JAN Poortvliet expects his Saints side to get a taste of what is to come in the season ahead against Premier League new boys Stoke City tonight.

The Potters, Saints' final pre-season opponents before the Championship curtain-raiser at Cardiff on Saturday, won promotion to the top flight last season playing a distinctive brand of direct, physical football and posing a real threat in the air.

First team head coach Poortvliet has yet to see Tony Pulis' side in action himself.

But he has been told what to expect from them and that many other Championship sides are likely to adopt a similar approach.

"I have been told that last year they were all tall and they put the ball in the box and they are all running in, there are a lot of headers, long balls and it is physical," the Dutchman said yesterday.

"I have a friend, who is also a friend of Tony Pulis, and saw them several times and he said they play like this."

He continued: "Normally you play on the lower levels but in the Championship you have a lot of teams who play with long balls, big strikers and a lot of players around the box and we have to be ready to play against that.

"Stoke, they are a physically strong team, and I think we will meet a lot of strong teams in the division."

For full story see today's Daily Echo.