Wilson: 'Portsmouth can still shock the Premier League'

Marc Wilson reckons Portsmouth's FA Cup run can inspire a Great Escape from the bottom of the Premier League.

Avram Grant's side face Birmingham at Fratton Park again tonight following their famous quarter-final win at the weekend.

Pompey will be 14 points from safety when the Premier League impose the nine-point penalty for going into administration.

But the club has now won both matches since taking that step last month and Wilson insisted they can still "shock" the Premier League with a late run.

"We're disappointed to be in the place we're in, at the bottom of the table," said the Republic of Ireland international. "We feel we don't deserve to be there really. If we don't get the nine points deducted we think we can give some people a shock, to be honest.

"We know the other teams are dropping points while we're all just enjoying our football so much at the minute.

"I think it will be praying on Birmingham's minds that they've just lost to us, but whether that helps us or not is difficult to say. We'll just take the same approach as we did in the FA Cup game and go out and give it all we can."

Wilson was part of Pompey's 2008 squad which won at Wembley, but wasn't selected for a place on the bench. This season the 22-year-old has been a regular in the centre of defence, but he played the holding midfield role against Birmingham.

"I've actually played there my whole life, that's my proper position and I'm enjoying playing there again," he said. "It's good to have players like Danny Webber and John Utaka out wide when you're looking for a pass.

"The manager, Avram Grant, has been tremendous. He's done a great job, given everyone confidence. He's not a man of a lot of words, but he talks a lot of sense. He's very knowledgeable about the game.

"He's a very positive man and I think that is reflected in the way we've been playing the game. It rubs off on all the players."