‘Thank you’: Portsmouth favourites salutes Tottenham Hotspur show of force from 8,800-strong travelling army

And the Blues striker believes his team could be proud of their showing at Tottenham Hotspur, as they went down to a 1-0 third round reverse.

Harry Kane’s excellent second-half strike made the difference as interim head coach Simon Bassey’s side went up against the Premier League big guns.

But Pompey stood toe-to-toe with Antonio Conte’s men for long periods and had their moments in the capital.

Bishop was blown away by the strength of the backing his team received on a much-needed afternoon which lifted spirits.

He said: ‘It’s obviously a tough place to come and you’re going up against world class players.

‘You definitely feel the difference when you are on the pitch, but I feel we can be proud of ourselves.

‘It’s a shame we didn’t get that little bit of luck and nick a goals for the fans, because they were amazing. It just shows how good our support is.

‘From minute one they were louder than their fans. They’ve got 50-odd thousand and we had eight thousand - and they were 10 times louder.

‘They were amazing and I just want to thank them so much.’

Spurs fans showed their angst at the break in a half after a half in which Pompey had the clearest sight of goal through Reeco Hackett’s acrobatic effort.

Kane’s clinical finish made the difference, but Bishop felt with a break or two his team may well have pushed the game closer.

The 26-year-old was clear his team could reflect happily on their showing after a difficult period.

Bishop added: ‘Sometimes when you come to these places you just need a bit of luck.

‘If you look at their goal, it’s just quality and they don’t miss those chances.

‘That’s the difference and they are where they are - but I think we can be proud of ourselves.’