Nathan Thompson says it felt "strange" to leave Swindon Town for Portsmouth

Nathan Thompson has admitted that leaving Swindon after 14 years at the club felt strange, but he is looking forward to life at Portsmouth.

Thompson, 26, joined Swindon as a 12-year-old but today (Thursday) completed a move to newly-promoted League One side Portsmouth, where he has signed a two-year deal.

Speaking to the Portsmouth YouTube channel, Thompson said: "It was strange, I'll be honest, coming to the end of a contract.

"It's been 14 years, I signed at 12 years old, it's definitely a strange feeling but signing for a club of this size feels amazing and I'm looking forward to getting on with the season.

"Without a shadow of a doubt (Portsmouth are on the up), you've seen that there's a potential takeover coming in, Portsmouth won the league last season, there's a real feel-good factor around the place and it's exciting to be part of that. I'd love to be able to help this team get back to where they belong.

"With the fanbase they've got they should be in the Championship or the Premier League and I'm excited to be a part of that."

Thompson also evaluated Swindon's relegation last year, saying: "It was (a surprise) because I think if you looked at the squad they were more than capable of achieving something.

"At the start of the season there was a real belief in the dressing room that we were capable of doing something special but as the season went on I think the confidence was affected and inevitably it cost us which is extremely frustrating to be captain of that.

"That hurt me. It hurt me deeply. I'm a passionate lad and I was homegrown, I grew up playing for that team so to see them relegated was a difficult moment for me."