‘It wasn’t nice to see because they put so much into the last few weeks and it didn’t seem to happen for them.

‘But it is what it is, there are four games left and I’ve said to the players to make sure we are professional enough to see the job out.

‘They will go into the game against Doncaster expecting to win and I am sure Doncaster will see it as a chance to start their own run going.

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‘Their club will be hoping it will lead to winning four games to give themselves an opportunity. They will certainly go into that game thinking they are going to turn us over.

‘So we have got to be ready for that.

‘We have got to be at it, making sure we are going to take this to the last game of the season or second to last game.

‘To do that we have to start winning on Saturday.’

Of the other relegation-threatened clubs, Coventry – who are five points ahead of Pompey – travel to Burnley.

While Nottingham Forest are at home to Blackpool.