'A hell of a mission. Madness': The remarkable truth of how Portsmouth beat Blackpool to Colby Bishop in one of football's craziest transfers

Nonetheless, the whirlwind 24 hours succeeded in bringing Colby Bishop to Fratton Park for one of Pompey’s most celebrated modern transfers.

The huge Blues favourite has this week signed a new three-and-a-half deal after plundering 50 goals in 120 appearances since arriving from Accrington in July 2022.

Yet Bishop’s journey to the south coast was far from straightforward, having spent the previous day at then Championship club Blackpool poised to sign.

The drama which unfolded saw Pompey gazump the Tangerines to land the sought-after striker, a high-octane chase consisting of motorway dashes, sushi, Jessie Lingard and a petrol station ‘Mexican stand-off’.

And at the wheel was Danny Cowley’s ever-willing first-team coach - Bassey. On his day off.

Bassey told The News: ‘It was a weird one. The maddest I have come across in my time in the game.

‘Blackpool had Colby there, but no-one was there to welcome him, then they left him sitting in a room for 20 minutes. They weren’t happy with something on the medical to do with his back, they were messing him around a bit.

‘Danny’s best friend is a back specialist, so could we now get the deal done? There were no trains from there, so we flew Colby and his big suitcase down to Heathrow. But we could only get a flight landing at 10am the next morning.

‘It was my day off, but I volunteered. Let’s get someone from the first-team staff to pick him up, get that personal touch, get to know them and make them feel welcome.

‘Blackpool hadn’t given him any love when they should have been trying to impress him. If the first date doesn't go well, you don’t normally go on a second.

‘However, it was murder on the M25 trying to get to Heathrow, I had to cut through the back roads. Then, by the airport, I found the road shut, so I cut across a curb to get around - all while on the phone to Colby, who I had never met and he’s saying “Where are you?”.

‘Next we headed to Harley Street, where two medicals were booked, but first I took him for lunch at Itsu, round the corner. I reckon he ate it in two gulps, I turned around and it had gone. He had four plates of sushi! He knew I was paying!

‘The clinic was just off Harley Street and Nottingham Forest were also there that day signing Jessie Lingard, so they had paparazzi following him and his girlfriend. It was a bit busy.

‘Anyhow, after meeting two people in Harley Street and having X-rays, we had to meet Andrew Cullen in Marylebone high street, before the three of us drove to Brentwood, Essex, which is probably about two-and-a-half hours, to see Danny’s friend.

‘Colby was examined and we were told he saw no problem with his back, although we were advised not to run him long distances, he’s no marathon runner.

‘Then we pulled up at a petrol station. It’s 10.30pm and there’s a Mexican stand-off. Colby’s over one side of the forecourt on the phone to his agent, Andrew is on the phone on the other side of the forecourt trying to get his bits done. Then it was agreed.

‘We drove back to Portsmouth, via the longest motorway diversion ever, and arrived at the Village Hotel after 1am to drop Colby off. It was an horrendous drive.

‘I still had to get home to Wimbledon, though! I got in at 3.30am, had two hours sleep, and then got up to return to training the next morning. It was a hell of a mission - but we had a centre-forward, which was the most important thing.’

Following the departure of loanee George Hirst at the end of the 2021-22 season, worryingly Cowley’s squad didn’t possess a single senior striker.

Then-Notts County centre-forward Kyle Wootton, James Collins and even a potential return for Leicester City’s Hurst were explored.

However, it was Bishop, fresh from netting 34 times in 123 appearances for Accrington, who had long established himself as Cowley’s preferred target.

Although Bishop and the head coach would spend just five-and-a-half months working together before Cowley was dismissed in January 2023 - with John Mousinho subsequently his replacement.

Bassey, who had a three-game stint as Pompey caretaker boss, would also leave and, following a spell as Colchester’s head of recruitment, is now Neal Ardley’s assistant at National League Woking.

He added: ‘We had been in for Colby for a while, trying to get the deal okayed from upstairs. It had been going back and forth for a while, then we thought we’d lost him when he went to Blackpool. Then we gave him a bit of love.

‘You’ve got to try to put on your best shoes and create the best impression, certainly during that long day it was about making him part of it, making him feel we really wanted him and how important he would be to us.

‘Luckily we managed to get the deal done after a lot of running around and finished the day eating ham sandwiches at a Tesco Express in Brentford.

‘He’s a good kid, I still speak to him every now and again. When he was ill, I messaged him and spoke to him as much as possible. Hopefully he continues doing well.’