Danish striker August Priske netted his first goal for Birmingham City in a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth at Fratton Park. The 22-year-old, whose father Brian played for Pompey in the 2005/06 season, felt it was destined that he would score his maiden Blues goal at the south coast stadium.
Emotional Return to Portsmouth
Priske, who lived in Portsmouth briefly as a toddler when his father played for the club, powered home a header in the 19th minute to earn Birmingham a point on the final day of the season. Reflecting on the moment, he said: 'A lot of people told me yesterday that it was written in the stars to get the first goal here. With the celebration I tried to give a bit of banter as well.'
The target man added: 'There's no internet down here so I can't get in touch with anyone really! I spoke to him yesterday. It's a bit funny, we stayed at the hotel we used to go to when I was a kid every once in a while.'
Adapting to the Championship
Priske joined Birmingham from Swedish club Djurgarden in January and has quickly adapted to the physical demands of the Championship. He admitted that scoring was a priority: 'That was my main target today, except from winning, so it was a good feeling. They didn't mark me so I was a bit surprised because normally I'm marked on corners.'
The 22-year-old also highlighted the biggest lesson he has learned since arriving in England: 'One thing is obviously the physicality which I feel like I've adapted to quite well. When I first came I was used to getting free-kicks when people did something that was a free-kick but in this league it's not the same and you have to get used to that. That was the biggest thing with defenders trying to grab me all the time.'
Priske's aerial ability has allowed Birmingham to change their style of play, and the team finished the season strongly with 11 points from their final five games.
