ROVERS striker Jason Roberts is excited at the prospect of playing three competitive matches in Australia.

Roberts was part of the squad that departed for Sydney on Thursday, with the team scheduled to touch down in New South Wales early Saturday morning.

Sam Allardyce's side are making their first trip Down Under for the inaugural Sydney Festival of Football where they'll play against Scottish champions Rangers on July 25th, Greek club AEK Athens on July 28th before rounding the trip off with a match against host side Sydney FC on Saturday 31st July.

And for Roberts, it is something he cannot wait to be part of.

"It is exciting for the boys to see some different places and to get out of the usual routine that we'll be used to once the season starts," Roberts told Rovers Player.

"So I see the trip as a positive thing.

"It will be an interesting trip, it will be my first visit to Australia and we will be playing some top class opposition which always helps.

"All the boys are looking forward to it, it will be fun. In modern day football a lot of clubs travel far and wide, so we are excited about it."

Tickets for the Sydney Festival of Football are available now through www.Ticketek.com.au with Adult prices starting from just AUS$29,