'So special': Colby Bishop's emotional message to the wonderful Portsmouth faithful after fairy-tale comeback

The prolific striker was a shock inclusion on the Blues’ bench against Preston - having undergone a heart operation in August.

That presence inevitably lifted the spirits of Blues followers and, within seconds of the game kicking off, a familiar rendition of the ‘Magic Hat’ song rang around Fratton Park.

Fittingly, Bishop capped his comeback by netting an 89th-minute penalty in the 3-1 success which lifted John Mousinho’s men off the bottom of the Championship.

And the former Accrington man was eager to deliver his gratitude to fans who made him feel ‘so special’.

He told The News: ‘I am so grateful to the fans, they make you feel so special.

‘I have thought about these moments for the whole 3-4 months, getting that reception. I’m hoping there are quite a few videos, because I would like to watch it back.

‘Even when I was scoring in the warm-up, they were standing up singing, I have a very special connection with the fans here and through the whole three months when people have seen me, they’ve been so nice to me.

‘They’ve not once asked “When are you back?” or anything like that. It has always been “Are you okay?”, “Is your family okay?”. That shows how much the people of Portsmouth care.

‘I know football is obviously the main thing, but they also care about you. I have a special connection with them and again I am grateful for that.’

Bishop was introduced off the bench for Kusini Yengi in the 78th minute, with the Blues leading 2-1 at the time.

The reaction from supporters to him entering the pitch provided a wonderful moment and will be forever cherished by the striker.

He added: ‘It gave me shivers down my back, it was loud, very loud.

‘I had asked my partner to video it, I cannot wait to watch it. It’s one of those you would like to look back on in the future.’