Burgess wants a perfect Pompey day

And the defender believes there’s no reason it can’t develop into a glorious campaign for Pompey

Burgess believes Michael Eisner’s takeover will add an extra dimension to today’s opener with Rochdale.

It’s the dawning of a new era as the League One campaign begins at a packed Fratton Park.

Burgess is anticipating an occasion to savour.

He said: ‘The atmosphere is going to be unbelievable.

‘With the summer away, the fans are raring to get back.

‘The players are raring to get back as well.

‘There’s the new ownership and a new chapter for the club.

‘So we’re really looking forward to it.

‘It’s going to be a special day and we want to start it off positively with a win.’

Much of the talk across the summer has been of gradual progress moving forward for Pompey.

Burgess is raising the bar in terms of ambitions, though.

He added: ‘I’ve seen people say back-to-back promotions would be a nightmare. I disagree.

‘The club’s is big enough and the Championship is where we should be as a minimum. We all want to achieve success.

‘A lot of the boys here have had a taste of the Championship.

‘That’s where we feel we belong and want to get to, so we’re going to be working hard to get there.

‘We believe with the squad we have we can be competitive – and our aim is to be in that top six.

‘We won’t be happy if we’re outside of the play-offs.

‘We have to set our sights on something we want, and we believe that’s something we can achieve.’

- JORDAN CROSS