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The Blues had two of their former favourites involved as England Vets stormed to the final of the Seniors World Cup in Thailand.

Deon Burton and Sean Davis were central figures in the set-up, as they picked up four victories on their march to the last stage.

But their bid at picking up a sixth crown since the competition's inception in 2006 came up just short, as they went down to a 1-0 loss to Iran in an ill-tempered final.

Burton, who scores 15 goals in 87 appearances across two spells at Fratton Park, missed the Three Lions’ opening fixture as they grabbed a 4-2 win over Taiwan.

The 42-year-old was on the scoresheet from the penalty spot along with former Fulham striker Barry Hayles, though, as they got the 2-2 draw they needed against Hong Kong to progress from the group stage in searing heat.

Hayles got his second hat-trick of the competition as England powered past New Zealand with a 4-1 success in a quarter-final played in torrential rain.

That set up a re-run of last year’s final against Scotland to decide who made it to the final.

And it was Burton was the hero against the Auld Enemy in the semis, as he fired a late, late winner home from the spot to help his team to a 2-1 victory, after he was controversially adjudged to have been brought down.

The only goal of the game came 15 minutes from time in the final to ensure Iran's fifth competition victory equalled the success of their opponents.

The Seniors World Cup was created by the Thailand FA to promote tourism in the aftermath of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which caused such devastation in 2004.

The competition is held in a different province each year and saw England engage with locals and schoolchildren during their participation.

As well as Burton and Davis, who made 102 Pompey appearances the England squad also included former Millwall and Bradford man Wes Reid, as well as former Sheffield Wednesday and Preston defender Dean Barrick.