SAMMY Silvera admits he found it "hard" to adapt to Championship football but believes he'll benefit from a year of what he hopes will be regular football with Portsmouth.

The Aussie flanker finalised his season-long loan switch with the Championship newcomers, with Silvera hoping to make a mark on the south coast before returning to Boro a better player for the experience.

The loan doesn't include an option for Portsmouth to make the deal permanent, with Boro still confident the 23-year-old can be a success on Teesside.

Silvera joined Boro from Central Coast Mariners last summer and while he made 37 Championship appearances in his first season at the Riverside, only 12 were starts.

With Delano Burgzorg having arrived this summer, Riley McGree back fit and Finn Azaz set to play a key role on the back of his first half season at the club, Silvera might have found game-time hard to come by this term - with Boro's coaches, officials and the winger all in agreement that a loan move was the best course of action.

And after talks with boss John Mousinho, he had a good feeling about the Portsmouth switch.

"The talk was about me as an individual improving, adding more goals and assists and I feel like this is a place where I can do that," said Silvera, who was honest in his assessment of his first year at Boro and adapting to life in the Championship.

"It's been hard. Away from football getting used to a different area. And on the pitch, it's the demand of playing 46 games and that's without cup games.

"That's a difference because in the A-league you play 26 games, but it's been good, I've been able to play a decent amount of game-time. Hopefully I can continue on and get more consistency and improve."

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Having moved from Australia to the UK last year, he's confident he'll take a switch from the north to the south in his stride.

"It's a lot harder moving from the other side of the world," he said.

"My mum lives in London so that helps. It's a lot closer here. I'm just looking forward to it."

Asked what Portsmouth fans can expect, Silvera said: "I'm a left or right winger, quick, skilful, that's what I'm looking to bring to this club.

"Hopefully I can add more goals and assists. The club has come from League One, the direction of this club is to go higher. It's a massive club. From speaking to people, it's a massive club and the fans are so involved. To see this club be a consistent Championship team and push for higher, that's the goal.

"I'm thrilled to be here. It's always a packed stadium, it's always loud at home games, the fans are amazing. And just the culture the coaching staff want to bring to the club and the direction they want to go in, that's all the positive talk I've heard and why I'm keen to be here."