Swansea defender convinced experience will bring them promotion

Swansea City defender Alan Tate believes this will be their year to grab promotion to the Premier League after two years of close misses.

The Swans are currently 8/1 in the Championship betting to winthe league and are looking good to improve on their top half finishes of the past two seasons.

In their first season back in the Championship the Swans finished a very respectable eighth. They then narrowly missed out on the play-offs by one point last term after a goalless last day draw with Doncaster.

However, former Manchester United player Tate is convinced this could be the season the Swans return to the English top tier for the first time since 1983.

He said: “I think most people are pleased with the way we’ve started the season. We’ve been good at home and, while we couldn’t buy an away win at the start of the season. We seem to have got it right with four wins and a draw from our last five.

“This squad has a habit of bouncing back. This is our third season in the Championship and we are not afraid of anyone.

“We are improving all the time and, touch wood, this is our season to finish in the top six.”

The Swans welcome Portsmouth to the Liberty on Friday night having lost just one of their last ten games in the league. With Portsmouth in the midst of a run that has seen them go four games without a win, backing Swansea to win at 8/11 looks to be well worth a bet.

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