Defender praises Kenny Jackett's Portsmouth dedication after shock Fratton Park return

Charlie Daniels revealed his shock at seeing Kenny Jackett at Fratton Park on Saturday.
Charlie Daniels admitted he was surprised to see Kenny Jackett at Fratton Park for Saturday's visit of Blackpool. Picture: Joe PeplerCharlie Daniels admitted he was surprised to see Kenny Jackett at Fratton Park for Saturday's visit of Blackpool. Picture: Joe Pepler
Charlie Daniels admitted he was surprised to see Kenny Jackett at Fratton Park for Saturday's visit of Blackpool. Picture: Joe Pepler

And the left-back believes the manager’s improbable return time reflects his commitment to the Pompey cause.

Jackett was expected to be out of action for at least two weeks after undergoing an operation to remove a mole from his forearm on Thursday.

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However, he was back just two days later – for the visit of Blackpool.

Daniels insists the Blues boss did not have much interaction with the players, instead letting assistant boss Joe Gallen continue to lead the side.

And he was amazed to see the 59-year-old around the ground during the match duration.

Daniels told The News: ‘It surprised me.

‘As I walked into the stadium he was standing by the dugout. It was a nice surprise to see him and I’m glad to see him well and recovering.

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‘You can tell he didn’t want to be away for long, so I’m glad to see him back and hopefully he will be in the dugout sooner rather than later.

‘He said “Hello” to us before the game. I saw him in the dressing room, he didn’t say much, but was chatting to Joe a lot and made sure he got his points across.

‘It’s two days after surgery, I don’t think his heart rate should be climbing up too much, so it was a bit of a back seat on Saturday.

‘Like any manager, he couldn’t be too far away from the action.

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‘It says a lot about him as a person, he has gone from surgery and two days later he was here at the ground.

‘It just shows how dedicated he is to the club and his players. Hopefully he can be back in the dugout soon.’

Pompey produced a massively disappointing display in the presence of their manager.

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Daniels added: ‘The manager didn’t speak to us afterwards, but was around.

‘He left it to Joe. He’s just had surgery and didn’t want to get too involved’ I am sure he would have got his point across.’

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