News

Hart expects Pompey escape

Author: Craig Williams
Date: 28/09/2009
Football betting

Portsmouth boss Paul Hart is confident the club will stay in the Premier League if they maintain the standard they set in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Everton.

Pompey slipped to a seventh successive defeat to extend the record for the worst ever start to a Premier League season.

But despite suggestions that the South Coast club, online betting favourites, are now certainties for the drop, an under-pressure Hart is remaining upbeat.

"We played tremendously well, creating really good chances in the first half and in the second we should have scored," he said. "But with a spirit and performance like that, I thought the players were fantastic."

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Meanwhile, Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie has confirmed that he will remain with the club, ending doubts over his future at Fratton Park.

The takeover of Pompey by Sulaiman Al Fahim had looked like ending Storrie's association with the Premier League basement side, but he has now decided to stay put.

He told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek: "Sulaiman has said there's £50million coming, publicly at a meeting to supporters on Friday night.

"Sulaiman showed the board documentation to say the money's there. We hope it all comes to fruition in the next few days.

"Making sure the club is sound and the finances come in has always been the main issue for me, so I'm very happy to stay and continue being at a club I've enjoy being at for the last seven years."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton dominated at the Singapore Grand Prix to win the race with some ease after starting from pole position.

The reigning world champion was rarely threatened, as closest challengers Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel both made crucial errors.

Rosberg crossed the white line when leaving the pits and suffered a drive-through penalty, while Vettel was penalised for speeding in the pit-lane and dropped out of contention, eventually finishing in fourth place.

Toyota's Timo Glock took advantage to finish in second place, with Fernando Alonso coming in third in his Renault.

The race eventually worked out well for championship leader Jenson Button, who finished fifth in his Brawn, with team-mate Rubens Barrichello behind him in sixth.

Button now leads the drivers' standings by 15 points from Barrichello with just three races to go, with Vettel now 25 points adrift of Button and almost certainly out of the title race.

Leeds Rhinos have chosen Catalans Dragons as their opponents in their Super League play-off semi-final tie next week.

Under a renovated play-off system, the top-ranked side that remained in the final four have been forced into nominating who they would rather face from the two lowest-placed sides left in their Old Trafford eliminator.

And the champions made the widely-expected choice of Catalans, who finished the regular season in eighth position.

The French outfit won through to the semis by dispatching of Huddersfield on Friday, but have tasted just two successes in nine meetings with Leeds.

The decision also has ramifications across the Pennines, as St Helens have been informed that they will face arch-rivals Wigan Warriors in the other tie.

Vitali Klitschko stopped Chris Arreola after ten rounds to retain his WBC heavyweight title.

The veteran dominated the fight and eventually forced his younger opponent into submission at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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