How Pompey boss celebrated Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup display - and came down to earth with bump

Simon Bassey celebrated Pompey’s performance against Spurs in style - with a Burger King.
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And the Blues interim head coach came down to earth with a bump after his team’s FA Cup display.

That proved the case when Bassey went from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to trying carrying out goal repairs on a parks pitch the following day.

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It’s proved a whirlwind period for the 46-year-old, as he earned plaudits for overseeing a gutsy showing from his team in the 1-0 defeat to the Premier League guns.

The aim was for Bassey to enjoy a meal with his wife on Saturday, but those plans went awry.

Things didn’t get much better as he joined after parents watching his son play the next day - in a game which was abandoned in torrential rain.

Bassey said: ‘I planned to take my wife out for dinner on Saturday, but we couldn’t get a table until 9.45am.

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‘Seeing as I’d been since 4.30am we ended up with a Burger King and I was asleep on the settee at 9.45pm!

Pompey fans saluted by Simon Bassey at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Pompey fans saluted by Simon Bassey at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pompey fans saluted by Simon Bassey at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

‘Then I got up on Sunday and went to my son’s football.

‘The goal got blown over in the wind halfway through and then the game got abandoned because of the torrential rain.

‘So like all parents I was collecting balls and corner flags in the pouring rain.

‘It was a vast contrast between the two days!

‘It just shows you the love the whole country has for the game all the way up and down the pyramid.

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‘One minute you’re speaking to Antonio Conte and he’s telling you that you’ve set your team up really well and it was an excellent performance.

‘The next minute rain is pouring down your neck and you’re carrying a goal with two other parents back to base.

‘It just shows you to never get too high or too low - and to stay humble.’

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