Spurs 1 Portsmouth 0: Neil Allen's verdict - Blues pride restored as noisy Fratton faithful and resurgent players claim timely victory amid FA Cup defeat

In the aftermath of the final whistle, two sides divided seven days earlier, a bond severed amid uncomfortable Fratton Park scenes, were now reconnected, united as one.

Head coach Danny Cowley had been a casualty, a necessary sacrifice designed to appease and initiate positive change, yet, most pivotal of all towards the healing process, the Blues players won back fan respect at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Defeat had been viewed as inevitable, a certain outcome which refused to dampen the enthusiasm of 8,880 members of the Fratton faithful descending upon North London.

There were no expectations of inflicting an FA Cup upset, this had never been billed as an opportunity to emulate the Wembley feat of 12-and-a-half years previous, ironically when the clubs last met.

The sole stipulation was for the Blues to go down fighting, demonstrating character, tenacity and heart so glaringly absent during a wretched three-and-a-half months of League One action.

Crucially, that’s precisely what was served up by caretaker boss Simon Bassey’s team against Premier League Spurs during a 1-0 loss.

Once their FA Cup fate had been decided, the first-team coach orchestrated the unusual step of players and staff performing a huddle in front of an away section appreciative of their efforts.

A poignant moment designed to serve as a reminder to the players of the recognition and rewards ready to be bestowed upon them for reaching required levels of commitment in a Pompey shirt.

‘I said “Listen to them, listen to the crowd, honesty, hard work, and they will clap back,” Bassey afterwards explained to The News.

‘We need to give them that and I thought they were brilliant – the crowd and the players.

‘There were also a couple of other things I said which I probably can’t say out loud, but our challenge is to take that performance, that effort and that unity into League One every week. We are better than where we are.’

Pompey managed just the one attempt on target, a first-half bicycle kick from Reeco Hackett after Colby Bishop had headed Denver Hume’s left-wing delivery back across goal.

That was met with a Fraser Forster dive, throwing himself to his right to push the ball out for a corner with merely 12 minutes on the clock.

Antonio Conte’s side also mustered one meaningful attack, which ultimately proved decisive as Harry Kane's 50th-minute strike settled the third-round encounter.

Nonetheless, the visitors made life difficult for Spurs throughout, refusing to let them settle and defending the penalty area magnificently, led by the highly-impressive Zak Swanson.

Bassey’s men were particularly impressive in the opening 45 minutes, the half when Hackett’s chance arrived, with their work-rate and tireless running frustrating the hosts.

Indeed, misplaced passes were a staple feature of the sloppy Premier League team during that period, silencing their crowd from around the 20th minute – albeit only reigniting when they eventually broke the deadlock.

Indeed, former player for both sides – Gary Stevens – was interviewed pitch side pre-match and called on the home fans to get behind their side: ‘If you can’t say something good about your team, keep your mouth shut.’

It seems the Spurs element among the 60,161 crowd took his wise advice on board as they were outsung throughout by the visiting support during their struggles to break down a mid-table League One outfit.

Granted, the hosts controlled the second half as the Blues dipped, yet they still failed to sufficiently test Josh Griffiths, whose most testing moments were generally provided by Heung-min Son’s corners.

Realistically, it was never going to be a fixture for Pompey to dominate possession and rip their opponents apart, but Bassey’s men also refused to treat the occasion as a damage-limitation exercise.

There were genuine moments of attacking intent long before settling into a counter-attacking routine in the second half when Spurs raised their game and began to dictate more.

Overall, though, the Blues won back friends for the passion and desire demonstrated throughout, epitomised by the resurgent Joe Morrell and, of course, the outstanding Swanson.

Since restored to the side against Ipswich and post-World Cup commitments, Morrell has been a superb midfield presence, somehow also managing to even shine during the Charlton debacle which signalled Cowley’s final game in charge.

Pompey locked horns with Spurs with Ryan Tunnicliffe operating as the Welshman’s midfield partner, in the absence of the suspended Marlon Pack.

That represented one of four changes implemented by Bassey, with Dane Scarlett ineligible to face his parent club and Ronan Curtis and Joe Pigott dropped to the bench.

Hume, Tunnicliffe, Colby Bishop and Reeco Hackett were all recalled, while the caretaker boss restored three at the back, with Swanson and Hume tasked with wing-back duties.

Meanwhile, Louis Thompson came onto the bench following four-and-a-half months out with a broken leg, and was booked within two minutes of his entrance after a full-blooded challenge on Bryan Gil.

Still, the system change proved inspired by Bassey, with the Blues well-organised and maintaining defensive shape throughout – the back three as strong as they have ever looked this season.

Admittedly, the wing-backs were unable to produce as much attacking threat as they would enjoy in the League One environment, nonetheless, in Swanson’s case, it allowed him to demonstrate defensive excellence.

The Arsenal fan continues to flourish and on Saturday undoubtedly served up his finest performance yet, despite challenged to deal with Son and Ryan Sessegnon on the left flank.

It represented a perfect result for the Blues. FA Cup elimination with their heads held high and around £300,000 banked as they focus on the priority of League One.

And kudos also for Bassey, the caretaker for an indeterminable amount of time as Pompey identify Cowley’s replacement.

‘I spoke to Danny by text. I think he has gone away. He texted me in the morning (Saturday) and said I deserved it and to enjoy it,’ he told The News.

‘I texted him back and said “I wish it was you, I have been awake since 4.30am, which is the truth. Danny and Nicky are a class act. I won't have anything said against them.’