Blues striker Priske 'has taste' for Championship

Birmingham City forward August Priske believes his first six months in English football have prepared him well for his first full season in the Championship.

Priske joined Blues from Swedish outfit Djurgardens in January and scored his first goal for the club in the 1-1 draw at Portsmouth on the final day of last season.

The Denmark Under-21 international has netted three times during pre-season for Chris Davies' side, including in their 2-2 draw with La Liga giants Barcelona on Friday evening.

Having enjoyed that test, Priske is now hoping to hit the ground running when the competitive action returns.

Birmingham begin the campaign with an EFL Cup first-round tie at Swansea City on Saturday, before they travel to Sheffield United for their first Championship match seven days later.

"There is a reason everyone says it is a tough league to come into at first," Priske told BBC Radio WM.

"I am not saying it is going to be perfect from now on, but at least I have the taste and knowledge of what I am going into.

"Ever since I came, it's been an adaption to playing in England. When you play a team not from England, you can feel that because they're not used to playing with the physicality - a lot more is allowed in the Championship, where in Spain they have a lot more things in their playing style."

Birmingham have completed five signings this summer.

Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper James Beadle has returned for a second loan spell, while midfielder Jhon Solis' loan has been made permanent.

Blues have also added Dael Fry on a free transfer following his departure from Middlesbrough and, more recently, welcomed Luis Vasquez from Anderlecht and Kristoffer Lund from Palermo.

Priske knows left-back Lund from their time together in the academy of Danish side FC Midtjylland and considers City's recruitment thus far to have been impressive.

"He is two years older than me," Priske said of Lund. "We know each other - it is not like we've been best friends for the past 10 years, but we definitely know each other well and he texted me a little bit before he came.

"He's a good guy and a good signing. We have made a lot of good signings, which is a positive right now."

You can listen to the full interview with Priske on BBC Sounds by clicking here.

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