'A real grafter': The highly-rated Portsmouth youngster tipped for a big future by his Fratton Park mentor

Now Alex Bass is tipping protege Toby Steward for a bright Blues future.

The highly-rated 17-year-old continues to flourish at Fratton Park, having signed professional terms in February while still an apprentice.

Indeed, Danny Cowley has earmarked the former Henry Cort Community College pupil for a loan spell in the forthcoming campaign to aid his promising development.

Certainly Bass has been impressed with Steward’s progress and can draw parallels, having himself been around Pompey’s first team since 2014 as a 16-year-old.

And he speaks highly of the young pretender who continues to earn rave reviews.

Bass told The News: ‘I always try to help Tobes as much as I can, he’s a lovely kid.

‘Funnily enough, we actually live on the same road in Whiteley. I didn't realise it until the start of this pre-season, we were having a chat and I discovered it. Crazy.

‘Tobes is very good technically, very sound, he makes great saves and is a really hard worker. He also works very hard in the gym, I’ve noticed he’s a real grafter.

‘When I was 17, I was a skinny little stick. Toby was similar when I saw him before this pre-season, but he’s working really hard to try to beef up and make sure he’s that strong goalkeeper all managers want.

‘In 2-3 years he will really start to push on and show people what he can do. I’ve been very impressed with what I have seen from him in such a short space of time.

‘Anything I can do to help Tobes be the best he can, I will try. For me, David Forde was a massive one to learn off, even though I wasn't really involved around the first-team at that time.

‘Just watching him in training and seeing his personality was a massive thing for me. Without even realising, he taught me loads.

‘I tell Tobes to relax and enjoy it, there’s a reason why he's in and around the first-team because he’s a very good young keeper. Don’t get uptight and tense if you make a mistake in training, no-one cares.

‘He’s done well in pre-season. All you can do is just carry on and see where it will take you.’

As a teenager, Bass was sent on a season-long loan to non-league Salisbury in 2016-17.

He made 46 appearances for Steve Claridge’s side as they suffered an Evo Stik League Southern Division One South & West play-off final defeat to Tiverton Town.

Now aged 24, he has made 41 Pompey appearances and is attracting transfer interest from Crawley.

He added: ‘The best bit of advice I will give Tobes is to go out and get loan games. My year at Salisbury under Steve Claridge was the best thing for me.

‘It’s competitive men’s football and will be a really big learning curve, but it will be the making of him.

‘He’s a good enough goalkeeper to do it, he just needs to go out and experience it because Academy football is a lot different.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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